Outside the Beltway

The “debt ceiling” is phony, contrived, and needs to be eliminated.

As of today, the United States is legally barred from borrowing money to finance its operations. Thanks for nothing, Congress.

Republicans are playing politics with the National Debt. Please don’t tell me you’re shocked.

The 60 day deadline for Presidential discretion under the War Powers Act will expire next week. Congress won’t do anything about it.

Republicans seem to have realized that the Ryan Plan’s Medicare reforms aren’t going anywhere.

Congress is coming back to Washington and gas prices continue to rise. Expect a lot of demagoguery, but very little in the way of solutions.

There are signs that the Ryan Plan isn’t playing well with the public.

Contempt for Congress is an old American tradition. Unfortunately.

One of the Tea Party movement’s favorite Senators used the dreaded c-word.

President Obama’s signing statement on the allocation of funds to Presidential “czars” sets a potentially dangerous Constitutional precedent.

In all honesty, much of what is coming out of the mouths of self-described conservatives is actually pretty darn radical.

Will the Ryan Plan ever be voted out of the House?

President Obama’s budget speech was light on specifics, but that’s because it was really the opening salvo of the 2012 campaign.

The GOP seems to be telling President Obama that revenue increases are off the table. That’s a huge mistake.

The Obama Administration is resisting efforts to expand Fourth Amendment protections to services like Gmail. That’s unfortunate.

Did the GOP toss social conservatives under the bus when it gave away the Planned Parenthood rider?

What, if anything, does the budget deal mean for the future?

As yesterday’s budget negotiations began, the GOP had a choice – appease the base, or make a deal. They made the right choice.

History tells us that if there is a shutdown tonight, it will most likely be a short one.