IVN Author Wes Messamore and I take the Friday before Thanksgiving to talk about civility in the US, and the ability to forgive and lend a hand to those in distress, exemplified by Republican representative-elect and  Lt. Commander Dan Crenshaw's response to a widely criticized SNL joke, as well as our broad response to help those who have been affected by the California wildfires.

Congress has had abysmally low approval ratings– which have averaged well below 40%– since the 1970s, years before the first millennial was even born yet. Since 2008 Congress' approval ratings have averaged below 20%, dipping as low as the single digits.

Senator Ben Hueso represents District 40, a region that incorporates some of San Diego County and all of Imperial County.

In January 2017, Hueso was reappointed to serve as Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications.

Fire doesn’t care whom you voted for, whom you hate, whom you pray to, or the color of your skin. Flames don’t distinguish between those who give charity and those who steal, between those who are “right,” and those who are “wrong.” They don’t have eyes, morality, or a conscience. They don’t see good and bad. They are an equal opportunity destroyer.

Like most everyone else, I am thrilled to see a new Congress that looks more like America than ever before. I am lifted by their new energy and commitment. I am delighted that their first shared effort was a sit-in protest demanding action on climate change, held inside the U.S. House of Representatives and the office of the Democratic Party leader.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - It’s official. This year was the costliest midterm election in US history. Outside spenders forked out $1.31 billion. That’s an increase of 61% over the 2014 midterms. The total over-all cost of $5.2 billion is a 35% jump over 2014.

The political advertising side of a campaign is a massive investment. Rhetoric filters into living rooms across America at all hours of the day and night, while a candidate gives a stump speech to a crowd of thirty.

Update: 11/15/18, 1:00 pm ET: US Rep Bruce Poliquin announced on Twitter before the second round tabulation that he would continue his legal challenge against ranked choice voting even if he won. He is asking Judge Walker to rule on the constitutionality of ranked choice voting by December 14.

We need to talk about Florida.

The Sunshine State is holding three statewide recounts: for governor, U.S. senator, and state agricultural commissioner. (This does not count the three other recounts in state legislative races). To put this number in perspective, between 2000 and 2015, there were only 27 statewide recounts in all American elections, meaning Florida’s 2018 elections account for about 10 percent of all statewide recounts held in the 21st Century.

Democrats have a supermajority in Sacramento, having won or leading in 58 of the Assembly's 80 districts and could hold as many as 60 or 61 seats after all the ballots are counted.

But that far from guarantees legislative wins when you consider the factions taking shape.

Three distinct caucuses have created large blocs of votes which will no doubt fight for the direction of California and their respective groups.

Dear newly elected Congresspeople,

Yes you, the newbies, the previously little-knowns, the everyday men and women who finally had enough, and who responded to the call of their communities and fellow-citizens to do something by running for public office. For most of you, it was the first time.

You did it! You ran and you won! You had to overcome gerrymandering, voter suppression, maybe even voter fraud. You needed multiples of normal turnout, and you succeeded. Huge numbers of voters came out to support you and what you stood for.