Search query: washington

Mark Cuban: Both Parties ARE the Swamp
Mark Cuban: Both Parties ARE the Swamp
There has long been speculation that US businessman Mark Cuban might run for president as an independent or third party candidate in 2020. While there is a giant question mark over a potential presidential run, it's certainly clear that Cuban believes something needs to be done to break up the two-party duopoly: https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/996943847673548800 And Cuban went on for several tweets about the need to unite as Americans and reject tribalistic politics and the two-party status
18 May, 2018
-
2 min read
49th Congressional Cand. Paul Kerr: "Independent Vote Key To Winning Race"
49th Congressional Cand. Paul Kerr: "Independent Vote Key To Winning Race"
Paul Kerr is one of four Democrats running to make it through the Top-Two Primary and compete in the November general election. One candidate will fill the void left by Republican Darrell Issa in the 49th Congressional District. Issa's surprise retirement has brought a flurry of activity and candidates for the district that covers the northern coastal areas of San Diego County as well as a small portion of southern Orange County, and the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Kerr, a successful sma
17 May, 2018
-
2 min read
Nebraska Libertarian Beats Out Governor's Pick in Nonpartisan Open Primary
Nebraska Libertarian Beats Out Governor's Pick in Nonpartisan Open Primary
Don't let anyone tell you that third party candidates do not stand a chance in nonpartisan open primaries. Incumbent Nebraska State Sen. Laura Ebke was among the top two vote-getters in the primary election in District 32. Ebke beat out the governor's pick, Al Riskowski, in a three-candidate race. The incumbent senator will move on to the general election with Tom Brandt, who took the most votes in the primary. Nebraska uses a unique primary system for state legislative races. It is a nonpart
16 May, 2018
-
1 min read
Guess Why 1.1 Million Registered Pennsylvania Voters Were Disenfranchised in Yesterday's Primaries
Guess Why 1.1 Million Registered Pennsylvania Voters Were Disenfranchised in Yesterday's Primaries
On Tuesday, the Democratic and Republican Parties of Pennsylvania nominated candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, and the commonwealth's congressional delegation to Washington. Yet 1.1 million independent voters were disenfranchised by closed primaries, which are only open to partisan voters. Nearly half of U.S. states have an open primary in which any registered voter is allowed to participate, and several have closed primaries like Pennsylvania. A couple states like California have
16 May, 2018
-
2 min read
Green Energy: The Future is Now
Green Energy: The Future is Now
As the Green Party candidate for Congress in upstate NY District 21, when I describe the threats of global warming and the urgent need for an electric grid and national economy based on clean, renewable energy, I always hear the same three challenges: * “Green energy is a pipedream that can’t power anything larger than a flashlight.” * “Solar electric power is subsidized by the government and could not survive in a free market.” * “I don’t believe in climate change, so what’s the big deal?”
15 May, 2018
-
9 min read
Sports Organizations Lose Bet to State of New Jersey
Sports Organizations Lose Bet to State of New Jersey
Contrary to popular belief, the United States Supreme Court did not legalize sports betting in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. It merely ruled that the decision of whether to authorize sports betting resides with the states. However, it changed the betting line on a variety of issues including the decriminalization of cannabis as well as the validity of sanctuary states and cities. At its core, the majority in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association simply resurr
15 May, 2018
-
4 min read
Tornado Watch in Kansas
Tornado Watch in Kansas
Last week I traveled to Kansas for an appearance at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. Nestled in the hills of Lawrence (seemingly the only hills in this flattest of states), the Institute building is a striking structure, framing a towering stained glass rendering of the American flag. But for all its modernism, on the path to the main entrance, there is a four-foot stone hitching post from the original Dole ranch. The post is weathered, a clear reminder of t
09 May, 2018
-
5 min read
Voter Suppression: How Politicians Are At War With Your Vote
Voter Suppression: How Politicians Are At War With Your Vote
Voter suppression is a strategy to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing people from voting and is different from political campaigning. Campaigning attempts to change likely voting behavior by changing the opinions of potential voters through persuasion. Voter suppression attempts to reduce the number of voters who might vote against a candidate or proposition through other means, such as legal hurdles or physical intimidation. Although one can argue voter suppre
09 May, 2018
-
9 min read
Empowerment for the Poor is a Political Reform Issue
Empowerment for the Poor is a Political Reform Issue
On the Saturday a week before Mother's Day, I participated in the 34th Annual Harlem Mother's Day Parade. I was there on behalf of the Committee for Independent Community Action (CICA), founded by Dr. Lenora Fulani. The CICA consists of public housing residents, citywide activists, community organizers, and grassroots leaders fighting to protect public housing in New York City from the privatization that threatens to displace hundreds of thousands of public housing residents from their homes.
09 May, 2018
-
6 min read
Profile: Why Independent Senate Candidate Neal Simon Can't Stand Partisanship
Profile: Why Independent Senate Candidate Neal Simon Can't Stand Partisanship
Neal Simon is running for United States Senate. The successful businessman is an affirmed independent, and he is competing in bright blue Maryland against incumbent Democratic Senator Ben Cardin as Cardin seeks a third term. Simon threw his hat in the ring at an interesting time in political history: Republicans are ‘retiring’ in droves, the House of Representatives appears broken, the Senate seems to be kind of holding it together, the White House is unpredictable, and the Supreme Court has Ma
08 May, 2018
-
14 min read