Female Representation in the House

Historical numbers, but still a very male chamber.

Using A ‘National Emergency’ To Build A Border Wall Would Be Illegal

President Trump is claiming that he could use authority to declare a “national emergency” to build his wall even if Congress doesn’t authorize it.

McConnell Faces Pressure From Within And Without Over Shutdown

As the shutdown drags on, Mitch McConnell finds himself facing pressure from the White House and from members of his own caucus.

As 2018 Ends, There Appears To Be No End In Sight For The Government Shutdown

As 2018 draws to a close, there’s no sign that the government shutdown will end any time soon.

No End In Sight For Government Shutdown

Congress will not be returning to Washington until some time next week. Thus guaranteeing that this shutdown will last at least through January 3rd.

The #TrumpShutdown Could Last For Weeks

Christmas is behind us, but don’t expect any progress when it comes to the government shutdown, which is in its fifth day.

White House Expects Shutdown To Last Into January

With Congress out of town until at least Thursday and negotiations apparently deadlocked, the White House is saying it’s likely the shutdown will last into 2019.

Shutdown’s Impact Likely To Be Limited

While the political media is spending a lot of time talking about it, the actual impact of this latest government shutdown is likely to be limited and possibly even unnoticeable to most Americans.

Federal Government Enters Third Partial Shutdown Of 2018

The government entered its third shutdown of the year with little sign of an immediate resolution.

Senate Passes Short-Term Spending Bill To Avoid Shutdown

The Senate passed a bill that keeps the government funded through the beginning of February, but fails to provide any funding for the President’s border wall.

Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Criminal Justice Reform

The Senate overwhelmingly passed major reforms in Federal sentencing and related laws. As the name of the bill implies, it’s a first step, but a good first step.

Nobody In Washington Knows What’s Going On With Budget Negotiations

With the Friday night deadline fast approaching, nobody in Washington seems to know what’s going on.

Obamacare Court Victory Could Backfire On Republicans

Republicans scored a win in Court last week, but it seems likely to lead to a political loss in the long-term.

Heading Into Border Wall Showdown, Trump And The GOP Are Losing The Battle

As Washington heads into the final days of a budget shutdown, Republicans find themselves on the losing end of a public relations battle.

Ryan Zinke Out At Interior Department

The scandal-plagued Secretary of the Interior is leaving office at the end of the year.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Affordable Care Act As Unconstitutional

Eight years after it was signed into law, a Federal Judge has ruled the Affordable Care Act to be unconstitutional.

Trump Names Budget Director Mick Mulvaney “Acting” Chief Of Staff

Trump has selected current Budget Director Mick Mulvaney to replace John Kelly as Chief of Staff, but that’s unlikely to change how the West Wing operates.

Federal Judge Rules Affordable Care Act Unconstitutional

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor contends that a recent change in tax law unravels the basis for the Supreme Court’s upholding of Obamacare.

Senate Overwhelmingly Repudiates Trump On War On Yemen, Khashoggi Murder

In a small, but meaningful, step, the Senate has rebuked the Administration’s policies toward the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

House GOP Doesn’t Have Votes To Fund Trump’s Border Wall

House Republicans reportedly don’t have the votes to fund the President’s border wall.

McConnell, Other Republicans, Blocking Criminal Justice Reform [Updated: Vote To Go Forward]

Senator Mitch McConnell and others are blocking a criminal justice reform bill currently pending in the Senate.

Republicans Still Don’t Get The Point Of The 2018 Election

The verdict of last month’s elections was clear, but Republicans still don’t seem to get it.

Trump’s Border Wall Faces Its Last Stand

This month’s budget fight is likely the last chance the President will have to get any funding for his border wall.

Beto O’Rourke: On Second Thought, Maybe I Will Run For President

After initially saying no, Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke is now reopening the door to the idea of running for President.

Defeated Congresswoman Mia Love Has Some Parting Words For The GOP

Mia Love, recently narrowly defeated in her bid for re-election, has some parting words for her party. They probably won’t listen, but they should.

Cindy Hyde-Smith Easily Defeats Mike Espy In Mississippi Senate Runoff

In the end, the race between Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy was not even close.

Donald Trump Shrugging Donald Trump Shrugging

Donald Trump’s Job Approval Numbers Continue To Be Historically Bad

President Trump’s job approval numbers continue to be worse than those of any President since the end of World War Two.

Speaking of the Popular Vote…

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

Yes, The GOP Lost The Midterms Because Of Trump

The evidence that the GOP lost the midterms because of public repudiation of President Trump is overwhelming. The GOP will either accept this and learn from it, or they will not.

Democratic Senators Sue Matthew Whitaker, Asserting His Appointment Is Unconstitutional

Three Democratic Senators are suing the Acting Attorney General, asserting that his appointment was unconstitutional.

Sherrod Brown 2020?

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.

California Republicans Once Again Left Wondering What’s Next

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

Will The Last Republican In New England Please Turn Out The Lights?

Another part of the country that was once a Republican stronghold is now almost completely blue.

Reagan Country Turns Blue

One of the last Republican strongholds in California is now completely blue.

Jeff Flake: I’ll Oppose Trump’s Judges Unless I Get A Vote On Bill To Protect Mueller

Senator Jeff Flake is threatening to vote against President Trump’s judicial nominees unless he gets a floor vote on a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Julián Castro, Looking At Bid For Democratic Nomination In 2020

Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro is preparing a run for the White House in 2020.

Kyrsten Sinema Wins Arizona Senate Race

Democrats have flipped the Senate seat currently held by Republican Jeff Flake.

Democratic Gains In State Legislatures Could Impact Redistricting

Democratic pickups in several state legislatures could impact redistricting after the 2020 Census.

Voters Voting Voters Voting

Are we Finally Starting to Talk about Electoral Reform?

The NYT is trying to start a conversation.

Trump Closely Involved In Payoffs To Karen McDougal And Stormy Daniels

New reports indicate that Donald Trump was closely involved in the efforts to buy the silence of a Playboy model and a former adult film star.

Women Helped Propel Democrats To Victory

Whether as candidates or as voters, Democrats can thank women for many of their victories on Tuesday.

Democrats Grab Hold Of House, Republicans Make Gains In Senate In Mixed Results Midterm

As expected, the midterm elections ended up being a split result that gives Democrats and Republicans alike reason to celebrate.

No ‘Blue Wave’ But Democrats Retake House

The 2018 midterms were mostly about Donald Trump. The results were idiosyncratic.

All Politics Is National

Tip O’Neill was famous for once having advised his fellow Democrats that “all politics is local.” That’s not true anymore, and that’s unfortunate.

Donald Trump Shrugging Donald Trump Shrugging

Trump Getting Ready To Blame Others For Anticipated GOP Losses

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

2018 Midterm Projections

For better or worse, here are my projections for the midterm elections.

Could Losing Congress Actually Help Trump?

The GOP is likely to lose control of the House of Representatives tomorrow, but could this actually help Trump?

Two Days Away, A Split Decision Congress Seems Likely

With less than forty-eight hours to go until voters head to the polls, the odds are pointing to a Democratic House and a Republican Senate.

Democrats Poised To Win Back The House, But Fall Short In The Senate

With one week to go before Election Day, Democrats seem well-positioned to gain control of the House while Republicans seem likely to hold on to the Senate.

Tulsi Gabbard For President?

Add yet another name to the potential Democratic campaign field in 2020.