Blog Archive
Shutdown for What?
Jan 10, 2019
These days, our political reality can feel like an out-of-control episode of Veep. One comically extreme solution after the next — from both ends of the political spectrum — dominates cable news, our Facebook feeds and, often, our dinner tables. As yet another government shutd…
Out With The Old, In With The Bold
Aug 29, 2018
This is a story as old as America itself — one rooted in our quest for excellence and guided by our unconquerable spirit of innovation. Here, whenever the status quo stops moving us forward, an army of innovators stands ready to take the reins. Startups like Uber and Airbnb re…
Proof: The System is Rigged
Aug 3, 2018
More Americans than at any point in the past three decades say they’re independent. That number is somewhere between 40% and 43%, depending on who you ask. So you’d think, maybe, in 2014, 2016, or heading into 2018, we’d have seen an increase in the number of people able to run f…
Monster Maps: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count
Jul 25, 2018
We’ve all either said it or heard it: “My vote doesn’t count.” The bad news is, for a majority of voters, that’s not far from the truth — especially when it comes to congressional races like the midterms coming up this November. The good news is, there are solutions. But be…
How To Throw A Wrench Into A Rigged System
Jul 20, 2018
Have you heard the news out of New York? There’s a pretty bold woman taking a stand against the broken, two-party system perpetuating our politically corrupt culture. This maverick just threw her hat in the ring to be their next Governor. But she’s not running as a Republican …
One Swampy Thing Both Parties Agree On
Jul 11, 2018
There are more things wrong with our politics than we could list in a blog post (honestly, more like 100 blog posts). But one of them seems to be a constant source of annoyance for everyone — no matter who you do or don’t vote for. You’ve probably even said it out loud yourself: …
61% of Americans Want to See a New Political Party. Where is it?
Jun 22, 2018
In theory, we choose politicians to make laws that we approve of. But our system hasn’t worked like that for a long time. Today, politicians draw districts, control who can run for office and block the creation of new political alternatives. Now they pick us — not the other way a…
Why SAM?
Jun 21, 2018
By Alana Dunagan and Suzanne Besu Truchard SAM, is building a new political party for a new American majority. We’re proud to serve on SAM’s Board of Directors as we start the process of offering voters new and better options and breaking down the stranglehold the Republica…
Our Inexcusable Political Discourse
May 1, 2018
American politics is no stranger to tough rhetoric, smearing opponents or ideologically-driven media outlets dueling one another in public forums. Back to the founding of the Republic, nascent factions vigorously and viciously debated the merits and motivations of one another’s v…
Civil Discourse in Glenwood Springs
Apr 20, 2018
Last week, Independent voters in Colorado met in Glenwood Springs to talk about their goals, strategy, and support for Independent candidates in Colorado. I had the pleasure of meeting many of them and learning from them. Although this was only their second meeting, I felt the en…
Kansas College Campuses: A Glimpse of the Future
Apr 18, 2018
Over the month of March, SAM hit the paved paths of colleges up and down Kansas for some facetime with students—aka the future voters of America. Out of the many voices that were willing to share their opinions, one thing came up as a theme, over and over again: they are ready fo…
Have a Beer With Me
Apr 12, 2018
Or coffee. or a soda. you get the point—it doesn’t matter, just sit here and let’s talk for a few minutes. At the end of Reed Galen’s piece Hope the High Road there is this call to action: “Call your friends, your neighbors, your family and your co-workers. Tell them you want t…
A Return to Servitude
Apr 2, 2018
I am a product of my heritage. German and Irish ancestry that settled in the Midwest and produced generations of hard working men and women didn’t have time for much more than family and God. I began my first career at 17—retiring 23 years later from the Army and Army Nationa…
Starting the Conversation: Today’s Youth in Civics
Mar 26, 2018
It’s an interesting time to be young. More so than any other generation, the youth of the 21st century are a generation often talked about and, even more often, misunderstood. Already being elected to office across the country, we will soon be the ones running the whole darn s…
Millennials, It's Our Time
Mar 22, 2018
This is a long post, if you would like, you can skip to TL;DR for a summary. Have you heard? Millennials have broken the world. Over the span of the last five years there have—literally—been thousands of articles accusing millennials of killing, breaking, or ruining just about …
