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.

If Only A Contested Convention Can Stop Trump, It’s A Plan That’s Unlikely To Succeed

It seems increasingly apparent that the only way to stop Donald Trump now is by trying to force a contested convention. It also seems clear that such a plan probably wouldn’t succeed.

Kim Jong Un Orders North Korean Nukes Placed On ‘Standby’

More saber rattling from Pyongyang.

Solid Jobs Growth For February, But Shadows Remain Hovering Over The Economy

February’s Jobs Report was relatively positive, but there are still shadows hovering over the economy as we head further into the year.

Trump, Cruz, and Rubio Continue to Exchange Attacks In Eleventh Republican Debate

With time running out, the top three candidates for the Republican nomination picked up right where they left off last week.

Mitt Romney Denounces Donald Trump, But It’s Likely To Amount To Much Ado About Nothing

Mitt Romney came out with a blistering speech denouncing Donald Trump, but it’s unlikely to have much of an impact on the race.

Majority Of Americans Want The Senate To Consider An Obama Nominee To SCOTUS

Another poll shows that most Americans would prefer that the vacancy on the Supreme Court be filled by President Obama than that it be left open for the next President to fill, but other factors make it unlikely the Senate will act.

Email Issues Continue To Dog Clinton Even As She Sails Toward The Democratic Nomination

Even as Hillary Clinton heads toward winning the Democratic nomination for President, there’s an server-sized shadow over her campaign.

Divided Supreme Court Hears Argument In Texas Abortion Case

The Supreme Court seems as closely divided as ever on an issue that has divided the nation for forty years, but the implications of Justice Scalia’s death were quite apparent during oral argument in the Texas Abortion Law case.

Ben Carson Won’t Attend Next GOP Debate, Admits He Has No Viable Path Forward

Ben Carson announced today that he is skipping the next GOP debate and admitted that he does not see a viable path forward for his campaign. However, he didn’t formally withdraw from the race for the Republican nomination.

Astronaut Scott Kelly Returns To Earth After A Year In Space

American Astronaut Scott Kelly is back home after a year in orbit.

The Latest ‘Stop Trump’ Effort Is Probably Too Little, Too Late

A renewed internal GOP fight to stop Donald Trump seems to be doomed to fail.

Hillary Clinton Scores Decisive Super Tuesday Wins, Moves One Step Closer To Nomination

As expected, Hillary Clinton won big last night while Bernie Sanders largely floundered, thus going further toward making Clinton’s victory inevitable.

Donald Trump Dominates Super Tuesday, Cruz And Rubio Say They’ll Continue To Fight On

As expected, Donald Trump dominated Super Tuesday, putting himself one step closer to becoming the Republican nominee for President.

GOP’s Delegate Allocation Rules Are Helping Trump

Changes that the Republican National Committee made to delegate allocation rules in response to what happened in 2012 are helping Donald Trump in 2016.

Whatever Happened To That $6,000,000 Donald Trump Raised “For The Troops?”

A month after raising $6,000,000 for “the troops,,” questions are being asked about where the money Donald Trump raised for veterans causes actually is at this point.

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Federal Judge Denies Request To Force Apple To Extract Data From iPhones In Drug Case

A Federal Judge in New York has denied an F.B.I. request to force Apple to extract data from iPhones involved in a Federal drug case.

Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton Poised To Leave Opponents In The Dust On Super Tuesday

It’s Super Tuesday, and both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are likely to go a long way toward securing the nominations of their respective parties.

New National Poll Finds No Evidence That Attacks From Rubio & Cruz Have Hurt Trump

A new national poll suggests that the newly aggressive tone from Senators Rubio and Cruz has done nothing to stop Donald Trump’s momentum.

Republican Race Descends Into Childish Taunts, Name Calling

Ever since last week’s debate, the race for the Republican nomination has come to resemble a schoolyard fight among a bunch of nine year-olds.

Jeff Sessions Endorses Donald Trump, While Other Republicans Begin To Panic

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions became the latest prominent Republican to endorse Donald Trump, but there are a lot more Republicans who are starting to panic over what Trump could do to their party.

