After years of discussion, the Democratic Party of Hawaii (DPH) filed a federal lawsuit in June seeking to invalidate the state's open primary laws, claiming they violate the party's First Amendment right to free association.
Panem et circenses (Latin for bread and circuses) was a term coined by the Roman poet and satirist, Juvenal, in the first century (C.E.) as a metaphor for the efforts by Roman politicians to appease discontent and essentially distract citizens from the present woes which resulted in their discontent in the first place.
It was not an uncommon practice around the turn of the millennium for Roman officials to give out free wheat to citizens and put on a spectacle to distract the populous and gain political power:
The race for California's 17th congressional district seat would have been a slam-dunk only 2 election cycles ago. Following the implementation of Proposition 14, the nonpartisan top two primary system, and redistricting, it may not be the case. Incumbent Mike Honda (D-San Jose) is facing off against an up and coming Democrat, who may have been easily swept under the rug through a Democrat-only primary. Likewise, Representative Honda hasn't had a serious challenger in more than a decade and is currently serving his seventh term in the legislature.
On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Scott Peters (D-San Diego) introduced a Congressional Resolution calling for further diplomatic efforts to free Army Sergeant Bowe Robert Bergdahl. Bergdahl is currently the only American prisoner of war (POW) being held in Afghanistan.
