Articles by Tige Richardson

After the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, many thought his greatest policy initiative, the 1963 Civil Rights Act, would be buried with him. It was not. The man who would take President Kennedy’s failed Civil Rights Act, and bulldoze it through the Congress using tact, skill, intimidation, and cunning was a man who had been one of the most influential elected officials in U.S. history. He was also, for all intents and purposes, a creature of United States politics. If the American e...

Labor Day in 2015, to most Americans, is the unofficial end of Summer. Labor Day is nestled in nicely with other American-y holidays that grant permission for BBQs and cheap beer. However, these holidays are firmly rooted in historic dates (except for Cinco de Mayo), or in this case a movement that had a major impact in United States history. With this in mind, let's take a look at why we get the first Monday of September off. The first Labor Day recognition came from the Oregon State Legislat...

Earlier this year, the City of Los Angeles decided to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Los Angeles has become the latest and largest city to raise the minimum wage in recent years. Hikes in minimum wage are typically pushed by progressive groups; however, some labor organizations have been leading an effort to exempt unionized workers from the new wage increases. Wait, what? I thought unions were pro worker. You are right, but many labor organizations are also very concerned about politi...

Tuesday night, viewers of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart were treated to the final interview between Jon Stewart and Barack Obama. The interview took up all three blocks of the show, with topics ranging from the nuclear deal with Iran, to relations with the media, and ended on how to inspire civic engagement. The interview felt at times like two athletes that knew they were retiring at the top of their game. Jon has helmed the Daily Show since 1999, covering four presidential elections and fou...

You're busy with things I assume. But, being a human with an Internet connection, you have probably come across posts or videos about something having to do with a deal between the United States and Iran over nuclear weapons. Like everything else in modern media, this historic agreement has been accompanied with an array of different opinions and "takes." But which opinion is the right one to deploy at this Saturday's BBQ? Lucky for you, the good people at Vox have really good graphic videos th...

If you are an enjoyer of weekends and you live in Wisconsin, man do I have bad news for you. Over the Fourth of July weekend, eventual presidential candidate Scott Walker and Wisconsin State Senate Republicans quietly passed a controversial state budget. The budget reads like a Sean Hannity fever dream. There are provisions that exempt police from disclosing information when they shoot people if they feel "the harm outweighed the public's right to know," new teaching requirements that allow for...

We have all seen it, a slew of contestants vying for the attention and affection of an eligible suitor. Welcome to The Bachelor: U.S. Presidential Primary addition, where the contestants are candidates and the prize is a billionaire willing to shower the lucky winner with an endless supply of campaign cash. Look, there is nothing new about insanely wealthy interests getting involved in national politics -- I'm looking at you, Kennedys, Roosevelts, and Rockefellers. Hell money in politics is pra...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnaqrepHrtc The past few presidential campaigns have hosted a number of off-the-wall candidates like this guy, or this guy, remember this guy and this gal. All of these candidates were at one point serious contenders to win the nomination of the Republican Party. The 2016 race features a lot of the same candidates with the same messages. So when a candidate enters the race who has served in elected office for over three decades, remained true to his ideals, and ...

"Now we'll be stuck with Goldwater," quips  Roger Sterling of AMC's Mad Men, referring to recent news of Republican candidate Nelson Rockefeller's marriage to a divorcé 18 years his junior. Roger's statement is a reference to a popular narrative that is used to describe the demise of the former New York governor. What is incomplete about this perception, however, is the impact that race relations had on Rockefeller's viability in the increasingly volatile South. At a point when both the Mad Men...