Photo by: Ed Hall This week, the US House passed a resolution rebuking the President of the United States for racist and xenophobic comments. An Impeachment hearing is being voted on without the support of the Speaker of the House. Kelly Ann Conway asked a Jewish reporter his ethnicity and she already knew what it … Continue reading OPINION: Trump is Gasoline on the Smoldering Fire of American Racism
The New York Times created a video that drives home the horrors at the border. Please watch & share. "There isn't water or soap to wash our hands after we use the bathroom. We have to ask for toilet paper if we want any." "Agents separated me from my dad. I have not seen my … Continue reading WATCH: Testimony from Detained Children, as Read by US Kids
It’s that time of year — the LGBTQ community comes out to celebrate Gay Pride (no pun intended). A high-profile member of the community will Grand Marshal the parade, and a bunch of businesses and organizations will show their support with floats and booths. It’s like a very colorful county fair. I don’t mean that … Continue reading What I learned Giving Free Mom Hugs at Pride (And You Can, Too)
Tiffany Bond is a practicing family law attorney and mediator who made Maine her home 8 years ago, as she finished her law degree at UMaine. She ran in Maine's 2nd Congressional race last year, which gave Maine's new ranked-choice voting (RCV) a workout. That same race thrust Tiffany into the center of a fascinating … Continue reading Ranked-Choice Voting Should Spread
We find ourselves in the summer months prior to an off-year election…which is to say that this isn’t a time of great electoral excitement. Yes, we have Special Congressional Elections in North Carolina’s 3rd and 9th Districts in September. Yes, we have Gubernatorial elections in Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana in November. Yes, we have state … Continue reading What YOU Can Do NOW to Save America
On June 11, voters in Fairfax County will have the chance to vote in a primary with five contested races for the Democratic nominations for the Board of Supervisors. The Washington Post Editorial Board chose to issue endorsements in these races, but their endorsement process was insufficiently transparent and even-handed, resulting in endorsements that should … Continue reading The Washington Post’s Endorsement Process is Not Endorsable
Now that Special Counsel Mueller has spoken publicly about his findings, the time has come for a discussion about what know. While the understanding of what we know and don’t know might become clearer as we move forward, a number of facts have been pretty thoroughly established. For example, we know the Trump campaign courted … Continue reading The Certainties of Impeachment
Download | iTunes | Spotify Kelly speaks with Marie Newman, who is running for Congress in the Illinois 3rd District, about her focus on families and transportation, and what Marie calls improving "Everybody's Everyday." Links: Marie Newman: Website | Twitter | Facebook
On Wednesday, May 15th, the House Judiciary Committee is holding a long-overdue hearing on executive privilege and congressional oversight. As a political scientist who specializes in the powers of the president and Congress, I encourage Chairman Nadler and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take this topic very seriously. Congress needs to … Continue reading Dear Chairman Nadler: It’s Time to Fight Executive Overreach
Should Congress impeach president Trump or shouldn’t they? That’s the argument most people are having – on both sides of the aisle – subsequent to the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on his investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 election, and the president’s attempts to impede Mueller’s inquiry: should the House of … Continue reading The Case for Impeachment
Download | iTunes | Spotify Kelly speaks with Jaime Harrison, Associate Chair and Counselor of the DNC and former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, who is running for US Senate in South Carolina against Lindsey Graham. Links: Jaime Harrison: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Centrists and Moderates face increasing, often aggressive, criticism for not being Left or Right enough. But what if I told you the political middle serves a very different--and essential--function in a healthy democracy? Our Current Political Landscape The United States has a two-party system: Democrats and Republicans. It’s misleading at best. Our political landscape is … Continue reading Making a Case for the Middle
Virginia's Network NoVA is putting together its 3rd annual Women's Summit to ensure that VA women flip the House of Delegates in 2019. The next time someone tries to laugh off the January 21, 2017 Women’s March as just an ineffective, self-indulgent demonstration by pink pussy-hatted women, just share Network NoVA’s story with them. Because … Continue reading With the ERA Hanging in the Balance, Virginia Women Are Taking Charge
#TimesUp. Democrats in the biggest county in Oregon passed a resolution asking the state's Democratic Senate President to step down. Here's why. I am sitting next to a reporter trying not to have a panic attack, preparing to make my case. I'm bringing a resolution before the Multnomah County Democrats to call for Oregon's most … Continue reading Leadership Matters. That’s Why Peter Courtney Must Step Down.
