Outside the Beltway

A lesson from Puerto Rico and further reasons why the EC is a problem.

Very little of our vast landmass is densely populated with humans.

Princeton historian Sean Wilentz lays to rest a pernicious idea propagated by . . . Princeton historian Sean Wilentz.

Scholars argue that the shifting media landscape is largely to blame for our political crisis.

It’s the battleground states that are the issue, not small states v. large states.

Ultimately, it isn’t a very good one.

Some basics on the US party system.

Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton makes an argument familiar to OTB readers.

For their 2020 convention, Democrats are headed to the Midwest.

It’s been a rough two years under Trump, but America’s institutions are surviving.

A second Federal Judge has found that the Commerce Department violated the law when it moved to put a question about citizenship on the 2020 Census form.

Reason’s Nick Gillespie makes an interesting case but I don’t buy it.

Based on his job approval numbers, President Trump could face an uphill battle in 2020.

The Supreme Court will hear a case dealing with a challenge to the Commerce Department’s decision to put a question about citizenship on the 2020 Census.

There is a bit of a disjuncture between the terminology and the reality (but that does not excuse Trump’s current actions).

Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld is preparing for a primary challenge against Donald Trump. He won’t win, but he could still have an impact.

Bret Stephens on Howard Schultz

…there is only one plausible pathway to get there.

Two more defections from the stable of writers at RedState provide further proof of the extent to which conservative media has become a pro-Trump echo chamber.

The way we elect Presidents make it unlikely that a third-party candidate like Howard Schultz could ever actually win the the Presidency.

Starbucks Founder Howard Schultz is considering an independent run for the Presidency. This would likely be good news for President Trump.

Don’t expect the Congress (i.e., the Senate) to pull us out of this shutdown mess.

The latest entry in the unity third party presidential candidate genre is just as bad as they always are.

He says he won’t announce anything until after the start of 2019, but Joe Biden is sure sounding like a guy who’s running for President.

Some examples from 2018 of the problems with single seat districts.

Sherrod Brown pulled off the only statewide Democratic victory in Ohio on November 6th. Because of that, he’s being looked at as a potential 2020 candidate for President.

Once again, Republicans in California find themselves looking up and seeing a lot of desolation. They need to find a way to bounce back.

Trump, Scott, and their allies are not doing America any favors.

The NYT is trying to start a conversation.

The emergence of a silly talking point.

In addition to winning back the House, Democrats also made gains in Governor’s races.

Faced with the probability of losses today, President Trump is already getting ready to blame everyone but himself.

Is it too much to ask for truth about basic facts from the White House Press Secretary?

America’s tradition of unlimited free expression increases the danger of violence.

Minority rule and self-reinforcing cleavages are not a a healthy combination.

We should take Congressional officers out of the line of succession.

A new round of Congressional Ballot polls seems to put Democrats in a strong position for the ‘blue wave’ they’ve been hoping for all year.

New polling seems to show a significant shift toward Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.

With just 72 days to go until Election Day, the chances that the Democrats will take control of at least one chamber of Congress are looking quite good.

Senator John McCain has died at the age of 81,

A group of lawsuits filed across the country are seeking to challenge the predominant method for allocation of Electoral College votes. These lawsuits appear to have little merit.

Notwithstanding his dismissive public rhetoric about the former Vice-President, Donald Trump apparently sees Joe Biden as his biggest potential threat in 2020.

An initiative that would have purported to split California into three separate states has been barred by the California Supreme Court from appearing on the November ballot.

Forget the “republic v. a democracy” abstraction. The numbers show some serious flaws in translating popular will into government.

A reference point for the future.

The Strzok hearing provides a return to this timeworn favorite.

There is a frustration and a growing sense that the American political system is illegitimate.

Progressive enthusiasm for the notion that our governing framework is dynamic and ought be constantly updated by the judiciary is waning.

A 9-0 ruling side-stepped the broader issue of to what extent purely political considerations may be applied.

Tim Draper’s fantasy will finally get a vote this November.