Who The Hell is Dean Phillips?

It’s quite the week for politicians with generic names nobody has ever heard of.

Republicans Divided on Foreign Policy

As memory of the Cold War fades, so does support for American primacy.

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Americans Pay More in Taxes than We Spend on Food, Clothing, and Medicine

Is that right? If so, is it reasonable?

RVA Pro Gun Rally 2020-11 Streets of Richmond, VA RVA Pro Gun Rally 2020-11 Streets of Richmond, VA

Trump, the GOP, and Stochastic Terrorism

A conversation in two parts.

Southernification of Rural America

Rural-urban is now a bigger divide than North-South.

CPAC as a Leading Indicator

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

The Shadow of 2000

The two parties learned different lessons from the last contested election.

Mark Sanford Drops Challenge For Republican Nomination

After just two months, Mark Sanford is dropping his challenge to the incumbent President.

The End of Consensus

A conservative columnist argues the legitimacy of our system is in question.

John Kasich Appears To Rule Out A Primary Challenge Against Trump

John Kasich hasn’t shut the door completely, but recent comments seem to make it clear he’s not likely to take on the President for the Republican nomination.

Larry Hogan Rules Out Primary Challenge Against Trump

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has ruled out what would essentially be a quixotic primary challenge against President Trump.

Trump Could Win Re-Election

Larry Sabato lays out a quite plausible path.

Bill Weld Launches Primary Challenge To Trump

Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld has officially joined the race for the 2020 Republican Presidential nomination

Time for a National Primary

The consolidation of Super Tuesday makes the current system even more broken than before.

Republicans Face A Choice: Do They Support The Constitution, Or Trump?

Republicans face a choice in the coming days. Do they support the Constitution, or do they support Donald Trump? You can count on them making the wrong choice.

Bill Weld Prepares For Primary Challenge To Trump

Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld is preparing for a primary challenge against Donald Trump. He won’t win, but he could still have an impact.

Bill Weld 2020?

Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld has rejoined the Republican Party, leading many to wonder if he’s considering a challenge to President Trump in 2020.

Larry Hogan As A 2020 GOP Challenger To Trump?

Could Maryland Governor Larry Hogan be just the kind of Republican to challenge Trump in 2020?

Jeff Flake 2020? He Seems Open To The Idea.

It would be a rather quixotic effort, but Jeff Flake isn’t ruling out challenging the President for the Republican nomination in 2020.

Republican Voters Don’t Care About Russian Interference In American Elections

Three new polls show that Republicans basically agree with the leader of their party when it comes to the issue of Russian interference in American elections.

Democrats Already Maneuvering For Support And Donors In 2020

We’re a long way away from the start of the 2020 election cycle, but Democrats are already maneuvering for support and money.

Former Presidential Candidates Emerging As Candidates For Senate In 2018

Several former candidates for President are emerging as potential candidates for Senate.

Was Bernie Sanders The Ralph Nader Of 2016?

One professor is suggesting that Bernie Sanders played a role in 2016 similar to the one that Ralph Nader did in 2000. It doesn’t pass even cursory examination.

Libertarians Are to Blame for Donald Trump’s Racialized Rhetoric?

The idea that Donald Trump has gotten his racialized rhetoric from libertarians is simply errant nonsense. The libertarian view, broadly speaking, is not defined by Murray Rothbard, Llewellyn Rockwell, and Ron Paul and those who share their views. This is but a small and even fringe group of what could be called the libertarian community.

John McLaughlin, McLaughlin Group Host, Dead At 89

A precursor to modern cable political news with an interesting past has passed away at the age of 89.

Donald Trump Returns To Dark, Dystopian Themes In Convention Speech

Donald Trump started out his campaign by telling us that the American dream is dead, and he returned to those dark and pessimistic themes in his acceptance speech last night.00

No, the US is not on the Verge of a Multi-Party System

We will have a two party system for the foreseeable future.

Chris Christie Grabs Endorsement Of New Hampshire Union Leader, But Will It Matter?

Chris Christie has gotten the endorsement of the biggest newspaper in New Hampshire, but it’s not clear that this will have any impact on the race.

Ben Carson Passes Donald Trump In New Iowa Polls

Two new Iowa polls show Ben Carson passing Donald Trump in the Hawkeye State, but that’s not necessarily good news for Republicans.

It’s Time To End Iowa And New Hampshire’s First In The Nation Status

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus suggested that Iowa and New Hampshire shouldn’t get used to their place at the top of the primary calendar. He’s right, but fixing the crazy system that put them there isn’t going to be easy.

Have we Seen Peak Trump?

Trump remains in the lead, but he has been steadily falling over the month of September. (And this triggers, as these things do, musings about institutions and our party system).

Donald Trump Appeals To The Worst Instincts In Voters, And The Worst Parts Of American Politics

The longer this race goes on, the hard it becomes to deny the truth about Donald Trump.

Trump as Perot 2.0

In 1992, an eccentric billionaire ran an independent campaign against a Bush and a Clinton. It could happen again.

Bernie Sanders ‘Gaining Momentum’ and Drawing ‘Overflow Crowds’

The New York Times really, really wants a horse race for the Democratic nomination.

Ted Cruz To Announce He’s Running For President

Ted Cruz kicks off with the first of what is likely to be a string of candidates getting into the 2016 race in the coming month.

The Phony Populism Of Politicians

Politicians on both sides of the aisle like to tell people they’re just “average Americans,” but they’re lying and the American people seem to have figured out that they’re lying.

Crossfire Canceled Again

CNN’s effort to bring back a show that had outlived its prime years ago has, predictably, failed.

Are The Culture Wars Over?

Bill Scher examines “How Republicans Lost the Culture War.”

Is George H.W. Bush America’s Greatest Living President?

In retrospect, and in comparison with other recent Presidents, George Herbert Walker Bush’s four years in office were pretty darn good.

Explaining The Conservative Love Affair With Vladimir Putin: It’s All About Opposing Obama

The bizarre conservative love affair with Vladimir Putin continues.

Mitt Romney 2016

A certain wealthy man with good hair is doing very well in a meaningless poll.

The Cultural Conservative Love Affair With Vladimir Putin Is Quite Odd

Vladimir Putin seems to be getting a lot of love from cultural conservatives in the United States.

Conservatives For Putin?

Some conservatives don’t seem too troubled by Vladimir Putin’s repression.

Crossfire Returns with New Hosts

CNN is reviving the Crossfire shoutfest with Newt Gingrich, S.E. Cupp, Stephanie Cutter, and Van Jones as hosts.

Reflections on the Panama Canal

The Canal made a number of impressions.

The Clinton-Bush-Obama Trifecta

Are two-term Presidencies the new normal?

American Politics May Be Nasty But They Started It

At some point, however, using the bad actions of the past to justify worse actions in the present has to stop.