Outside the Beltway

The Justice Department will not pursue contempt charges against Lois Lerner because it has determined that she did not waive her rights under the Fifth Amendment.

As expected, Republicans have caved in the showdown over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Another lesson in incompetence in governing from House Republicans.

Polling indicates that the American public opposes the GOP position on DHS funding, but that’s unlikely to change many minds on Capitol Hill.

Decision rules matter.

The House voted to repeal the PPACA for the 56th time, but it’s clear that this vote will end up being a pointless as all the others.

Has the legislative branch abdicated its responsibility in US foreign policy?

Get ready for another pointless House lawsuit against the President.

The House was set to vote on a ban on abortion after 20 weeks that never would have become law today but they pulled the bill. Conservatives are annoyed, but it was smart politics in the long run.

President Obama’s decision on Keystone XL is apparently to delay things long enough so he doesn’t have to decide at all.

Despite opposition from both Republicans and Democrats, the compromise budget resolution passed narrowly last night, but not without some last minute drama

Some on the left are suggesting Democrats should write off the South for the foreseeable future, but that would be as foolish as Republicans assuming that their dominance in the region will last as long as Democratic dominance did in the century after the Civil War.

Judging by recent polling, the President’s executive action has hardened GOP opposition to immigration reform, making progress on the issue going forward much less likely.

Texas has joined with 16 other states in a lawsuit against the Obama Administration over the President’s executive action on immigration. At first glance, it doesn’t appear to have much legal merit.

Some on the right are suggesting that Congress retaliate against the President’s executive action on immigration by refusing to invite him to give the State Of The Union Address.

Sen. Charles Schumer says Democrats made a mistake by concentrating on getting health care reform passed instead of on fixing the economy.

The House of Representatives has filed its lawsuit against the President. As expected, it doesn’t amount to much.

Top Republicans worry that their party’s response to the President’s executive action will alienate Latinos. However, there’s little they can do about that.

In the end, there appears to be very little, if anything, the GOP can do to stop or roll back the executive actions the President will announce Thursday evening.

A new poll provides some interesting context to the political context to the President’s expected executive action on immigration.

If the President now believes he can act unilaterally on immigration reform, why did he spend the last five years saying that he couldn’t?

The GOP’s big wins last week seem to be just guaranteeing that this year’s battle between the Tea Party and the “establishment” will continue.

In addition to gains at the national level and in Governor’s races, the GOP also saw more gains in state legislatures around the country.

Despite the conciliatory language after Tuesday, it’s unlikely that much will change in Washington in the next two years.

Tuesday’s Republican wave didn’t change the fundamentals.

The GOP added to its majority in the House, giving it the biggest majority it has had since Truman was President.

Not unexpectedly, the Supreme Court has declined to hear a case challenging the Constitutionality of the Senate filibuster.

Time to look into the crystal ball.

Two Duke University academics make an incredibly weak, ultimately unpersuasive, argument in favor of eliminating midterm elections by changing the length of Congressional terms.

Would increasing the size of the House of Representatives be the cure for what ails Congress?

Republican Senate candidate Ed Gillespie picked an odd issue on which to start his closing argument to Virginia voters.

In many states, there aren’t really any races at all this year even if both parties have candidates on the ballot.

It’s been three months, but there’s been no action on the lawsuit that the House of Representatives said it was filing against President Obama.

Individual polls are likely to be volatile, so don’t pay too much attention to them.

The death of the Tea Party is greatly exaggerated.

While the battle for the Senate remains up in the air, the Republican majority in the House remains secure.

Politics, the law, culture, and a very old language collide.

One of last members of President Obama’s original cabinet is stepping aside.

A majority of Americans don’t care very much who controls Congress.

President Obama hits new job approval lows, while the GOP seems poised for success in November,

Cowardice, or politically prudent?

The GOP has a good chance of taking the Senate in 2014, but it will be by a narrow margin.

It’s hard for a party to win four straight presidential elections. The Democrats may pull it off.

Americans have become deeply cynical about government. To some extent that is a good thing, but it’s reaching unhealthy levels.

Tea Party backed candidates may have lost most of the GOP primary battles, but they’ve won the war for control of the Republican agenda.

Debbie Dingell is set to continue an 80 year legacy of Dingells occupying the same seat in the House of Representatives. That’s not a good thing.