Public Policy

Dating back to the early 19th century, and based on the idea that there are two wheels on a bicycle, the idiom being “a third wheel” is used to indicate situations when someone would be a burden, unnecessary, and/or an unwelcomed member of a group. The saying is commonly used in situations when there is one couple, and a third person, or “third wheel,” would be the odd person out by not fitting in. U.S. politics is dominated by the two-party system, and at times, each Party, Republican and Democrat, have viewed third-party presidential candidates as “third wheels.”

The 2023 National Football League (NFL) season quite literally kicked off Thursday when the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs played the Detroit Lions. Although the Chiefs of the AFC and the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFC remain heavy favorites to return to the Super Bowl next February, all 32 NFL teams will play the season under a variety of rules changes.

I have a friend who owns a corporate novelty company; the kind that sells t-shirts, baseball caps, coffee mugs, and the like. Among his biggest clients are the gift shops and news stands at Union Station, Reagan National, and IAD where he’s sold a variety of politically themed items over the years. In fact, his sales have been so good that they allowed him to correctly predict the winner of every presidential election from 1988-2016.

According to some surveys, just over one-third (37%) know their Representative’s name, and just over half (56%) of Americans could guess their Representative’s party affiliation; only about two in five (42%) could name at least one local member of Congress; one-third couldn’t name their governor; and 77% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 could not name one senator from his or her home state.

According to some surveys, just over one-third (37%) know their Representative’s name, and just over half (56%) of Americans could guess their Representative’s party affiliation; only about two in five (42%) could name at least one local member of Congress; one-third couldn’t name their governor; and 77% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 could not name one senator from his or her home state.

I like to play a little $5 Nassau on the golf course, fill out an NCAA March Madness tournament bracket or two, even wager a bit on Fantasy Football with friends. But it was shocking for me to read this week that Phil Mickelson, the six-time major golf champion, bet a total of more than $1 billion over the past three decades, losing upwards of $100 million…

In 4th grade I was lucky enough to get Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu was every child’s favorite teacher at Flower Valley Elementary, and he was best loved for his history class…

As the interactions between business and government continue to become more and more complex and fall under an ever-widening net, many companies in Washington are adding government affairs specialists to their full-time staff. Like never before, the influence of government is not just on politics, but also on the legislation and policies that will directly impact the corporate bottom line.

I have a friend who is a lobbyist for one of the major U.S. airlines. After reading in one of Washington’s political blogs this week that she and her team suffered a few setbacks, not the least of which was failing in an attempt to insert language that would expand the number of flights into Reagan National Airport in the House’s version of the FAA reauthorization bill…

One of my first jobs in Washington was as a place holder; I was literally paid to wait in line. A fraternity brother had a job interning for a Capitol Hill lobbying firm, and using a $20/hour lure, he recruited several of us to wait in line in the halls of Congress.