Outside the Beltway

Once again people are saying that 2012 is an election year akin to 1860 or 1932. Once again, they are wrong.

David Brooks is wistful for the noblesse oblige of the elites of yore.

There are signs out there that people are becoming some what more optimistic about the outlook for the economy.

Today, the Supreme Court decided that mandatory life sentences for juveniles violate the 8th Amendment.

Following yesterday’s shoot-down of a Turkish F-5 by Syria has once again raised the specter of NATO action under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. It’s not going to happen.

Absent something extraordinary, it’s unlikely that the GOP will lose control of the House.

Another local official wants to join the War On Big Soda.

The 1976 Pulitizer prize winner is phoning it in.

US Army Special Forces are the best we have at working with far-flung villagers. Are they good enough?

While the news media is focused on sixteen battleground states, the professionals running the Obama and Romney campaigns are focused on a much narrower list.

Will more knowledge bring an end to the public debate over evolutionary theory? Don’t count on it.

Does the fizzled out Facebook IPO tell us anything about the state of the economy? Not really.

The private office is quickly becoming a relic, despite the loss of morale and productivity that comes from open floorplans.

The Oval Office is nothing like a corporate boardroom.

A tough new Obama campaign ad highlights people who lost their jobs after a Bain Capital takeover–at a time Mitt Romney was not at Bain Capital.

Our psychological and cultural biases make evaluating information and arguments rationally next to impossible.

Obama has an advantage in what is likely to be one of the most important states in November’s election, but the race is far from over.

How about we recognize that we do have ongoing and serious racial tension in this country rather than ignoring the issue most of the time and only deploying it when the game of politics is being played?

Charlie Savage documents a major shift in Barack Obama’s philosophy of presidential authority.

Andrew Exum believes the Army should “get rid of all medals not related to valor or campaign-specific service.”

OTB’s comment section as a microcosm of the American political landscape.

Far from being deterimental, there is a case to be made that SuperPACs have actually expended democracy during this election cycle.

The takeover of academic IR study by the stats geeks is complete.

I remember the days when stores were making the transition from the old style brown paper bags to the newfangled plastic ones–in the name of the environment.

One Goldman Sachs employee decided to quit his job in a very public manner.

The president’s job approval is down. And it’s also up!

What does it mean to have a limited government?

There’s little benefit, and much cost, to moving our clocks back and forth every six months. So why do we do it?

The GOP has sold its soul.

There is no Republican savior out there.

Rick Santorum is at the front of a brigade that wants to re-fight the sexual revolution. They’ll lose.

Rick Santorum sounds like someone applying for a job in a religious institution, not someone running to be the President of the United States.

China’s government may be more “efficient,” but it’s hardly a model for the rest of the world.

Once again, the culture wars intrude into yet another area of life.

The latest projections from Congressional Budget Office are sobering to say the least.