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WASHINGTON DC - Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) made reference to Spartacus in day three of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. Booker professed, “This is about the closest I'll probably ever have in my life to an, I am Spartacus’ moment.” Interestingly, the documents Booker was referring to had already been made public. The national GOP twitter page took the opportunity to hit Booker: https://twitter.com/GOP/status/1037735984182517761 Just another turn in the bizar

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As soon as the room was gaveled to order on day one of the Senate’s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a circus ensued. Democrats interrupted the proceedings, protestors erupted and were escorted from the audience, and it went on for more than an hour. Judge Kavanaugh, if confirmed, would replace what was a powerful swing vote and push the Court into conservative control -- so both parties have plenty at stake. Coordinated Attack? According t

Washington, D.C.- On Tuesday the Senate confirmation hearing begins for Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s pick for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Kavanaugh would tip the balance of the bench, with conservative justices holding the majority. Trump's nominee will be introduced at his hearing by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Kavanaugh's extensive political and judicial record which has already drawn criticism from both Democrats

Modern data-driven map making capabilities have made the age-old practice of drawing congressional districts to favor a political party – gerrymandering – a frighteningly precise and effective weapon in American politics.A SCOTUS punt of two high-profile cases that were before the Supreme Court this summer (one an example of Republican partisan gerrymandering, the other Democratic) led to citizen ballot initiatives in several states, while just this week in North Carolina, a federal court ruled

Nick Brana, who was the national political outreach coordinator for Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign and I had an extensive conversation looking ahead to 2020. Brana and I talked about the new DNC rules passed over the weekend, but we also discussed Bernie in 2020 and his current standing with independent voters. Listen to the full interview here. The DNC passed new rules for 2020 that institute a party purity test for presidential candidates, bar superdelegates from voting on the first president

As a staunch independent voter, I write in response to two op-ed pieces in the Aug. 19 edition of the Arizona Daily Star. Both pieces were thoughtful and contained interesting perspectives on our political system. Yet, each contained glaring misconceptions that should be addressed. In the first piece — “Parties should reassert control over primaries” — columnist Jonathan Hoffman laments what he sees as a lack of party control over primaries. To the contrary, except in those few instances where

Results from Washington state's top two nonpartisan open primary pit Dr. Ann Diamond, an independent, against a Republican in the November general election for the open seat in state's 12th Legislative District House of Representatives. If she wins she will be the only fully independent lawmaker in the legislature. She is backed by Unite America, an organization that lifts up viable independents across the nation, and was a featured speaker on the "Big Wins of 2018" panel at the Unite Summit in

The idea of universal health care (Medicare for All) has surged in popularity since the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign. Quite a few progressive candidates for the 2018 midterm elections ran, or are running, on a platform which includes Medicare for All. The idea has generated considerable skepticism or opposition from both Democrats and Republicans. The counter-arguments are most often grounded in a concern for fiscal responsibility (“we just can't afford it”). Those from the liberal side, such t

Not very many states share the history Maine has with policymakers outside the major parties. It currently has 7 voting members in the state legislature not affiliated with the Republican or Democratic Party, it has elected independent governors, and has one of the nation's only two independent U.S. senators. Among the sitting independent legislators is Marty Grohman. Grohman is serving out his second term as a member of the Maine State House. Instead of seeking re-election, however, he decided

San Diego, CA.- San Diego Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr. and his wife Margaret were indicted on fraud and campaign finance related charges. The charges stem from Hunter and his wife’s misuse of  $250,000 worth of campaign funds for personal expenses and the filing of false campaign finance records. The Department of Justice investigation went on for nearly two years. A federal grand jury in California returned the 48-page indictment detailing the allegations against the couple. Hunter has issu