Outside the Beltway

Starting tomorrow morning, the Supreme Court dives into the most significant case that has been before it in many years.

Despite how it many have seemed in January, Ron Paul’s 2012 Presidential effort is ending just about the same way his 2008 effort did.

An odd meme’s developing that Mitt Romney’s campaign is in financial trouble.

Virtually everything Stephen Colbert is doing was legal before Citizens United.

Mitt Romney made a suggestion about how to fix our campaign finance system. It’s a good idea.

A new set of proposed Constitutional Amendments reveals that many people still don’t understand what Citizens United was about.

The Supreme Court will decide on the Constitutionality of the President’s health care law by June 2012.

Last night, Herman Cain established that he simply isn’t prepared to be Commander in Chief.

Herman Cain’s bizarre loyalty to his Campaign Director is one of the reasons he is unfit to be President.

Another potential problem for the Cain campaign.

Mitt Romney is still being dogged by charges of changed positions. Now, he’s trying to spin that as a good thing.

Despite all the negatives going against him, Mitt Romney may yet be the inevitable Republican nominee.

More pay for play at the White House?

Workers picketing a Chicago Hyatt hotel yesterday got an unpleasant surprise: Heat lamps.

Where is the line on using the White House to further the president’s re-election effort?

The Obama campaign is stressing that 98 percent of its donations were from little guys contributing $250 or less. But 40 percent of the money came from a handful of major donors.

Another major campaign finance case from the Supreme Court.

Both sides in the John Edwards case are heading into uncharted territory.

By now, everyone knows that John Edwards was indicted on campaign finance law violations stemming from the cover-up of the Rielle Hunter love child scandal. Most, too, recall the brouhaha over Edwards’ $400 haircuts. As it turns out, they’re at least tangentially related.

The next shoe has dropped in the battle between campaign finance laws and the 1st Amendment.

Stephen Colbert has been running an ongoing shtick in which he’s trying to start a political action committee, gets letters from his Viacom bosses poo-pooing the idea, and then inviting his lawyer on to explain ways to get around these concerns.

Public disclosure of campaign contributions makes it easier for incumbents to pressure backers of their opponent.

A commenter asks, “Why does Wisconsin have a quorum rule if not for situations like this?”

The House has voted to repeal the broken system of financing presidential elections.

Three months after the allegations were first made. the FEC has opened a criminal investigation of Tea Party Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell

Tom DeLay is a sleazebag and has been found guilty by an Austin jury for skirting the law. But it may in fact be a miscarriage of justice despite the victim being as unsympathetic as it gets.

Former Congressman Bob Barr argues that the right should not be so eager to rehabilitate George W. Bush. He’s right.

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson takes a look at the Tea Party movement and claims to find racism.

After months of media reporting on the Republican advantage in outside spending, NYT reports that Democrats retain a sizable advantage at the campaign level.

Justice Alito said recently he won’t be attending the next State of the Union address. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Citizens United really wasn’t that big a deal.

Like Sarah Palin, Christine O’Donnell is no fan of the press.

While she continues basking in the glory of her surprise victory, Christine O’Donnell is still dodging questions about potentially serious violations of the law.

32 Democratic incumbents are running even or behind their Republican challengers in one or more public or private polls. At this point in 2006, when Republicans lost control of Congress, only 11 GOP incumbents were running even or behind.

Thanks to a united Republican Caucus, the Senate failed to take up a deeply flawed campaign finance “reform” bill.

Biden got hammered by the FEC for violating campaign finance rules. A big fining deal?

Sarah Palin’s Political Action Committee is starting to look more and more like the beginnings of a run for the White House.