In the midst of what seems like a very chaotic atmosphere these days, we are keeping very engaged in a variety of ways and remain very hopeful.  Along those lines, we thought you might be interested in learning more about an organization called American Center.  We encourage you take a look at American Center, read the newsletter, and above all, to stay engaged in whatever way works for you. We look forward to staying in touch with you and ask you to please feel free to forward interesting ideas, thoughts, articles etc. our way, too.
Mark Begich and Jen Mueller
America’s Independent Voice
Our country has always been at its best when we put aside our differences to rally around a common purpose and goal. American Center is fighting to bring American politics back to its roots of pragmatism, centrism, and reaching across the aisle to put country before party. American Center is working around the country to increase voter turnout and civic engagement, as well as to support the dynamic, common sense leaders of tomorrow.
News You Might Have Missed:
Red-state Dems in Supreme Court pressure cooker: The pressure from outside groups is putting the Democrats up for reelection between a rock and a hard place: Any move to support Gorsuch will inflame the party’s progressive base, but opposing him will be fodder for Republicans and outside group ahead of 2018. Democrats have been meeting with Gorsuch but are staying on the fence about whether they will support him. [The Hill 3/20/17]
Governors Urge Trump to Support Wind and Solar Power:“The nation’s wind and solar energy resources are transforming low-income rural areas in ways not seen since the passage of the Homestead Act over 150 years ago,” Kansas Republican Sam Brownback and Rhode Island Democrat Gina Raimondo wrote in the letter, on behalf of eight Republican governors and 12 Democrat state leaders. [Bloomberg 2/13/17]
Colorado business groups push for immigration reform, calling it a bipartisan issue: “We need to make this a personal issue,” said Jeff Wasden, a Republican and president of the Colorado Business Roundtable, which is part of a recently-launched coalition on immigration reform. “We need to understand how this impacts lives – those lives of the immigrant community and certainly the lives of the business owners that are struggling to find a workforce.”[Colorado Spring Gazette 2/27/17]
American teens are politically engaged but pessimistic about country’s direction: American teenagers, on the cusp of assuming their rights and responsibilities as voters and citizens, perceive a country divided and are pessimistic about America’s current situation. However, they aren’t entirely gloomy and do hold flashes of optimism for the future. [The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research 2/17]
ND House Defeats Blue Law Change Because Wives Spend Too Much And Should Bring Husbands Breakfast In Bed:Yesterday the North Dakota House of Representatives voted against removing North Dakota’s ‘blue laws’ that prevent businesses from opening before noon on Sunday. The bipartisan change in HB 1163, introduced by Democratic-NPL Representative Pam Anderson, would have allowed businesses to decide when to open their doors. [ND Xplains 1/31/17]
 
 
Independent Voices from the Center:
Joe Friday Takes on Washington: 
Over the past couple of weeks headlines like these have dominated the news:  “Trump accuses Obama of wiretapping phones at Trump Towers,” “U.S. Attorneys abruptly fired,” and “24 million people to lose health insurance under Republican plan.”  What do we make of these extraordinary times?  At best we’re watching chaos and mismanagement; at worst, deceit and dishonesty at the highest level on the most serious issues.  The real question is what we do about it to get results? [Conner Eldridge, former United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas and former candidate for U.S. Senate]
American Center
PO Box 15423, Washington, DC 20003