Parkland: Why a New Party is Necessary
Mar 20, 2018
Long before the Parkland massacre most Americans agreed that mass shootings were intolerably frequent. After Parkland the sentiment has reached a fever pitch. The time for real action has come. And there are sensible preventive measures that can and should be taken. Mass shoot…
Help Atlanta Voters
Mar 15, 2018
It’s an election year in the US, and that means that the Republicans and Democrats will spend millions of dollars trying to convince you—the American voter—to vote for their candidate or against that of the opposition party. When they’re not using television, online ads, and s…
An Evening With David Brooks: Human-Centered Politics In Action
Mar 12, 2018
On February 22, we hosted an event with New York Times op-ed columnist, author, renowned speaker, and political thinker, David Brooks. He delivered a new talk, remarking on taking a more human approach to politics—a topic the audience could tell was a subject close to his heart. …
International Women's Day: The Time is Now
Mar 7, 2018
Like almost every woman I know, I am someone that wears many hats. I am a mom to my four children (ages 11, 9, 7 and 5) and a wife to my husband of 15 years. I am a small business owner; I spend summers working in youth development at a summer camp; I am a dedicated runner; I am …
Solutions and Progress
Mar 5, 2018
It is time to serve America first and put people before party. Last fall I gave serious consideration to running for Congress when Rep. Bob Goodlatte announced he was not running for re-election in 2018. A big question I contemplated was if I should run as a Republican, where …
Only YOU Can Change Politics
Mar 5, 2018
There’s a lot going on in America today. Massive division and distrust in our national conversation. A technological revolution that many of us don’t yet fully understand but feel every day. Endless amounts of information, raw information, coming at us 24 hours a day, seven da…
Black History Month: Our Past, Our Present, Our Future
Feb 19, 2018
The United States is a land of immigrants and refugees. It is also home to the descendants of slaves who endured centuries of inhumane practices of forced transport and servitude at the hands of fellow Americans. While it ended slavery in name, the civil war did nothing to pre…
Generational Changes
Feb 9, 2018
Millennials—the demographic cohort that follows Generation X, preceded by the Baby Boomer generation before them—now represent the biggest generation in US history. Much has been written about us millennials, and how we’re unlike any other generation that has preceded us. And now…
Unrigging the System: One Conversation at a Time
Feb 6, 2018
A Recap of the Unrig the System Summit I had the pleasure of attending the Unrig the System Summit in New Orleans this past weekend. The summit was an eclectic group of political organizations from all over the nation uniting to discuss one similar goal—how do we unrig politics …
On Equality
Jan 23, 2018
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These words serve as a foundation of the American republic. For a great many people at the time of our country’s founding, these were words without meaning. Here we stand, some 240 years later, on the 89th birthday of one of the grea…
Take Our Survey!
Jan 18, 2018
In case you hadn't heard, we are currently on the ground in Kansas as part of our People Up Platform. The reasons we are starting in Kansas are many, but it is important to note that our efforts don't end there. We need to hear from you—the people—across all 50 states. How …
Our Survey, by the Numbers
Jan 16, 2018
By the end of January, SAM will have completed 1,000 door-to-door surveys in Kansas and 7,000 via email. Why do these numbers matter? Our goal is to eventually survey 1 person for every 2,500 in the country. We believe this will give us a concrete picture of what most Amercians…
On Canvassing Kansas
Jan 11, 2018
We’re in Kansas right now. With the sole purpose of hearing from you, the people. “Why Kansas?” You might ask. First, and most importantly, the majority of Kansans (like myself) have recently expressed dissatisfaction with their current government. Just late this last year …
The People Are Speaking About American Politics (and They’re Not Happy)
Jan 9, 2018
November 2016 saw the two most unpopular major-party nominees in American political history face off for the presidency. By the time Americans went to the polls, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton combined for a disapproval rating above 100%. Some of this was due to the candidat…
Hello, Kansas.
Jan 4, 2018
Hello, Kansas. SAM is coming to visit! In case you don’t know us yet, we are SAM. A political organization forging a new path to provide Americans a real alternative to the Democratic and Republican parties and to steer our country in a direction designed by the people, for the p…
SAM Welcomes Our New Field Director, Zach Colby!