As the GOP gears up for the 2020 elections, they’re going to paint Democratic cities as atrocious hellholes. Here’s how to fight back. By Paul Constant, originally posted on Civic Skunk Works. In retrospect, the Urban Archipelago was always doomed to failure. At the time — in November of 2004, just after George W. Bush beat John Kerry … Continue reading The Republican War on American Cities
I have to be honest. Elizabeth Warren has been rolling out policy plans like a Seth Abramson thread, and it’s pretty damn amazing. A sheer contrast to Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s, “Storytelling First. Policy Details Later” approach. Warren has released over 20 public policy stances since announcing her bid for President in 2020, and I am … Continue reading 2020 Candidate Spotlight: Elizabeth Warren
Russian version of this text was published here. Very few people know that before her arrival in the US, Butina had managed to gain trust with the Russian opposition, participated in the Russian human rights and opposition projects, and none of the activists she kept in touch with could even imagine that she worked for … Continue reading An open letter to Maria Butina from her victims
DemWords: Columnist L. Renee' Chubb digs in and assesses the strength of Kamala Harris' candidacy for President of the United States. In light of Kamala releasing her tax returns for the past 15 years, I feel it’s important we take a look at her more seriously as a heavy contender in this packed democratic race … Continue reading 2020 Candidate Spotlight: Kamala Harris
Red state Democrats are crucial to our party. They use margin voting to improve re-election prospects while advancing our agenda.
Scientists offer optimism: data on California's generation of renewable electricity points to a clean energy future for the state. When the California Independent System Operator (Cal ISO) – the state’s non-profit overseer-operator of the Golden State’s bulk electric power system, transmission lines and electricity markets – posted data on its website April 9 showing that the … Continue reading We Can Win the War on Climate Change. Just Ask California.
We don’t have to wait until 2020 to start organizing in Wisconsin. Tomorrow, Wisconsinites will choose between Lisa Neubauer and Brian Hagedorn for a seat on the state Supreme Court--and the outcome could foreshadow whether Wisconsin flips in 2020. The seat is currently held by Shirley Abrahamson, a left-leaning judge who is retiring after a … Continue reading Critical Wisconsin State Supreme Court Election Tuesday 4/2
My biggest memory of the night of the election of 2016: my husband is in bed asleep and I am in the living room watching anything but election coverage while checking the polls here and there. My son walks out of his bedroom and says "Mom, this can't be right, they are saying he won", … Continue reading We Are All in This Together!
Elijah Cummings was right. We desperately need a return to normalcy. But, how do we do that? What is our role as American citizens? The Trump presidency has awoken us to the fragility of our democracy, but the crisis didn’t start with him – it culminated in him. Simply removing Trump from office may remove … Continue reading A Return to Normalcy Depends On We The People
For the second time this week, the leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, blocked the resolution which called for the publication of the Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russia's intervention in the 2016 presidential election. As of now, all we know about the content of the report is what’s in … Continue reading What do the results of the Mueller investigation mean?
