Outside the Beltway

Not surprisingly, Time’s editors chose Pope Francis as Person Of The Year. However, Edward Snowden arguably would have been the better choice.

Congressman Steve Stockman’s primary challenge of Senator John Cornyn could be a big deal, or, more likely, it could be a dud.

Some on the American right have a very odd view of both Nelson Mandela and the Apartheid regime he fought against.

The junior Senator from Massachusetts has promised to serve her entire six-year term.

The 7 seats most likely to switch parties are held by Democrats.

Chris Christie has had a very good month, and it’s ending with him with a strong lead among potential Republican candidates for 2016.

Once again, some groups in Texas are trying to block approval of a science textbook because it is too deferential to Evolution.

The GOP seems to be shifting strategy on the Affordable Care Act.

The perfect defense?

Don’t blame Dallas, or 60s era Texas conservatism, for what happened in Dallas 50 years ago,

Do Voter ID laws really suppress voter turnout? The evidence from at least one state doesn’t prove it.

The state where the same-sex marriage battle began is just days away from legalizing same-sex marriage.

The battle for marriage equality has scored a number of victories in a short period of time, but that’s about to change.

Chris Christie did as well as expected last night, but that’s just the beginning.

The race for Virginia Governor turned out to be much closer than many predicted, but that should not be a surprise.

For some same-sex couples with a military spouse, living together on base is proving difficult to implement quickly.

Fifty years after the Stand in the Schoolhouse door, there’s another standoff with recalcitrant states on civil rights.

A partial setback for the pro-life crowd out of Texas.

Women in Texas who changed their name when they got married may have trouble voting.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has endorsed “none of the above” for governor of Virginia.

Bum Phillips, former head coach of the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints, has died aged 90.

Ted Cruz isn’t ruling out a reprise of his foolish, quixotic, crusade.

Should states have the right to ban affirmative action? The Supreme Court will decide that this term.

Would you trust the men and women in this building?

The House wasted a day yesterday, now it’s crunch time.

The argument that the Roberts Court has been overly “activist” does not hold up to examination.

Conservatives gathered on the National Mall today to protest the closure of memorials, but their message seems really intended for Republicans in Congress to not back down.

Republicans appear to be uniting behind a short-term plan to deal with the debt ceiling, but seem okay with keeping the government shutdown going forward.

The government shutdown seems to be having an impact on the one competitive statewide race in country this year.

Ted Cruz wants his fellow Republicans to follow him down the rabbit hole again.