Outside the Beltway

A conversation in two parts.

The Vietnam War hero and one-term Georgia Senator has died at 79.

A piece in The Atlantic inspires thoughts.

Our brains are wired to seek approval but may not be equipped to handle our modern existence.

He was both the youngest and oldest man to run the Pentagon.

Discussing the filibuster.

The Watergate conspirator, author, and talk show host was 90.

America’s Newspaper of Record needs to figure out what it wants to be.

Specifically: the former confederacy and Democratic dominance.

The GOP will almost certainly survive. But in what form?

Granted, there are more than two. But from a political science/political history POV, these two stick out in my mind.

A country music legend is yet another victim of COVID.

At what point does a demonstration become something else?

A civil rights legend has passed.

Conspiracy theories are poisoning the United States. That’s no joke.

Dissenters to a denied emergency appeal argue it is.

The Country Music Hall of Famer is gone.

It creates a veto gate that they are almost guaranteed to control when they need it.

How to translate understandable frustration at injustice into tangible reform?

The evidence is clear. Injustice feeds rage and rage sometimes boils over.

If the goal is to change politics, not just vent frustration, messaging is important.

The President is sending a terrible message.

The conversation continues. (Warning: it is over 3000 words).

CBS did a lousy job.

René Auberjonois, a long time character actor best known for his roles on Benson and Star Trek: Deep Space NIne, has died at 79.

Lindsey Graham faces a potentially interesting challenge in his 2020 re-election bid.

Paul Volcker, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board who put an end to the rampant inflation that threatened to choke the American economy, has died at 92.

With her eyes on her political future in a GOP dominated by Trumpism, Nikki Haley is attempting to rewrite the history of one of the most significant events of her time as Governor of South Carolina.

Given the times we live in, you may be tempted to argue about politics tomorrow. Here’s my advice — don’t do it.

Rich Lowry puts preferred outcomes over constitutional process.

President Trump’s newest tariffs went into effect over the weekend. They’re going to hurt.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is the latest politician to apologize for donning blackface while she was in college.

For a change not by me.

David Koch, one-half of the Koch Brothers and the head of a wide-ranging business empire who also went on to have a huge impact on politics and cultural philanthropy, has died at the age of 79.

A federal appeals court has ruled that DC and Maryland officials have no right to bring the suit.

The independent who upended the 1992 Presidential race has passed.

For the first time in more than thirty years, NASA is preparing to unveil a program to allow civilians to travel to the International Space Station.

President Trump says he wants to see men back on the Moon by 2024, but NASA thinks it’s going to take longer than that.

Bart Starr, who led the Green Bay Packers to five N.F.L. Championships in the pre-Super Bowl era and in Super Bowls I and II, has died at the age of 85.

Justin Amash spoke out against the President and Attorney General. Unsurprisingly this is not being received well by his fellow Republicans.

An interesting plot twist in the Goodloe Sutton saga.

The end of racism may have been prematurely declared.

It’s reasonable and just to adjust our outrage based on the context of the time when incidents occurred.

One-half of a pop music icon in the 70’s, the Captain has passed away.

One of the strongest climate regulations in the country is almost certainly unconstitutional.

As expected, Bill Cosby’s lawyers have filed an appeal of his conviction earlier this year on sexual assault charges.

Democrats have flipped the Senate seat currently held by Republican Jeff Flake.

Rest in Peace and Excelsior, Stan Lee!

America’s tradition of unlimited free expression increases the danger of violence.

One of the people most responsible for the personal computer revolution has passed away at the far-too-young age of 65.