Outside the Beltway

As Sarah Palin and the Tea Party turn on Paul Ryan, they are making apparent their own lack of relevance in the political process.

Jeremiah Denton, a Vietnam War hero and one-term US Senator from Alabama, has died. He was 89.

Thanks to favorable polling numbers and candidate selection, winning the Senate may very well be in the GOP’s grasp.

A Jewish-American OSS hero has been denied the nation’s highest military honor.

The Supreme Court turns down a case dealing with student’s First Amendment rights.

If something is going to be done about an out of control National Security State, it’ll be because the American people demand it.

Ellen Page is gay. So is Michael Sam. Shouldn’t we be aiming for the day when the response to news like this is “So what?”

The string of victories for same-sex marriage continues as a Federal Judge rules that the Commonwealth of Kentucky must recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages.

Another victory for marriage equality. This time from the state that gave us the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on interracial marriage.

Kevin Faulconer proves that Republicans can win in California, but not if they follow the path laid out by the party’s far right wing.

The fight for marriage equality takes another step forward.

President Obama’s new rules for killing Americans with drones are proving inconvenient.

Mitch McConnell’s hopes to become Senate Majority Leader could hinge on what happens in his own state and in Georgia.

Most Americans now see America’s decade of war as a failure.

Gizmodo’s Brian Barrett explains “Why the South Fell Apart in the Snow.”

A slap on the wrist underscores the bottom-up nature of US parties.

Republican leaders continue to say stupid things. They may still retake the Senate in November.

Less than a month out of office, the Old Dominion’s former chief executive is facing 14 counts.

Most peer-reviewed research is crap.

Former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie is challenging incumbent Senator Mark Warner for his Senate seat.

A Federal Judge in New York upholds, for the most part, that state’s new gun control law.

The year that will soon ended will go down in history as the year that the same-sex marriage debate changed forever.

The era of the electric car isn’t likely to arrive for a long time, if ever.

The Sunbelt continues to dominate.

Same-sex marriage remains the law of the land in one of the most conservative states in the nation, at least unless the Supreme Court says otherwise.

The likelihood of any action on gun control in 2014 is extremely limited

The PPACA has had a rough 2013, and 2014 could be even worse.

A victory for same-sex marriage in an unlikely place.

Once again, the Administration has unilaterally changed the Affordable Care Act.

A 17th state legalizes gay marriage. There’s no turning back.

Some recent political science on the subject.

At least one person wonders why the US Army honors Confederate generals.

The Virginia Attorney General’s race recount seems to be going in favor of the Democratic candidate.

Gun control has faded as a political issue as the memory of Newtown has faded, and that was entirely predictable.

For veterans who get in trouble with the law, *when* they commit a crime can have profound implications on their future. Does this make sense?

Time to start talking about lame ducks?

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.

The Supreme Court may have just given a boost to those who want to subject online sales to the same sales taxes as in-person sales.

The 7 seats most likely to switch parties are held by Democrats.