Outside the Beltway

As I’ve said before, the Republican Party in the Trump Era has become the party of Trumpaloons, sycophants, sellouts, and cowards.

The Senate passed a tax cut bill last night, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

A not guilty verdict in a case that Donald Trump turned into a political issue.

After nearly four decades in power, Robert Mugabe has stepped down after a military coup. What happens next is another, more complicated, question.

Negotiations over government formation is not a crisis.

Voters rank factors before choosing how to vote.

The early numbers in the battle to control Congress look good for Democrats, but there are are a number of caveats to keep in mind.

The next step in Zimbabwe seems entirely unclear as long-time dictator Robert Mugabe refuses to formally give up power.

Could the tide be turning in the Alabama Senate race against Roy Moore? At least some polling indicates the answer could be yes.

New Jersey Senate Bob Menendez has temporarily dodged a bullet, but his ultimate fate is far from clear.

It appears Russia attempted to influence last year’s Brexit vote in the same manner it did the 2016 election in the United States.

An overwhelming majority of Australians voted in favor of marriage equality in a non-binding referendum. The ball is now in the court of the nation’s legislature to move forward.

Even during an overseas trip, President Trump continues to try to undermine the Russia investigation.

The Moore situation illustrates the nonhierarchical nature of US parties. This is nothing new.

Republicans have a Donald Trump problem, and they can’t run away from it.

Democrats, Republicans, and Independents came out for an an election that can only been seen as a strong rebuke to President Trump and the Republican Party.

With less than forty-eight hours to go, the race for Virginia’s Governor is tighter than ever.

More bad polling news for President Trump.

Squirrel!

Things are heating up very quickly in Catalonia.

Due mostly to cowardice and naked self-interest, you shouldn’t expect many other Republicans to speak out against Trump in the near future.

One of the few Republicans willing to speak out against Donald Trump is retiring at the end of his current term.

While the President of the United States continues to create chaos, Xi Jinping consolidates his power in China.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to call a snap election pays off big time.

Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy has said he will act to remove Catalonia’s pro-independence leadership from power.

President Obama spoke out yesterday against his successor and the America he has created.

The standoff between Madrid and Barcelona over Catalan independence appears to be ready to come to an end.

New polling shows Democratic nominee Ralph Northam continuing to lead Republican Ed Gillespie in the Virginia Governor’s race, but anything is still possible with three weeks to go until Election Day.

A new poll shows Democratic nominee Doug Jones tied with twice-removed former Chief Justice Roy Moore in Alabama’s Senate race, but it’s still too early to be optimistic.

The President’s job approval numbers remain at historic lows, while a growing number of Americans say that the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Susan Collins will stay in the Senate rather than running for Governor of Maine next year.

New polling shows increased support for gun control measures in the wake of Las Vegas, but it’s not likely to last and it won’t lead to any significant action by Congress.

At least for now, Republicans seem to be giving up on repealing and replacing the PPACA. That’s not going to make the base happy.

Former Trump aide Steve Bannon is declaring war on Republicans in the Senate.

More thoughts related to Gill v. Whitford and the problem of extreme gerrymandering.

And even moreso when they are consciously created by the winner.

The nation’s only competitive Governor’s this year appears to be going in favor of the Democratic candidate.

Some interesting statistics.

The Supreme Court appears split on the question of whether or not partisan Gerrymandering is unconstitutional.

Catalonia voted overwhelmingly for independence from Spain, but it’s not at all clear that the vote will amount to anything.

Previewing the next term of the Supreme Court, which starts today.

Roy Moore’s victory in Alabama is raising fears of a wider battle in the Republican Party heading into 2018.

Bob Corker, who has served in the Senate since winning election in 2006, announced yesterday that he would not stand for re-election.

Despite, or perhaps because of, his bigoted, radical, far-right positions on the issues, Roy Moore beat the sitting Senator from Alabama in a runoff election that essentially guarantees that he will win the General Election later this year.

The latest effort to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act appears to be dead.

Angela Merkel was re-elected to a fourth term as German Chancellor as expected, but voters also sent a warning.

More evidence of apparent Russian-backed efforts to interfere in the election.