Outside the Beltway

The GOP’s shutdown was about as pointless as a show about waiting for a table in a Chinese restaurant.

Would you trust the men and women in this building?

A plan finally starting to come together?

If Congress isn’t able to reach a deal, the big problem going forward would be uncertainty.

The House wasted a day yesterday, now it’s crunch time.

Well, so much for that plan.

It looks like the House will be making its move before the Senate acts, but that may actually help resolve this faster.

The deal emerging out of the talks between Senator Reid and Senator McConnell is about what you’d expect, but it’s probably the best we can expect right now.

As long as we’re tacking on unrelated measures in order to secure a deal to end the government shutdown-debt ceiling standoff, why not some related measures?

Are these four men our last, best hope for a deal that will end the shutdown and avoid breaching the debt ceiling?

Talks between the two Senate leaders haven’t exactly gone so well.

One Virginia Republican suggests that defaulting on our bonds wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

Harry and Mitch to the rescue?

Divided government is the worst political system ever, except for all the others.

With the House’s proposed deal reaching an impasse, the Senate is now taking center stage.

The GOP’s approval numbers have fallen like a stone, but it’s unclear whether this will matter in 2014.

There seems to be at least some hope for a temporary deal in Washington to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling, but don’t count your chickens just yet.

Republicans appear to be uniting behind a short-term plan to deal with the debt ceiling, but seem okay with keeping the government shutdown going forward.

There’s no denying it now. The GOP is being harmed by the events in Washington far more than the President and Democrats in general.

Paul Ryan is back, and he has a plan his party ought to be paying attention to.

The real world impact of what’s happening in Washington is becoming apparent.

Signs that investors are starting to get nervous about the lack of action coming out of Washington.

If one considers oneself to be conservative, ask if the the actions of the GOP at the moment conform to that term..

Contrary to the White House’s arguments, negotiating over the debt ceiling is not at all historically unprecedented.

The government shutdown seems to be having an impact on the one competitive statewide race in country this year.

They’re back…….

There’s a way for President Obama and Speaker Boehner to talk out a deal to resolve the current crisis, but they have to want to do it.

One cannot support the shutdown tactic and then be outraged that part of the government is shutdown.

To borrow a phrase from Stephen Colbert, if you want to understand how Congress works, you better know a District.

Ted Cruz wants his fellow Republicans to follow him down the rabbit hole again.

Speaker Boehner sends a signal that there won’t be a quick resolution to the government shutdown crisis.

The outlines of a possible new GOP proposal are emerging. Can it go anywhere?

The government shutdown is starting to have effects in the “real world.”

Not raising the debt ceiling will create a true constitutional/legal crisis.

Speaker Boehner told his caucus members that he will not allow a default over the debt ceiling but don’t look for a change in strategy.

A comment from one Congressman sums up the attitude of the small group of Congressman and Senators who have placed us in this situation.

President Obama had some potentially market-moving news for Wall Street.

If you want to understand why Republicans in Congress are acting like they are, just look at the polls.

There’s no sign that the government shutdown will end any time soon.

Chris Christie had some words about the crisis in D.C., and they almost sound like they could be part of a 2016 campaign message

Nick Gillespie advances the counterintuitive argument that President Obama is responsible for today’s government shutdown.