Jan 3, 2018
To say that SAM's mission, and what we intend to achieve, are a challenge would be putting it quite lightly. There is no hyperbole when we express the need for good people in our organization, both from a Member and Leader perspective, but also from a core staff perspective. E…
A New Year, A New Path, A New Home
Jan 2, 2018
As 2018 dawns, it’s time to admit the obvious: the American political system no longer serves the people; it serves special interests, the most hyper-partisans and the politicians themselves – those that swore to uphold the Constitution and do right by their constituents. The sam…
Featured Leader - Kristin Gray
Dec 21, 2017
This months' featured SAM Leader is Kristin Gray, for the dedication and service she's already shown on behalf of the Movement! Below is SAM's micro-interview with her! Q: Why did you decide to become a SAM Leader? A: Before I joined SAM, I had become a bit politically ap…
In the Arena
Nov 18, 2017
Twelve years ago, I made a life-changing decision to pursue the near impossible. At the time, I had served four years as a White House staffer for President Bush, who was fresh into his second term. I essentially had my pick of opportunities in the new administration. It would ha…
A Beacon To A New Generation Of Leaders
May 16, 2017
It was the evening of September 7, 1967. A skinny 17 year old boy with curly hair was sitting with his best friend at the table in his family’s kitchen. They were talking about their plans for the night. He was leaving for his first day of college in the next few days. Halfway ar…
For Love of Country
May 14, 2017
I was born in Connecticut, to Lebanese parents who had left Beirut and were looking for a new place to call home. They had no intention of leaving their beloved country, at the time, but when my Dad and uncle were kidnapped and brutally beaten by one of the political militias, th…
An Example For My Kids
May 8, 2017
I grew up in Melvin Village, New Hampshire, a town whose population in the most recent census was 241 people. Thirty minutes from a grocery store, an hour from a movie theater and fast food restaurants, and over two hours from Boston. One could say Melvin Village is truly nowher…
The Courage to be Corrigible
Apr 28, 2017
I am proud of something that is both very difficult to do, and critical to the success and flourishing of a democracy like ours. I have changed my mind. I have been persuaded by evidence and reasoning to revise my beliefs. I will not go on here to describe the current climate …
Service on Many Levels
Apr 24, 2017
Among my earliest memories are the many times my brothers and I were in the back seat of the car while my mother drove Margaret to the local Helen Keller Center. Margaret was a young, blind woman and neighbor, and her activities at the center provided her an opportunity to be wit…
The Right to Matter
Apr 21, 2017
I was introduced to SAM by my younger brother. He is a founding member and we are extremely close. He asked me to take a look and I signed up. The other day he asked me why I joined SAM: was I just supporting him, or did I really believe in it and would I be willing to give mor…
We Must All Give Back
Apr 9, 2017
I’m one of the lucky ones. I grew up in an upper-middle-class town on Long Island, attended a highly ranked public school, and will soon graduate from a selective, private, liberal arts college. With a good GPA and solid contacts, I have plenty of options. I believe that every…
Boomers, Wake Up!
Apr 4, 2017
They won’t let us geezers watch cable news on the TVs at the gym anymore. Too many fights are breaking out. In full disclosure, I am a Baby Boomer who has had little motive to engage in our political process for over 40 years. I don’t think I’m unique in any way from my cohort. T…
Rise Up Together
Apr 1, 2017
My grandparents fled Cuba in 1961 when Castro’s dictatorship took hold of their beloved island. Even as 80 year-olds, they recalled vividly how they walked away from their home completely intact: plates in cabinets, beds made, and family pictures hanging on the walls. They were s…
Let’s Have Facts, not Fiefdoms
Mar 28, 2017
Politicians have divided Americans into polar opposite fiefdoms to make their jobs and being reelected easier. As a result, not many people are happy in either fiefdom, and the people they represent become entrenched and feel unable to leave, because their fear of the other fiefd…
Thoughts From the Heartland
Mar 21, 2017
On May 4, 1970, a sixteen year old (intellectually sophisticated by Clyde, Ohio standards, but pathetically naïve) froze in horror as she heard the popping of bullets at Kent State University as she and her fellow high school choir members walked in the direction of where they we…