The proposed bill to support Dreamers ignores young adults who entered the US legally as children, but are now 'aging out' or finishing college. Talk about a Catch 22. If you’re among the more than two million young adults living in America who were illegally brought into America as children and qualified for President Obama’s … Continue reading The Proposed ‘Dream & Promise Act’ is a Nightmare for Some
There's a new term that you need to be familiar with: Identitarian and Identitarianism. It's the new hood for white supremacists and the new tiki torch for white nationalists. Same coin different sides, and once again, the same old tired playbook: Fly under the radar and be anonymous and secretive in their organizing and radicalization … Continue reading Identitarianism in America
In response to this op-ed in the Johnson City Press asserting he's been inconsistent in his rebuke of presidential overreach, Congressman Phil Roe decided to double down on his support of the national emergency and "the wall." In doing so, he backed his argument with highly misleading half-truths and flat-out lies. First, he claimed that … Continue reading Rep. Phil Roe is Using Lies to Back Trump’s ‘Emergency’ – and Needs to Own It
This piece was originally published in The Integrity Initiative New York criminal lawyer Arkady Bukh is known far beyond the United States. In the last decade, he has defended many Russian hackers who had been extradited to the United States. Among his clients were: Vladislav Khorokhorin, whom the US authorities called one of the most … Continue reading How Russian Hackers Work with Russian Intelligence
Reflections on Apollo 11: seeing a movie, and seeing what goes unseen, unspoken & unnoticed. Last weekend, we splurged on two IMAX tickets to view a gem of film history: Apollo 11, the documentary movie created from recently rediscovered National Aeronautics and Space Administration footage as a celebration of America’s extraordinary 1969 moon landing – … Continue reading History Looks Different Through a Woman’s Eyes
Yep. It's true. But why would information on the President's daughter and her business dealings be included in a House document request to the founder of Blackwater? I have thoughts. Read on. Background: Erik Prince and FSG (Frontier Services Group) Former Navy SEAL and founder of the now nonexistent private security company Blackwater, who held … Continue reading Ivanka Trump Named in House Document Request to Erik Prince’s Company Re: Emoluments
This article was originally posted in EU Today. Just recently, the Russian state channel Russia-1 listed US military facilities that would become possible Kremlin targets in the event of a nuclear strike. In particular, the TV host Dmitry Kiselev threatened to aim the Zircon hypersonic missiles at the Pentagon and several command posts, including the control … Continue reading Moscow is Engaging in Nuclear Blackmail. Who is the Intended Target?
As we all know. This week sets a rapid-fire succession of 3 back to back congressional hearings (one public, and 2 private), for Michael Cohen. So ladies and gents of the Twitter-verse, I dare to enlighten all of you, as we revel in what we learned in one of the most historic congressional hearings, we … Continue reading #RepCummings4TheWin: Cohen’s Testimony Before the Blue House:
Ever since Brexit and Trump’s victory, the media has become flooded with stories about populism, even regarding opinions on whether support for populism is increasing or stalled in European elections. Shortly afterwards, the media started focusing on apparent problems with electoral integrity. You probably remember when Trump claimed, repeatedly, that millions of votes were fraudulently … Continue reading How Populism Threatens Electoral Integrity
Friday, we saw our president appear on national television and declare a state of emergency for an artificial border crisis. At the same time, he admitted himself that not only was it unnecessary, but that he knew it was an abuse of his power as he asked the supreme court to support his decision anyway. … Continue reading On National Emergencies and Abuse of Power
Calling for impeachment hearings now is certainly warranted, but is not politically strategic, which is why Democratic leaders aren't doing it. Yet. By Matt Scharfstein & Nick Knudsen Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on our border has prompted fresh calls for his removal from office. Rightfully so: the American people and their representatives … Continue reading How to Remove a Lawless President Through the Use of Institutional Power
The New Year has begun and, with that, a new Congress has been elected. Politically, the pendulum will swing to the left and to the right over and over again. While there is really no tri-fold brochure on how to politically navigate 2019, I will do my best to dispel a few myths that, if … Continue reading Common Myths: Watching for Blind Spots in 2019 & 2020
Every single day, we underappreciate the technology around us, yet we consume it without even batting an eyelash. From our iPhones to our laptops, to the gear shifts in cars and light bulbs. A typical day without the inventions from under-credited African Americans would leave many of us in the dark...literally. It should be quite … Continue reading Black History Month: Unsung Heroes & Their Inventions You Can’t Live Without
Millions have awakened to activism in these times. What is everyone else waiting for? Our adaptability to unjust conditions is simultaneously a sad commentary and a testament to human resilience. Photo by Ehimetalor Unuabona on Unsplash Growth is usually incremental, hard to discern, and easy to overlook. There are times, however, that are fueled with the kinetic energy … Continue reading Everything You Want Is On The Other Side Of Apathy
Ahead of Hillary Clinton, we had Shirley Chisholm trailblazing her way through Congress. So why don't more people know about her or commemorate her importance to the Democratic party and women in politics? Those of us who happen to be blessed enough to know Shirley Chisholm's role in American history, she is an icon and … Continue reading Unbought and Unbossed: Long Before Hillary, There was Shirley Chisholm
Democrats picked up more than 40 seats in the House, we only needed 23 to gain control of the chamber; While some of you might not remember that night, with all the news cycles since then. I remember it vividly. Democrats defended, fought and won in 10 seats that the President had favor in, 2 … Continue reading Apparently Howard Schultz Was Asleep During the Midterms!
