Outside the Beltway

Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton makes an argument familiar to OTB readers.

With criminal charges and an election hanging over his head, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to the political right for support and survival.

A student in Florida has been charged with creating a disturbance after declining to recite the Pledge Of Allegiance in class.

There is a bit of a disjuncture between the terminology and the reality (but that does not excuse Trump’s current actions).

A Federal Judge found that former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort lied repeatedly after entering into a plea agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. This either makes him incredibly stupid or willing to sacrifice himself to hide the truth from Federal investigators.

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

Don’t expect the Congress (i.e., the Senate) to pull us out of this shutdown mess.

The Supreme Court is taking up the issue of partisan gerrymandering. This time, though, they’re likely to reach the merits of the cases rather than punting like they did last year.

Several states are getting rid of caucuses in favor of primaries, a move that could be to the disadvantage of candidates like Bernie Sanders.

An argument against “bothersiderism” in this case and, yet again, noting the problem with single seat districts.

Gerrymandering. It’s not just for Republicans.

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

One hundred years after the end of World War One, the forces that led to it are waking up from a long slumber.

The Party of Donald Trump has left no sane choice but to vote straight Democrat.

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

In the wake of attempted bombing attacks on people he has criticized, the President is blaming the media for poisonous political rhetoric. He needs to look in the mirror.

Part III is here (a lot sooner than Part II was).

The State of Texas is arguing in Court that a school district can force a student to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. This is a blatant violation of the First Amendment.

Six siblings of Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar are starring in political ads against him. This is just another unfortunate example of the extent to which our political culture has been ruined by hyperpartisan polarization.

We should take Congressional officers out of the line of succession.

Indicted New York Congressman Chris Collins will run for re-election despite being indictment for securities fraud.

The confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh begin today, but the outcome seems foreordained.

Florida voters in the Republican and Democratic parties have set up a Gubernatorial race that provides a stark choice on the table for Sunshine State voters in a race that will likely have national implications moving forward.

President Trump reportedly vetoed a plan to issue a statement lauding Senator John McCain after he died on Saturday.

Gary Johnson was a successful two-term Governor in New Mexico. Now he’s making a bid to represent the Land of Enchantment in the U.S. Senate.

I have heard Trump supporters offer the following rationale for Trump’s tarris, “It is a bargaining strategy.” Then they sit back and smirk, and tell me, “Trump really wants zero tariffs, but to get these other countries to come to the table he has to get their attention. And once he has softened them up, they’ll be willing to reduce their tariffs.”

Don Blankenship, who came in third in the Republican Primary in West Virginia earlier this year, is moving forward with plans to run as a third-party candidate in the General Election.

The 95-year-old elder statesman is slowly shedding his public reticence at the risk of the access on which he has built his fortune.

Even if all he gets out of the Helsinki Summit is a handshake and a photograph, Vladimir Putin has already won.

Madison was right about politicians and ambition. He just didn’t see the how it would all play out.

In a significant First Amendment ruling, the Supreme Court has held that a Minnesota law barring “political apparel” at polling places is unconstitutional.

Not surprisingly, Canadians aren’t very happy about President Trump’s attacks on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Thanks to Donald Trump, the happiest man in the world right now is Vladimir Putin.

The new American Ambassador to Germany is making what clearly seem to be inappropriate statements about domestic politics in Europe.

Echoing the Obama Administration, the Trump Administration is arguing that it did not need Congressional authorization to attack Syria earlier this year.

The overwhelming success of the abortion referendum in Ireland is leading to calls for similar action in Northern Ireland, but it won’t be easy.

The number of Americans professing no religious affiliation is on the rise. This will have some interesting cultural and political implications.

General (Retired) Michael Hayden has some harsh, and concerning, criticisms of the Trump administration.

Tim Pawlenty is attempting a comeback in Minnesota. It won’t be easy.

If the polls are any indication, Democrats may fall short in their bid to take back the House in November.

After six months, Angela Merkel has apparently succeeded in forming a coalition government.

The tragedy in Florida last week revealed once again how hyperpartisanship is destroying our politics and harming the country.

In May, Irish voters will vote on a referendum to remove the near-universal ban on abortion in the nation’s Constitution. And it looks as though it will pass.

And a little Electoral College for good measure.

The economy grew in the final quarter of 2017, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year and far slower than what the President has promised.

The deal that led to the end of the Federal Government shutdown isn’t sitting well with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

House and Senate Republicans say they have reached agreement on a final tax bill, and Democrats are engaging in an effort to delay a vote in the Senate until Doug Jones can be seated.

After nearly four decades in power, Robert Mugabe has stepped down after a military coup. What happens next is another, more complicated, question.

The differing reactions among Republicans in Washington and the base of the Republican Party to the charges against Roy Moore have enhanced a civil war inside the Republican Party.

An attempt to explain the consequences of institutional design.