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By the time Dwight David Eisenhower became president of the United States, he had already secured historical immortality as the supreme commander of the victorious Allied Forces in the Second World War. While vanquishing the Nazis, he could not help but marvel at the infrastructural achievements of the Germans, most notably their broad highway network called the Autobahn. The German’s national accomplishment juxtaposed strongly with the United States’ meagerly funded, crumbling interstate highw

1. An opinion piece in the News Leader argues that Virginia should not indulge partisan calls to close the state's primaries after Eric Cantor lost his seat. Interestingly enough, one of the biggest names leading the charge to change state law to allow closed primaries is former Virginia Lt. Governor Bill Bolling. Bolling suspended his campaign for the 2013 gubernatorial election in November 2012 because the state GOP decided to change the method of nomination from a primary election to a conve

In American folklore, it is President Grant who coined the term “lobbyists” to designate those influence peddlers who attempted to bribe him with whiskey and cigars during his jaunts to the Willard Hotel in exchange for political favors. The term, in fact, is much older -- as is the practice itself. In 1792, for instance, veterans of the Continental Army from Virginia sent one William Hull to Washington, D.C. to petition for higher compensation. Lobbying went unregulated until 1946, when Congr

The partisan fracturing of American politics is a topic of frequent debate and discussion. Politics is becoming increasingly personal, and antipathy between ideologies is on the rise. As activists and politicos work to solve this crisis in Washington and on Main Street, Americans may find inspiration in the oft maligned little brother of U.S. sports: the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team. In America, athletic success on the international stage has become a reflection of our status as a global sup

A Democratic operative is working with the Mississippi Conservative PAC to rally support for incumbent U.S Senator Thad Cochran (R), who is in a heated primary runoff race against Mississippi state Senator Chris McDaniel. According to The Clarion-Ledger, James "Scooby Doo" Warren says he has put together a statewide get-out-the-vote (GOTV) plan with the help of the PAC and New Horizon Church pastor Bishop Ronnie Crudup, Sr. When asked if he was receiving blow back from members of his own party

It’s no secret that the Keystone issue is a political powder keg. Neither is it a secret that it’s a controversial topic pitting two traditional foes: environmentalists versus big oil. Very murky, however, is what benefit Keystone XL offers the United States.As in so many situations, in order to understand the present, we need to understand the past and Keystone has a bit of a checkered and rapidly evolving past. With blinding speed, progress on the Keystone project began in 2005 when it was pr

Any time we read about Chris Christie's weight loss exploits, it is always tied to his presumed attempt at the 2016 presidential race. After shedding over 85 pounds, he would not even come close to Taft's 300 pound stature -- yet American's are still intrigued by his health issues as a possible major contender in national politics. Every major candidate with potential health problems has had their medical records under scrutiny for the past several decades. While Eisenhower was the first to giv

As the Edward Snowden interview with Brian Williams concluded, Snowden stated that he is comfortable with his actions of divulging the NSA’s information gathering program. After watching the interview, my thoughts were much the same: I am content with Snowden’s actions. Although, I was previously supportive of the former intelligence employee’s actions, I had not expected such an eloquent defense and more important argument for the welfare of the U.S. to be put forth. To not heed his word of de

Demonstrating a national sea change in views toward same-sex marriage, Pennsylvania is the latest state to see its ban on same-sex marriage ruled unconstitutional in federal court. This time the law was overturned by a Bush-appointed judge, a decision supported by the state's Republican governor, Tom Corbett. Corbett has even been outspoken in his views that marriage should be between one man and one woman. The ruling also took an added step in striking down the law than other previous states.

Going into the California primary on June 3, the race for state Senate District 26 went from one of the least competitive districts in the state to one of the most competitive thanks to the nonpartisan, top-two open primary system. The two highest profile candidates in the race, Amy Howorth and Ben Allen, both support the nonpartisan primary system and have made the greatest efforts at reaching out to voters across party lines. Under "Top-Two" -- approved by state voters in 2010 under Propositi