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Perhaps the Export-Import Bank is a relic from the New Deal era, but that doesn't mean that Republicans are opposed to it. The Ex-Im Bank has served a purpose for around three quarters of a century and has benefited small as well as big businesses and it is about to expire at the end of June if the Democrats and Republicans can't agree on how to pass a reauthorization. For the political layperson who may not be familiar with what the Ex-Im Bank does, it does what a typical bank does: lend money

Since the movement launched in 2006, National Popular Vote has made significant progress to reform the way Americans elect their president. The group's plan involves a state-by-state approach. States that join the National Popular Voter Interstate Compact (NPVIC) agree that rather than having their electors cast their ballots for president according to whichever candidate won the most votes in their respective states, the electors will instead vote for the candidate who won the most votes natio

There has been yet another mass murder using a gun in the U.S., and now we have the inevitable reiteration of the arguments for and against ‘gun control.’ To my mind, all we need to wrap this up is to read the Second Amendment and do what it says. Here it is: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." - Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution There is no avoiding some interpretation. The amend

In 1636, my 11th-great-grandfather, the Rev. Thomas Hooker, founded the colony of Connecticut and contributed greatly to the ideas of constitutional government and universal Christian suffrage in colonial America. Among his brilliant contributions was the -- at that time -- novel idea that the foundation of authority came from the free consent of the governed --an idea that stuck throughout American colonial history. One year later, in 1637, his government carried out the first colonial war ag

Roll Call reported Tuesday on efforts by both major parties to secure an election win in Texas' 23rd Congressional District, the only competitive district in the state. This is not a new development. The border district has been the only competitive congressional district in Texas for years, switching often between Republican and Democratic representatives depending on what type of election year it is. Roll Call reports: 10 seats rated as TossupsRothenberg & Gonzales Political ReportrematchPet

What if state regulation, not federal law, is the leading impediment to setting up interstate insurance markets, coverage, and sales? Would that be a win for Republicans, Democrats, or simply up for grabs by the best spin artists? While Republican-backed lawsuits challenge the ability of states using the federally-maintained insurance marketplace to receive subsidies, the real problem is the state exchanges, which put up federally-encouraged walls to stop interstate healthcare commerce. The P

In December 2014 the Senate Intelligence Committee declassified its 500-page executive summary on the use of 'enhanced interrogation techniques' by the CIA during the Bush administration. The report was an extensive look at numerous instances where the use of practices like rectal feeding, water boarding, and sleep deprivation were used, but produced no relevant or actionable intelligence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVS9uHLee1c On Tuesday, the Senate voted on an amendment to the National

FairVote on June 12 released Government of the Few in the “Decided Dozen" -- Frozen Representation and the Distorted Demographics of Decisive Primary Elections. Report authors Andrew Douglas and Zack Avre zero in on the “Decided Dozen”—12 states where control over the state legislature and the outcome of the great majority of general election races is never in doubt, leaving the only meaningful choices and power to voters in low turnout, unrepresentative primary contests. Source: FairVote: The

Historically, when an election has a wide-open field of candidates, both inside and outside of the two-party system, it's a symptom of America facing a major crossroads. Sometimes it's a party ideological battle, like in our third presidential election of 1796 -- where the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans struggled with the new identity of the nation they helped create. Even more radical, when social change issues stress the election process, strange things start to happen -- like in the

The headliners for the 2016 presidential campaign are likely to be Bush v. Clinton again. Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton have been rumored to be the nominees for months, nay years, prior to their official announcements. With obvious parallels to the 1992 election, these two political dynasties have come a long way since the early 90s. For those who remember 1992's presidential match-up between Bill and Bush Sr., the most apparent sign is that it is not 1992 anymore. Unfortunately, as their camp