While America fixates on the multi-car pileup that is the Trump Regime, it helps to see women making progress somewhere. I’ve just published a book – Ms. Nice Guy Lost – Here’s How Women Can Win – which chronicles the many ways in which Donald Trump and the GOP have rolled back rights and opportunities for … Continue reading US Women Could Use Some Good News. Here’s Some!
Saturday morning in Los Angeles possessed a quiet that belied the bustling streets and freeways so commonly associated with this sprawling western city. The January air was crisp. It wasn’t that long ago a blanket of smog hung each morning until the hot Southland sun burned it away. But on this morning, even the dimmed … Continue reading The Peaceful Weapons of Revolution: Takeaways from the 2019 Los Angeles Women’s March
"The Trump Effect" is the blow to the American attention span propagated by daily scandalous activities from the Trump Administration, which the media fall for every time - causing them to forego headlines about the REAL stories ... Trump's ties to Russia, how Putin interfered in our 2016 elections, and all of Trump's, his business', … Continue reading Battling Against “The Trump Effect”
When women march, we make our concerns visible, and for the past two years, the national Women’s March has provided an outlet to do that. But in 2019, Portland is doing something different. We didn’t march the weekend of Jan.19-20; we’re marching on March 3, 2019. Why the change in Portland? For one, the National … Continue reading Why Portland Rescheduled & Re-Envisioned its Womxn’s March
This piece was originally published in The Integrity Initiative The Russian-speaking diaspora abroad is quite numerous in many Western countries and is made up of many different waves of emigration – from descendants of White Russian émigrés to those who are arriving today. However, all these waves are characterized by a fairly high level of … Continue reading How Does the Kremlin Influence Russians Living Abroad?
As the government shutdown drags on, more evidence emerges that President Trump’s inner circle indeed collaborated with Russians, and attacks on our institutions and media have become commonplace - it’s no question democracy is being tested. The midterm elections offered a sigh of relief for many Americans, and a glimmer of hope that Congress will … Continue reading Beware the Pendulum Swinging Too Far Left: It’s What Our Adversaries Want
What does Trump's "State of Emergency" really mean for America? "A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to perform actions that it would normally not be permitted. A government can declare such state during a disaster, civil unrest, or armed conflict. Such declaration alerts citizens to change their normal … Continue reading With a “State of Emergency”, Trump is Playing with Fire
Updating constituents about the shutdown, the new House Rep in CA-25 moves quickly to connect and communicate. While most freshman House members stayed in Washington, D.C. for additional orientation and education sessions last weekend, CA-25’s newly-inaugurated Rep. Katie Hill caught a red-eye flight back to her Southern California district to brief constituents on the status … Continue reading On Her 4th Day in Office, Katie Hill Flies Home, Hosts a Town Hall
Katie Hill's open communication as Congressmember-elect has CA-25 constituents excited about her first term as their Representative.
Background on the five Dem Committee Chairs who are going to be all up in Trump's business.