Outside the Beltway

The average American is neither progressive nor all that interested in politics.

It’s usually more effective to run for something rather than against someone.

The tabs must flow.

A piece in The Atlantic inspires thoughts.

Doing nothing is still a choice, and the legitimacy crisis is here, like it or not.

We’re an incredibly divided country but splitting it into two is impossible.

The Catch-22 of passing a massive spending bill in an undemocratic system.

The flake beat the weirdo.

A few observations on Whole Woman’s Health, et al., Applicants v. Austin Reeve Jackson, Judge, et al.

Regardless of one’s views on abortion, the enforcement provision in the new Texas law should be concerning.

The Lone Star State has enacted some peculiar new laws.

COVID vaccine hesitancy is just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s no better than Joe Manchin’s.

And linkages to broader US politics.

Yes, partisanship is real. And it influences more than just voting behavior.

The annual gathering showed us what the Republican Party would become years ago.

We’re witnessing something not seen since 1989.

Her Democratic opponent has conceded.

Either democracy is sacred, or it’s not.

Sigh.

The stakes of losing will be catastrophic. Either way.

Some judicial alphabet soup in dialog with my co-blogger.

It’s not a cult but not exactly mainstream, either.

Kamala Harris wins by not losing.

Multiple reports have the Notre Dame graduate replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

A fundamental building block of our system makes it nearly impossible to fix.

Legitimacy hangs in the balance.

The iconic Supreme Court justice has died at the age of 87.

The platform decision is emblematic of a Trump-led party.

Is the Chief Justice laying a trap or simply ‘calling balls and strikes’?

A reprise of an almost identical case with a different group of Justices–and the Chief Justice switching sides.

The regime’s crackdown on their Muslim minority is worse than imagined.

A disgraced governor is signing a wave of progressive legislation

A case that should never have made it to the Supreme Court.

One side is arguing over rules while the other is focused on consequences.

Politics makes strange bedfellows.

In just three years in office, Donald Trump has succeeded in taking huge steps in transforming the judiciary for decades to come.

A newly filed lawsuit seeks to blunt expected efforts in 2020 to “ratify” the Equal Rights Amendment even though it effectively died nearly 40 years ago.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked a Mississippi law that banned nearly all abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy.

The impeachment inquiry moves to the House judiciary Committee this morning.

The California Supreme Court has struck down a state law purporting to require a candidate for President to release their tax returns,

The fifth Democratic debate brought some candidate clashes, but hardly the no-holds-barred type of event you might expect for this late in the pre-primary process.

In what many are seeing as a rebuke of the President, Louisiana voters re-elected Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards over his Republican opponent.

Nine months after what seemed like the end of his political career, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has mounted a comeback,

One political scientist says yes. A bunch of others say wait, what?

A Federal District court Judge in Alabama has blocked implementation of that state’s latest attempt to challenge Roe v. Wade

Twitter is banning all political advertising from its site. It is a largely meaningless decision, but it’s still a bad idea.

Former North Caroline Senator Kay Hagan has died,