Outside the Beltway

Old men still bitter about where they went to college.

A great American author is gone at 89.

The problem is with our politics, not our institutions.

A seemingly out-of-the-blue political movement is arguing in favor of independent election of Vice-Presidents.

In some expert trolling, the Senate Majority Leader decries “mindless, undiscriminating obstruction for the sake of obstruction.”

Already the longest-serving former President, he’ll pass George H.W. Bush as the longest-living tomorrow.

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

The efforts by Speaker Pelosi and President Trump to leverage their institutional powers raise interesting questions.

The Department of Justice’s Inspector General found that former F.B.I. Director James Comey was ‘insubordinate’ in regard to the Clinton email investigation, but found no evidence of political bias at the Bureau.

Quietly, Mike Pence is seeking to create his own power base inside the GOP even as the White House pushes back.

Barbara Bush, only the second woman in history to be the wife and mother of a U.S. President, has died at the age of 92.

The nation’s only competitive Governor’s this year appears to be going in favor of the Democratic candidate.

President Trump’s reaction to the terror attack in Spain included an easily debunked lie about one of America’s most decorated Generals.

Republicans and Democrats have picked their candidates for 2017’s Governor’s race, but the biggest name is likely to be one not on the ballot, Donald Trump.

In addition to the race in New Jersey, the statewide races in Virginia are also being looked to as a barometer of American politics in the first year of the Trump Administration.

Donald Trump has been President for nearly four months, but has yet to name Ambassadorial picks for many slots including several important posts.

Unless something happens in the next ten days, Joe Biden will become the first two-term Vice-President who didn’t need to cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

Wherein a law professor makes the absurd argument that the Electoral College, which exists pursuant to the Constitution, is unconstitutional.

If one believes the electoral college is awesome, one cannot make an argument from the position of “the wisdom of the Founders” nor from a viewpoint based on original intent.

Despite resentments, power will transition peacefully from President Obama to President Trump. We should be thankful for that rather than protesting it.

When it comes to the protections of the Fourth Amendment, it doesn’t matter if you’re “guilty” or “innocent,” it protects all of us.

It seems increasingly apparent that the only way to stop Donald Trump now is by trying to force a contested convention. It also seems clear that such a plan probably wouldn’t succeed.

Many of America’s top law firms have declined to accept cases defending bans on same-sex marriage, and that’s okay.

The Obama Administration took some fire yesterday for recent Ambassadorial Appointments, but the President’s record has been consistent with those of his recent predecessors.

Back to the Ten Commandments and Alabama politics.

Rather than being a bad thing, negative campaigning is an essential part of our political system.

Could a transcription error be changing our understanding of America’s founding document?

Does the office of Vice-President serve any useful purpose anymore?

The line “don’t know much about history” comes to mind.

Politics, media, and the attention span of the average American haven’t really changed as much as we think.

Tan, rested, ready, Biden in 2016?

Is 435 the right number?

President Obama has appointed a lot of donor’s and supporters to plumb Ambassadorial slots. That’s not at all unusual.

Contemporary Americans accept actions by the state that were once the cause for revolt.

The White House employs calligraphers. And pays them money!

Not surprisingly, television and reality don’t really coincide.

Sacrificing our principles in the face of mob violence is never a good idea.

Maybe the real problem this year isn’t that the campaign is unduly nasty, but that it’s incredibly petty.

A Pro-Obama SuperPAC is out with what may be the most despicable ad so far this election cycle.

Rick Santorum’s views on the role of religion in public life are built on lies about American history.

A man who has three degrees from three public universities considers the President of the United States a “snob.”

Rick Santorum’s views on the role of government are somewhat disturbing.

Madison went to Philadelphia wanting to increase the power of the central government over the states (quite a bit, in fact).

Michele Bachmann’s view of history is based in a world view that would be foreign to most Americans.

Some thoughts on the American experiment at 235 years and counting.