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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

“Opposite Day” is a fun-filled pastime for children of many generations. During these magical days, up is down, left is right, good is bad, and yes is no. During his recent visit to the United States, Pope Francis managed to stir a nationwide, week-long version of “Opposite Day.” It was a week that highlighted the paradoxical nature of partisanship and political opportunism. The lack of principled beliefs has never been more glaring than they are now. The issues championed by Pope Francis driv

With the way many people view government nowadays, it is typical for me to get a strange look when I tell someone that I work in politics. I get an even stranger look when I tell them that I have worked for both parties. I always have to explain that I feel like neither party addresses all of the issues that are important to me and, surprisingly, I have found that most people will agree with that statement. After I graduated college, I interned for a Tea Party Republican and in the 2014 electio

The independent news program, Democracy Now!, interviewed Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley on Thursday about his ongoing protest against the DNC's debate schedule. O'Malley has been the most outspoken candidate against the debate rules, calling them 'rigged' and 'undemocratic." "What I’m demanding is what the Democratic Party has in the past been very good at, and that is actually holding presidential debates and letting the people of the United States know what our leaders hav

In Illinois' 15th Congressional District, a candidate once favoring term limits will be running again. Last Thursday, U.S. Representative John Shimkus, a Republican from Collinsville, announced he will be running for an eleventh term. Citing the need to collect sufficient petition signatures, Shimkus said, "It is an honor and privilege to represent the people of the 15th district in Washington, D.C., and I do not take that responsibility lightly." The announcement was unsurprising, but notewor

The presidential election is already in full swing, and you’re hearing candidates predictably talk about how they’ll change Washington for the better. No, for real this time. No, for real, for real. Listen to a few of these men and women, and you’ll hear that our nation’s capital is dysfunctional because their party isn’t in power.But our government is dysfunctional for other reasons—and not because one party can’t meet its own litmus tests or push through enough pet policies. On paper, the Unit

On Sunday's Last Week Tonight, John Oliver made the case that residents of Washington, D.C. should be represented by a member of Congress who can vote on their behalf. While D.C.’s population is larger than Vermont and Wyoming and the territory’s gross domestic product is higher than that of 16 states, residents do not have full representation in our political process, Oliver argues. "The people of D.C. clearly deserve a greater voice in their own affairs,” Oliver says. While Congress came cl

The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened On July 26, Turkey invoked a rare protocol within the NATO treaty, demanding that all 28 NATO ambassadors discuss the potential of the Syrian civil war spreading into its territory after IS's recent suicide suicide bombing in Suruç and actions of the separatist-insurgency Kurdish group, PKK. Talks began on July 28, and coul

Personal stories matter in politics. Personal stories connect us to the issues. They tie large, abstract issues to personal, human events. They help us empathize. They help us connect to each other, allowing us to understand, even if we don’t agree. It’s personal stories that change opinions. At a Centrist Project event last week, I met Jimmy LaSalvia, a gay conservative who has left the Republican Party. For years Jimmy worked inside his party as founder of GOProud and as national staff for th

While a majority of Americans - 52 percent - now favor weed legalization, the federal government has done very little to act on the changing views of the nation. Many states, however, have taken matters into their own hands, passing legislation to better represent the changing attitudes of their residents. Today, 4 states - Oregon, Colorado, Washington, and Alaska - plus our nation's capital, Washington, D.C., have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, 24 states have legalized medical ma