Two Republican-controlled congressional districts in Ohio offer a study in contrasts about the GOP as it gears up to defend long-held seats and quell grassroots divisions come November.

In the 6th Congressional District, in east Ohio, sits Rep. Bill Johnson (R-06), first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on a wave of tea party discontent in 2010.

First, it's important to note the implied marriage between foreign policy and national security. Foreign policy is designed to promote national interests abroad and national security is designed to protect a nation from foreign threats.

There has been a tremendous transformation within the U.S. since its inception in the way it approaches national security. Leaders, geography, popular sentiment, and technology have all played pivotal roles in shaping the nation's ever-evolving security policies.

Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker is no stranger to electoral efforts. Though he is not a career politician and has never run for office himself, the self-described “independent-minded, inclusive Republican” has been involved with a number of successful campaigns; he was one of the national co-founders of No Labels, served on the advisory committee to Americans Elect, and was also the focus of a presidential draft effort in 2012.

On March 5, 2014, the coalition EndPartisanship.org filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey, challenging the constitutionality of partisan primaries. The suit argues that every voter should have full and equal access to every stage of the electoral process, including the primaries, regardless of party affiliation.

 

 

The lawsuit has not gone unnoticed by local media:

Two House Democrats may face uphill re-election contests in Arizona come November as Republican strategists mount an offensive to take back control of Congress.

The National Republican Congressional Committee prominently includes Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-01) and Ron Barber (D-02) on a list of 7 Democrats up for re-election this year that it bills as the most vulnerable astride conservative congressional districts.

Fred Phelps, the recently deceased pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, was a small man who believed small things. His extreme views never moved beyond his small circle of followers. His Westboro Baptist Church is indicative of nothing. It defines no movement or trend or development. And yet, at the time of his death, Fred Phelps was an A-list celebrity. This tells us a lot about ourselves, and most of it isn’t good.

A strong middle class is often indicative of a nation's stability and democratization.

One doesn't have to look far to find politicians speaking to the importance of a strong heavy American middle class, and how it will always be one of our nations top priorities.

However, it begs the question, what is happening with America's middle class?

The median household income currently sits at $51,371. And it's noteworthy that household income vary greatly depending on the state's geographic location.