Posts by Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Rivals Focus On Buttigieg In Sixth Democratic Debate

A much smaller debate stage led to a much better debate last night.

Trump Unleashes Disgusting Attack On John Dingell And His Widow

Last night, Trump decided it would be a good idea to attack a dead Congressman and his widow.

Previewing The Sixth Democratic Debate

It’s time for the last Democratic debate of 2019, and the stage will be smaller than it has at any time in the past.

Pelosi Considering Delay In Sending Articles Of Impeachment To The Senate

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is suggesting she might hold back on sending the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. This seems like a bad idea.

Trump Impeached On Abuse of Power And Obstruction of Congress

For the third time in history, an American President has been impeached.

Open Forum

Where you can’t be off topic because there IS no topic.

As Impeachment Gets Closer, Trump Becomes Even More Unhinged

Despite denials and dismissals, it is clear that being an impeached President is getting under Trump’s skin.

Despite Oath, McConnell Admits He’s Not Impartial On Impeachment

Mitch McConnell and the other 99 members of the Senate will be required to take an oath to “do impartial justice” in the impending impeachment trial. He’s already admitted that he won’t.

Susan Collins Announces Reelection Bid

After months of silence, Maine Senator Susan Collins has announced that she is running for a fifth term in office.

House Set To Debate And Vote On Impeachment

By the end of today, Donald Trump will most likely be the third President of the United States to be impeached by the House of Representatives.

On Eve Of Impeachment, Trump Sends Bizarre Rant-Filled Letter To Pelosi

The President of the United States has sent a bizarre, rant-filled letter to the Speaker of the House. Revealing just how unbalanced he actually is.

Centrist Democrats Line Up In Favor Of Impeachment

Democrats who could prove to be vulnerable in 2020 are largely lining up in favor of impeaching the President.

Supreme Court Accepts Cases Dealing With Subpoenas For Trump Financial Records

Late last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a trio of cases healing with subpoenas for the President’s financial records.

Trump Awarded ‘Lie Of The Year’ For Third Time In Five Years

For the third time since 2015, Donald Trump gets Politifact’s “Lie Of The Year.”

Polling On Impeachment Largely Unmoved On Eve Of House Vote

With the House of Representatives just days away from impeaching President Trump, polling shows that public opinion on the issue has not changed much since October.

Open Forum

Where you can’t be off topic because there IS no topic.

Hallmark Reverses Decision To Ban Ads Featuring Lesbian Couple

After an online backlash, The Hallmark Channel has reversed its decision to ban ads featuring a lesbian couple.

Lessons For The U.S. In The British Elections?

What lessons are there for the United States in general, and Democrats in particular, in last weeks British election?

Fifth Circuit Blocks Mississippi Ban On Abortions After 15 Weeks

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

Further Evidence That The Fix Is In For Trump’s Senate Trial

Lindsey Graham is the latest Senator to make clear that he’s already made up his mind on impeachment.

House Judiciary Committee Releases Report On Trump Impeachment

The House Judiciary Committee has issued its report on the impeachment of President Trump.

Hallmark Channel Caves To Anti-LGBT Bigots

The Hallmark Channel caved to the complaints of a small group of so-called Christians who objected to a television commercial.

Signs Of Trouble For Cory Booker

Cory Booker’s campaign is starting to show some of the same signs of collapse that Kamala Harris’s did.

Anti-Impeachment Democratic Congressman Reportedly Switching Parties

Democratic Congressman Jeff van Drew of New Jersey is reportedly switching parties

Open Forum

Where you can’t be off topic because there IS no topic.

New Poll Purports To Show Lindsey Graham Vulnerable To Democratic Challenger

A new poll shows Senator Lindsey Graham vulnerable to a Democratic challenge next year, but there are several caveat.

Trump Has Already Fixed His Impeachment Trial In The Senate

The trial phase of the Trump impeachment is set to be an absolute partisan joke.

China And U.S. Reach Deal Averting Additional Tariffs

China and the U.S. have reached an initial trade deal that averts billions of dollars of new, inadvisable, tariffs, but the devil is in the details.

House Judiciary Committee Approves Articles Of Impeachment

For only the fourth time in history, the House Judiciary Committee has approved Articles of Impeachment against a sitting President.

Would Trump Boycott The Presidential Debates?

President Trump is reportedly considering boycotting the General Election debates next fall.

Conservatives Score Historic Win In British Elections

Boris Johnson and the British Conservative Party scored a huge win in yesterday’s General Election, while Labour walked away with its biggest defeat in a generation.

Open Forum

Where you can’t be off topic because there IS no topic.

Greta Thunberg Greta Thunberg

Trump Attacks A Teenage Girl

Donald Trump proves once again that there are no boundaries he won’t cross.

Two Federal Courts Hand Trump Defeat On Border Wall

Two Federal Courts have blocked the Administration from diverting Defense Department funds to pay for the President’s border wall

Israel Headed To Third Election In A Year

Having failed to form governments after two successive elections, Israel is headed for a third election inside of a year.

British Voters Head To The Polls In Vote That Could Finally Decide Brexit’s Fate

British voters are voting today in the third election in four years. This time, the fate of Brexit is on the ballot.

Bloomberg Rising In The Polls, But Most Democrats Don’t Want Him

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in fifth place in national polling, but a new poll suggests that he may not rise much further.

Greta Thunberg Greta Thunberg

Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Is Time’s ‘Person Of The Year”

An interesting albeit dubious selection for Person of the Year.

Anti-Doping Agency Bars Russia From International Sports

Russia has been barred from the 2020 and 2022 Olympics as well as other international sporting events due to widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs.

No, Joe Biden Should Not Make A Single Term Pledge

Some reports are indicating that Joe Biden’s campaign is considering making a pledge that he would only serve a single term if elected. This would be a mistake.

Kamala Harris’s Failure Had Nothing To Do With Her Race

Kamala Harris didn’t fail because of her race, she failed because she was a bad candidate.

Open Forum

Where you can’t be off topic because there IS no topic.

House Judiciary Committee Unveils Articles Of Impeachment

The House Judiciary Committee has revealed the Articles of Impeachment against the President that it will vote on later this week.

Americans Disagree With Trump On Trade

New polling shows that the American public does not support the President and his trade war.

DOJ Inspector General Rebuts Trump On Russia Investigation

After a two-year investigation, the Inspector General of the Department of Justice found no basis for the conspiracy theories being pushed by the Republicans regarding the Russia investigation.

House Judiciary Committee To Unveil Articles Of Impeachment

After a hearing that largely recapped the past month of hearings on Capitol Hill, the House Judiciary Committee is set to unveil Articles of Impeachment today.

René Auberjonois, Benson and Star Trek Actor, Dead At 79

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 Challenge In 2020

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

Paul Volcker, Fed Chairman Who Slew The Inflation Dragon, Dies At 92

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.

Afghan War Marked By Incompetence, Misrepresentation, And Outright Lies

A new report details the extent to which the eighteen-year Afghanistan War has been marked by mistakes, and lies by the government to cover-up the fact that we went to war without a clear understanding of what we were doing.