Outside the Beltway

Local issues barely matter in Congressional races anymore.

The race is returning to expectation.

The term that kicks off today could undermine our entire system of government.

A lot of folks who study democracy have sent an open letter to Congress.

A man made famous for discovering Iraq’s WMD program was virtually nonexistent is gone at 82.

“Moderate” is up, “Liberal” is down, and “Conservative” is static. What does it mean?

Can American democracy survive its information bubbles?

So, what now?

Tweaking the message and getting out the vote don’t matter as much as strategists think.

Quite often, political fights are about attitudes rather than issues and polices.

More on primaries with a foray into Madison and the general politics of power-seekers and incentives.

Our representation problems are far, far more about structure than they are about the messaging of the parties.

The only way to save our freedom is to destroy it.

A trailblazing diplomat has died at 84.

It might feel good but it has zero impact on Putin.

Pundits like Thomas Friedman struggle with premature prognostication.

A bloc of moderates is not coming to a Senate near you.

The pandemic seems to have broken the social contract.

A provision of the 14th Amendment to keep Civil War generals out of office is back in play.

Some pundits have high standards.

An irresponsible Trump-era practice continues.

A roundup of reflection on a somber anniversary.

A majority of Americans are less than sure that Biden won the 2020 election.

Apparently, getting her elected President is not a high enough priority in the Biden White House.

Arend Lijphart on the “Peaceful Political Revolution in America” podcast.

The politicization of the virus continues.

Too woke! Not woke enough!

American exceptionalism at its worst. (Plus some history!).

This time: Senator Marco Rubio.

Really, they owed (and still owe) us better behavior.

Thoughts on how we think.

The difference is politics, not reason.

American cheese will henceforth be known as liberté cheese. And not because of the metric system.

It hasn’t changed in over 100 years (but the population sure has).

Most aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.

He will challenge Greg Abbott for the GOP nomination.

Public health shouldn’t be made into a partisan issue.

Discussing the filibuster.

The post really isn’t about Sinema as much as it about a theory of poltiics.

Are we thinking about job training all wrong?

National Review’s Kevin D. Williamson advocates for less democracy in America.

Another entry in the “stunning, but not surprising” category of political observations.

And, really, all of this current wave of election legislation.

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

An explanation to a question you likely weren’t asking.

America’s institutions are undemocratic but only some of them are a product of the Constitution.

Some reflections

Most Americans have never even heard of it.

It is not a tool to foster compromise. It is tool of obstruction, plain and simple.