Outside the Beltway

Continuing a discuss from below.

The men who gathered in Philadelphia to write the Constitution were geniuses. But they couldn’t predict the future.

A key economic statistic that rarely gets widespread public attention is showing that the manufacturing sector has been in recession for four months now.

Even as candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders continue to base their campaigns on it, Democrats appear to be growing skeptical of ‘Medicare For All.’

One political scientist says yes. A bunch of others say wait, what?

A conservative columnist explains how once-Republican states are switching sides.

Tuesday’s elections continued a trend in which Republicans have lost support among suburban voters, even in deeply red states. Guess who’s responsible for that.

Elizabeth Warren’s fellow Democrats aren’t so thrilled with her ‘Medidare For All’ plan.

As he reaches his 1,000th day in office, Trump’s lies pile up at an astronomical rate.

A conservative columnist argues the legitimacy of our system is in question.

I was a guest on the Challenging Opinions podcast.

But, our process to elect the president is highly flawed.

It’s still early in the election cycle but there’s plenty for the President to worry about.

Let’s not kid ourselves about what’s possible in the next election.

In the US, the candidate defines the party, not the other way around.

The map shows the flaws of the Electoral College

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that states cannot punish electors who fail to follow the will of the majority of voters n their state or state laws purporting to direct how they should vote.

Trump’s attacks on racial minorities are going to continue, and get worse, the closer we get to 2020. Because stirring up fear and racial resentment among white working-class voters is the only way he can win.

Even a Fox News poll finds that the American public finds the President’s recent rhetoric to be racist. There’s a different picture when you look at his supporters, though.

A strangely under-publicized story.

Some key numbers.

He could lose the popular vote by an even larger margin in 2020—and still coast to re-election.

The President’s decision to base his re-election campaign on racism and stoking racial and ethnic divisions is quite simple to explain.

While significantly more Americans disapprove of his job performance than approve, recovery is still possible.

Presidential v. parliamentary democracy, some basics.

Change isn’t likely.

It’s still way too early to be predictive, but the latest head-to-head matches between the President and the top contenders for the Democratic nomination.

A new poll of Texas voters shows President Trump doing worse than expected against potential Democratic challengers. Should Republicans be worried?

David Brooks joins the long line of commenters predicting the GOP’s demise.

No, abolishing the EC would not turn farmers into serfs.

More proportional than the GOP, but perhaps not as proportional as one might think.

Forget high language about constitutional prerogatives. This is about parties and elections.

A new poll shows President Trump trailing several of his potential challenger in a state that was crucial to his victory in 2016.

The problem is with our politics, not our institutions.

Recent poll numbers suggest that the President is vulnerable in the part of the country that assured his Electoral College victory in 2020, but Democrats are going to have to work hard to flip these states.

A seemingly out-of-the-blue political movement is arguing in favor of independent election of Vice-Presidents.

A new poll finds that a small majority of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College, but that’s not nearly enough to make any change in how we elect Presidents possible.

More Madisonian musing on the current state of our constitutional order.

There’s a lot of talk right now about “electability.” but what the heck does it mean?

As I have noted before: party trumps institutional pride. The Barr testimony is just another example.

Did I leave the Republican Party or did it leave me? Both.

A new poll shows that a majority of Americans say they won’t vote for President Trump in 2020. but that’s only half the battle for Democrats

A new poll shows President Trump struggling against four of his potential 2020 challengers. Should Republicans be worried and Democrats elated? It’s too early to tell.

Ballot measures across the country would deny access to those who refuse to release tax returns.

Not surprisingly, Donald Trump fears former Vice-President Joe Biden the most of all the Democrats currently running against him.

Trump campaign officials are worried about the President’s chances of holding onto a state that was crucial to his win in 2020. They should be.

Larry Sabato lays out a quite plausible path.

Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts is the latest Democrat to enter an already crowded field.

Some say yes, others no.

Donald Trump speaks largely just to his base, ignoring the nation as a whole. Whether this will be enough to win re-election in 2020 is an open question.