Outside the Beltway

It’s quite the week for politicians with generic names nobody has ever heard of.

A competent leader versus a lunatic would seem an easy choice. Alas.

West Virginia University may be the canary in the coal mine.

The Biden administration had little choice but to act.

The silliness of “generations.”

Looking at past Senate elections and some more thoughts on historical patterns.

The Fed is expected to stall the economy to fight inflation.

The economy, it turns out, is complicated.

The numbers don’t match the perception.

The pandemic seems to have broken the social contract.

The longtime Senate leader is gone at 82.

A series of mismatches mean would-be workers can’t find employment despite an abundance of openings.

The long demographic trend continues.

Hungary is part of a broader global trend, but the real issue isn’t Hungary, it is the Americans who praise Hungary.

The loaners, the dreamers, and schemes.

Now, we’re just haggling over price.

Usually candidates don’t talk about how bad things are across the country while appealing to be re-elected.

Is Trump really an outlier?

Will we ever be satisfied?

A world in which we’re all contractors is a dystopian utopia.

An interesting if frustrating new survey from Cato.

More Americans are out of work than at any time since the Great Depression.

We’re passing grim milestones on a daily basis.

Finally.

The President tweeted, “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself.”

…and confusion (and a further market tumble) ensues.

Is this our Rock Hudson moment?

The greatest crisis the nation has faced in my lifetime.

Trading has resumed after an early plunge triggered automatic suspension.

November saw much higher jobs growth than economic analysts were expecting, but it could just be a statistical blip.

After more than a year of Trump’s trade war, the trade deficit, which he promised to reduce, has increased.

October’s jobs report came back better than expected but hardly something to cheer.

Contrary to the promises of December 2017, the Republican tax cuts are not paying for themselves. Instead, they are helping lead us to trillion-dollar deficits.

Don’t worry folks, we’ll make it past that mark quite easily over the course of the new Fiscal Year.

A somewhat disappointing jobs report for September.

From manufacturing to trade, the negative impact of Trump’s tariffs is becoming quite apparent.

President Trump and the Republican Party have spent the last three years lying about the Federal budget deficit and the economy.

Despite having utterly mishandled both areas when they actually held power, Republicans think they can win back the House of Representatives by focusing on the budget deficit and health care reform.

As predicted, the Federal Budget Deficit has crossed the threshold back into the world of trillion-dollar deficits. This is all due to the hypocrisy of Republicans and so-called conservatives.

The August Jobs Report came in below expectations as other economic statistics point to a slowing economy.

A former Federal Reserve officials argues that the Fed should not lower interest rates to compensate for the impact of the President’s trade war, potentially leading to his defeat in the election. This is an incredibly bad idea.

Thanks for nothing, Republicans.

Continuing the conversation from James Joyner’s post.

The Federal Budget Deficit rose 27% in July, putting it on course for the $1 trillion by the end of September.

July’s Jobs Report was in line with expectations, but hardly indicative of a booming economy.

President Trump and the Congressional leadership have reached agreement on a multi-year budget deal that that busts through all remaining controls on spending.

The Federal Budget Deficit passed the $700 Billion mark with three months still to go in the Fiscal Year.

June’s jobs report brought in stronger than expected numbers but the fact that these numbers have not been consistent all year makes one wonder what the state of the economy really is.

One of America’s fist celebrity CEO’s has passed away at the age of 94.