Civics and Politics — Articles and Resources
Introduction
This page provides some links to articles and resources relating to the topic of politics. The heading topics are listed in alphabetical order with links to suggested readings and other materials. Within a topic heading, items are listed with quotes and excerpts in order of date with the most recent at top.
Explore this topic further using a Google search for the keyword politics on the Nicholas Johnson website or blog: [Website Search] or [Blog Search] Note that a search on the word housing will show any page the word appears in, so some of the search results will be less relevant than others.
Bipartisanship
“Even dreams that never come true sometimes lead to proposals that do. So may it be with my dream for selecting speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives. Mike Huckabee said when he inspected planes before flying: ‘I’m not just interested in the left wing or the right wing, I’d kind of like for both of them to be there.’ Well, so would I. And after the last election, an increasing number of Republicans and Democrats think so as well. By definition, a successful democracy requires more than one ruling political party. It requires bipartisanship, time and effort at legislating, with compatibility, mutual respect, and willingness to compromise.” — U.S. House Needs More Bipartisanship, The Gazette, Nicholas Johnson, Nov. 22, 2022, p. A6 [Read Full Article]
Fundraising
“The average total cost for a Democrat’s Senate race is $15 million; $2 million for the House. The top ten Senate races in 2020 ranged from $180 million (Kentucky) to $299 million (North Carolina). It’s even more for Republicans. The combined cost of Iowa’s 2020 U.S. Senate race was $262 million. All for a job that pays $174,000 a year. If you win, your profession becomes fund raiser, not legislator. Finding thousands of dollars every day can take half an average Senator or House member’s time.” — Candidates Are Fundraisers Not Legislators, The Gazette, June 2, 2022, p. A4 [Read Full Article]
Additional Resources
Below are some related resources external to this website.
- Campaign Finance Reform — “Americans know that money has too much influence in our political system. That’s why we advocate for money in politics solutions that empower small-dollar donors to make an impact in campaigns, require disclosure of all campaign money raised and spent, remove the financial barriers stopping everyday people from running for office, and hold elected officials and wealthy special interests accountable to voters.” — Excerpt from Campaign Finance; We are building a democracy that works for all of us” by Common Cause.
- Problem Solvers Caucus — “Beginning in 2017, the Problem Solvers Caucus became an independent member-driven group in Congress, comprised of representatives from across the country – equally divided between Democrats and Republicans – committed to finding common ground on many of the key issues facing the nation. Co-Chaired by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), the Caucus’ aim is to create a durable bloc that champions ideas that appeal to a broad spectrum of the American people. It is a group united in the idea that there are commonsense solutions to many of the country’s toughest challenges. Only when we work together as Americans can we successfully break through the gridlock of today’s politics.” [Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Website]
