Outside the Beltway

Four Senators who just happen to be up for re-election next year are silently looking for alternatives to the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate.

In a move that surprises nobody, the House voted today to repeal last year’s health care reform law. Now it goes to the Senate where it will die.

More on the strategery of civility.

Now that Republicans have the House, wouldn’t they be better off playing nice?

Bipartisan seating at the State Of The Union is a pointless act of political theater. Then again, so is the State Of The Union Address itself.

The filibuster reform package that Senate Democrats unveiled yesterday has much to recommend to it. Unfortunately, it’s probably doomed.

President Obama and Chief Justice Roberts are calling for bipartisanship in the New Year.

The reaction to President Obama’s recent recess appointments provide us with yet another example of bipartisan hypocrisy.

For the first time in 35 years, the Senate may finally be on the verge of reforming the filibuster.

Did Obama’s tax cut deal demolish the Republican charge that he’s a radical? Not hardly.

Democrats are losing the debate over the extension of the Bush tax cuts, but when you look at the playing field it seems pretty clear that that they never had a chance.

The Senate rejected an effort to limit the extension of the Bush tax cuts based on income level. At this point, the only question is when Democrats will concede defeat on this debate.

Congress will vote on extending the Bush Tax Cuts in December, and new polling shows that the public agrees with Democrats that the cuts should be limited to the “middle class.”

Some Republican Senators-elect are imploring Harry Reid not to consider any treaties during the lame duck session.

At least one group of Tea Party activists seems to realize that their biggest mistake of the 2010 election cycle was backing candidates like Christine O’Donnell who turned out to be their own worst enemies.

The Sit UBU, Sit Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

The odds that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will be repealed anytime in the near future are fairly close to zero thanks to the results of last Tuesday’s elections.

The New York Times has joined the mostly muted chorus calling on Democrats to select someone other than Nancy Pelosi as their new Minority Leader. In all likelihood, their call will go unheeded.

With Democrats set to maintain their majority in the Senate, some on the left are pushing for filibuster reform. However, it seems unlikely that Harry Reid has the votes to change a long-standing Senate rule.

When conservatives start attacking one of their own for pointing out the obvious, you really have to wonder if they want to win.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner held a private, off-the-record meeting in comedian Jon Stewart’s office back in April. Speculation abounds.

An NBC analysis shows Tea Party candidates winning only 5 of 10 Senate races and 40 of 130 House races, a success rate of only 32 percent.

Last night’s election results stand as a mixed verdict on the Tea party and its impact on the Republican Party.

Republicans either lost or barely won a whole lot of races because their vote was split with minor party candidates.

The enthusiasm for Tea Party candidates likely helped the House Republican wave. But it also likely cost the GOP four Senate seats that it would otherwise have won — and thus the majority.

The TKO Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

Ezra Klein argues that Sarah Palin’s Twitter account isn’t very popular. But that misses the point.

We’ve been talking about the 2010 elections since, oh, the day after the 2008 elections.   Now, it’s time for final predictions.

Sharron Angle’s attorney is charging that “Harry Reid intends to steal this election if he can’t win it outright.” She touts various “shenanigans” in a fundraising letter.