Outside the Beltway

What the shutdown should have been about.

There are real life consequences.

A bit of good news.

Majorities gonna majority.

Where’s the positive example?

Things will get radically worse if the shutdown doesn’t end soon.

Dear Leader has a wish.

The octogenarian Speaker Emerita will not seek re-election.

Not even a misdemeanor.

A bad night for Trump.

Although it is still on life support.

And what it means for 2024 and beyond.

Tucker, Fuentes, and Heritage. Oh My!

The standoff is in its 35th day.

The former Defense Secretary and Vice President is gone at 84.

Lee Drutman does the math.

He’s making a major admission.

Don’t let pundits spin too many fantasies.

It’s not an unprecedented stance.

The Trumpian Twilight Zone.

The light at the end of the tunnel is a train.

The Pentagon’s couch cushions are huuuuge.

This time in Florida.

Political scientists, however, are skeptical.

A tale from my neck of the woods.

How party change actually works in the US. Plus more on messaging and organzing.

Grumpy old man grumps about democracy.

We need to be focused on the system, not fantasies about messages and organization.

Upcoming milestones that could force a deal.

Lies about past White House upgrades. It all start with Jesse Waters, but also heads to the op/ed pages of the NYT and WaPo.

One-third of a day.

Next up: our armed forces.

“What are they going to do? Say, ‘Gee, we don’t want to stop drugs pouring in?’”

The aid continues to grow.

Courtesy of President Donald J. Trump.

A commercial has hurt the CINC’s fee-fees.

Lack of understanding and poor institutional design=bad political outcomes.

The move to build Trump’s Big Beautiful Ballroom is moving at record speed.

A minor, yet telling, example of the intellectual maturity of this administration.

Who could have seen this coming?

They were looking for a show to steal. They were fine with contracts that bind. And they were willing to make a deal

It’s huuuuge.

Power is apparently very important.

A Punisheresque skull.

I mean, who would even think such a thing?

I guess if we fail to vaporize you, you get treated like a criminial.