Outside the Beltway

Much like the guy who’s afraid to talk to girls in High School, Republicans don’t seem to know how to talk to women. But their problems are actually bigger than that.

Marin Bashir’s ugly comments about Sarah Palin are being compared to Rush Limbaugh’s ugly comments about Sandra Fluke.

Who knew?

The news that Obama aides discussed a change to the 2012 ticket is part of the latest Halperin/Heilemann campaign history.

Ted Cruz isn’t ruling out a reprise of his foolish, quixotic, crusade.

Mayor Booker is now Senator-Elect Booker.

The presence of politicians like Sarah Palin at yesterday’s “Million Veteran March” was not appreciated by the people who organized the protest.

Conservatives gathered on the National Mall today to protest the closure of memorials, but their message seems really intended for Republicans in Congress to not back down.

(And a Postscript on Recent Discussion of the South)

The president’s 2008 rival has gone from bitter foe to go-to deal broker.

Sarah Palin hinted about running for Senate in Alaska. Most likely, she’s once again just teasing her supporters.

An empty threat.

The Senate passed an immigration reform bill today, but it’s not going to go anywhere.

Marco Rubio has suffered a reversal of fortune among Republicans thanks to his role in the immigration reform debate.

Is someone who’s only be a Senator for just over 100 days a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2016?

John McCain’s problems in 2008 went far beyond an economic crisis.

Will the prohibitive favorite for the 2016 Democratic nomination do it differently this time around?

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul won a completely meaningless straw poll.

Guess who’s back?

Why I supported Mitt Romney despite his constant flip-flopping, fibbing, and fecklessness.

Last night’s Vice-Presidential debate was combative, but is unlikely to have a major impact on the race for President.

Sizing up the stakes for tonight’s one and only meeting between the two Vice-Presidential candidates.

Let’s take a trip back in time to see what some conservatives thought 2012 would look like if Barack Obama were elected President.

Expectations are high for Paul Ryan heading in to Thursday’s Vice-Presidential debate. That’s not necessarily a good thing.

Mitt Romney won the debate last night, but it’s not at all clear that this will matter at all.

Don’t hate the player, hate the game (more or less, anyway).

Just as we saw in 2008, the conservative base doesn’t want to hear their nominee saying that the President is a basically decent man.

Now that he is on the ballot for good, Republicans seem to be giving Todd Akin a second look. That seems unwise.

Whether Mitt Romney wins or loses, the GOP needs to evolve or be doomed to minority party status.

Republicans think they found the smoking gun of the 2012 election. They’re kidding themselves.

In Rick Santorum’s brand of conservatism, no smart people need apply.

If the first round of post-convention polling is correct, President Obama may be pulling away from Mitt Romney.

In a radio interview last week, Paul Ryan claimed to have run a sub-3 hour marathon. He did no such thing.

Paul Ryan did what he needed to do last night, but in the long run his speech will be lost to history.

The political convention we know is a 19th Century relic. It’s time to modernize it and make it a lot shorter.