Peyton Manning To Announce Retirement, Reports Say

If reports today are accurate, one of the great N.F.L. careers will come to an end this week.

Trump, Cruz Well Positioned Heading Into Super Tuesday, Rubio Not So Much

Donald Trump is positioned to do very well on Super Tuesday, while Ted Cruz should win his home state. Marco Rubio, meanwhile, seems to be struggling to maintain his relevance.

United States Putting ‘Advisers’ On The Front Lines In Nigeria’s War Against Boko Haram

The U.S. is poised to send troops to the front lines of yet another war we have no reason to be involved in.

Hillary Clinton Trounces Sanders In South Carolina

Hillary Clinton crushed Bernie Sander last night in South Carolina, pushing the race further down the path that leads to an inevitable outcome.

More Endorsements For Donald Trump

Two more Republican Governors endorse Donald Trump.

With Little Suspense Regarding The Outcome, Democrats Head To The Polls In South Carolina

There’s little doubt that Hillary Clinton will win today’s South Carolina Primary, the only question is how big a win she’s likely to score.

Economic Growth In Final Quarter Of 2015 Pegged At Anemic 1.0%

Not exactly inspiring economic news from the Commerce Department.

China, U.S. Agree On North Korea Sanctions That Are Unlikely To Accomplish Anything

Can anything restrain the North Koreans besides direct action by China? That’s unclear, but the new round of sanctions pending at the U.N. seem unlikely to accomplish much of anything.

Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump, Donald Trump Steals Post-Debate News Cycle

With one surprise endorsement, Donald Trump stole the post-debate news cycle from Marco Rubio.

Rubio Campaign Telling Donors It’s Preparing For A Brokered Convention

Bizarrely, the Marco Rubio campaign seems to be telling donors that their candidate may have to hope for a brokered convention to win the GOP nomination.

Gloves Come Off Against Trump In Tenth Republican Debate, But Is It Too Little, Too Late?

Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz landed some punches on Donald Trump last night, but it’s doubtful that they changed the nature of the race.

Ted Cruz Faces A Test In Texas

On Tuesday, Ted Cruz’s campaign faces what amounts to a do-or-die battle in Texas.

Trump Leads Rubio In Florida By Double Digits

If Marco Rubio can’t win in his home state, where can he win?

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Latino Voters Really, Really Dislike Donald Trump

A new poll shows Donald Trump with historically low support for a Republican from Latino voters. That’s a recipe for electoral disaster.

Is Bernie Sanders Finally Coming To Realize He Can’t Possibly Win The Nomination?

With the Democratic race headed into territory where Hillary Clinton is heavily favored, Bernie Sanders may finally be coming to realize that he can’t possibly win the Democratic nomination.

Nevada’s Republican Governor Reportedly Being Vetted For Supreme Court

Is President Obama planning a Checkmate move in the SCOTUS nomination fight?

Another Chaotic Nevada Caucus Helps Make The Case For Eliminating Caucuses Altogether

This year’s Nevada Caucuses are a good argument for why there should not be any more caucuses.

Donald Trump Scores Solid Win In Nevada

Donald Trump won his third contest in a row in Nevada, putting him one step closer to inevitability.

Senate Republicans Vow No Hearings On Supreme Court Nominee From President Obama

Notwithstanding polling that indicates the American public disagrees with them, Senate Republicans emerged from a meeting today largely united on the idea of not giving any Supreme Court nominee named by President a hearing, or even the courtesy of a meeting.

Peter Mondavi, Napa Valley Wine Pioneer, Dead At 101

A man who helped create a multi-billion dollar a year industry, and some mighty fine wine, has passed away.

Poll: Majority Of Americans Say Senate Should Hold Hearings And Vote On SCOTUS Nominee

The American people do not seem to support the Republican position on whether President Obama’s expected Supreme Court nominee should get proper consideration by the Senate.

Ben Carson: President Obama Was “Raised White,” Can’t Identify With African-Americans

Ben Carson may be a non-entity in the Presidential race at this point, but that hasn’t stopped him from making controversial statements.