Articles by Lauren Moore

Press conference following a drug raid at San Diego State University The War on Drugs is a controversial issue in the 21st century. From legalizing marijuana, to opening the border between California and Mexico, to the DARE program and California's harsh “three strikes rule”, politicians and citizens are all over the place when it comes to what further actions to take. The only consensus seems to be that action needs to be taken. Mexico has reported 47,515 people have died in the drug war sinc...

Green Party Candidate Jill Stein went orange last week, after being arrested in Philadelphia. The presidential candidate and her running mate Cheri Honkala joined in on a citizen organized, sit in protest of Fannie Mae, the mortgage giant tied to the housing bubble and subprime mortgages. Stein and Honkala joined the 50 protesters in the “Occupy Fannie Mae” movement which was organized as a peaceful protest of home foreclosures. The protesters met on Market Street, a busy thoroughfare in the ci...

Despite a largely Republican controlled legislature, a Republican Attorney General, and a controversial Republican governor, President Obama still leads polls in swing state Wisconsin looking towards November. A Marquette University Law School poll released last month puts Obama ahead of Romney 51% to 43%. The margin has been relatively steady since April in the polls. “Obama appears to be benefiting from one of the same dynamics that helped Walker — a sense among a significant group of Wiscon...

Gov. Romney stumps in Missouri Credit: Reuters The swing state Missouri has been coveted for more than a century, but this election seems to be ignoring the home of the big arch, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and the blues. But its tenure as a swing state may be coming to a close. “Missouri has been a bellwether state for more than 100 years, with presidential candidates lavishing attention on Show-Me State voters and spending millions on field operations, glossy campaign mailers, and TV ads. But this...

Angus King, former independent governor of Maine in 1994 and 1998 is running for senate as an independent in November. King has gotten a lot of media atention so far, what other independent governors are we overlooking? Illinois Maine Minnesota Oregon Rhode Island and Texas have all had formally elected independent governors. In 1974, Illinois elected its first two governors, Shadrach Bond and Edward Coles, both independents. Besides Angus King, Maine elected independent James B Longley in 19...

George Washington was the only president officially elected as an independent. He was never formally affiliated with any party before or during his two terms of presidency. What other Independent Presidents have there been in US history? John Tyler, though affiliated with the Whig Party until his expulsion in september of his first year in office (1841) finished his term as an Independent President. In 1844 Tyler sought reelection as a democrat, but withdrew. The most recent almost Independent...

Credit: Real Clear Politics Swing states can effect an election and therefore effect legislation, but how can the upcoming legislation effect swing states votes? Any of the past few years annual budgets have been tough for the United States, which is now $15 trillion in debt. However this year, massive portions of the budget are scheduled to be slashed according to the sequester, meaning even more cuts to the budgets, and for struggling states, a heap of trouble. The sequester is a result of t...

Credit: The Hindu Latest developments in Syria speak of President Bashar al-Assad's eventual exit and the ramifications of rumored chemical weapon stockpiles. Meanwhile, months of bloody uprisings have activists estimating up to 19,000 people have been killed. By most media accounts this bloodshed has come at the hands of the Assad regime. Abdul*, a Syrian-born Alawite, has a different take from the dominant media narrative. From nearby Turkey, he tells his story for the sake of balance. He s...

It is a common misconception that the 'American Independent' party designation represents true political independence. It doesn't. In fact, many voters may carry this designation without knowing either the history of the party or its political ideology. Do you? The California American Independent Party was officially founded on July 8th of 1967 in Bakersfield, California. Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama was the first with big dreams of running as an independent candidate, but the party wa...