5 Key Ways to Bridge the Hyper-Partisan Divide on Infrastructure

Centrist Project co-founder and author of the Centrist Manifesto, Charles Wheelan, identified 5 key ways lawmakers can put partisanship aside and come together on infrastructure.

Wheelan published the first monthly column post on IVN Friday, August 11. His series is about how lawmakers can find common ground on the biggest issues facing the country.

"During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton all proposed that we spend more federal money to improve our nation’s infrastructure. Seventy-five percent of Americans agree that would be a good thing to do," Wheelan writes.

He added, "So far, we have done nothing of the kind."

The Centrist Project wants to elect a handful of independent lawmakers to force both sides to come to the table for common sense reform. This is a roadmap for this Centrist Caucus to drive policy on America's crumbling infrastructure.

Read Charles Wheelan's full article here.

FIRE Republicans: They Plan to Takeover the GOP

A group of Republicans in New Jersey, open to both progressive policies and traditional Republican ideals, is trying to make waves ahead of the midterm election.

FIRE Republicans was founded by Dana Wefer, a former progressive Democrat and Bernie Sanders supporter.

“If a house is on fire, and you run away from it, it burns down the whole neighborhood,” said Wefer. “Republicans are on fire, and we need to put it out so it doesn’t take down our whole democracy. We need to run toward the fire.”

There are two members of FIRE who are running for the US House in 2018, Lindsay Brown and Martin Hewitt. They "want to change the dialogue around the Republican brand, and rekindle the spirits of Lincoln and Roosevelt -- honoring inclusiveness and environmental conservation," writes IVN independent author Kathryn Bullington writes.

"If this country is going to survive, we all need to think bigger than Republican and Democrat," said Hewitt.

Read the full story here.

ICYMI: Plaintiffs Fire Back at Commission on Presidential Debates

"Level the Playing Field (CPF) has fired back on the FEC’s attempt to dismiss a second complaint against the Commission on Presidential Debates.

"Plaintiffs in Level the Playing Field, et. al. v. FEC filed a motion Tuesday, August 8, to amend their supplemental complaint to include the Libertarian National Committee and Dr. Peter Ackerman in response to the FEC’s claim that LPF lacks standing.

"Yet, as the plaintiffs point out, “the FEC had never suggested LPF lacked standing to challenge the denial of its rulemaking petition” — until now. LPF immediately responded to add the Libertarian National Committee and Peter Ackerman to the rulemaking challenge."

Read the full article here.