Outside the Beltway

The internecine fight over the budget is coming to a head.

Canada has more parties than the US, but still suffers representation problems due to FPTP elections.

The President has lost his patience with the unvaccinated.

A humanitarian crisis made worse by shameful delays.

The right questions are: 1) why do some some on the right like him, and 2) should this concern us all?

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

Legislatures and school boards politicize what our kids are taught.

An interesting podcast conversation.

J.D. Vance’s cynical suggestion.

Another R/D cleavage?

Put the frustration where it belongs.

It’s not getting any better, folks.

President Trump’s destruction of longstanding norms continues under his successor.

Conservatives have lost it one generation at a time.

Thinking about party evolution and behavior going into 2022.

Some people claim there’s a woman to blame.

A completely unsurprising 6-3 decision.

Things that make you go Hmmm.

When he said he wouldn’t sign it if it wasn’t accompanied by a second bill, he wasn’t implying that he would veto it if it wasn’t.

It turns out a 51-50 Senate majority isn’t enough.

We’re all apes. And some are willfully stupid about their public duties.

Republicans are more partisan—and distrustful of government—than Democrats.

Should live-saving drugs be protected intellectual property?

The least controversial subject in school is suddenly controversial.

The reaction to the pandemic has long since been about much more than the pandemic.

It’s undemocratic and we should get rid of it. But doing so isn’t a panacea.

A quirk in our system combined with shrewd gamesmanship will give them unprecedented power.

An interesting but uneven debate.

Those expecting Bernie Sanders’ agenda are sorely disappointed.

Yes, partisanship is real. And it influences more than just voting behavior.

Reflections on the events of 6 January two months later.

The Senate parliamentarian has ruled against ramming it through in the COVID relief bill.

The reflections on the departed right-wing talk host continue.

The talk radio megastar has died, aged 70.

How should we balance public health and fundamental rights?

The GOP will almost certainly survive. But in what form?

Does online performance logically devolve into rage and violence?

We’ve shouldn’t be surprised we’ve arrived at this destination.

Our cultural divide over the pandemic is turning us into worse people.

A very low-spoilers review.

Not of governance.

The right to worship trumps the public’s health.

So, it turns out that Fox News wasn’t really all that fair or balanced.

Gracious concessions are the norm except when they’re not.

The Pundit’s Fallacy meets opportunism.

The press’ abandonment of Bothsiderism is decades overdue.

Will he be a uniter or a divider?

Sigh.