What do you do at the Independent Center?
My primary job is to keep our community informed about policy issues that may come up in the news. I’ve come to enjoy explaining how Congress works or why certain things are done the way they are. Because of the nature of my job, I spend much of my time researching and writing.
What do you bring to the team?
The main thing I bring to the Independent Center is a vast knowledge of Congress and the lawmaking process, as well as an in-depth understanding of several policy issues, such as budget and appropriations, healthcare, and immigration. I like to nerd out on this stuff.
Why are you an Independent?
I tried to do the party thing, and I realized that what I believe doesn’t fit neatly inside any particular box. I have fairly progressive viewpoints on social issues, but I view solutions to our fiscal and economic problems through a market lens. Party and ideological politics are just another thing used to divide us.
What’s one thing you think people misunderstand about independent voters?
That they may lean toward one party or another. Take the issues that are getting a lot of coverage in any given week, independent voters will agree with the Democratic perspective on one but with the Republican perspective on another. I think independent voters have something that’s missing from the conversation on any given policy issue, and that’s empathy.
What’s your go-to book, podcast, or show right now?
America’s Philosopher: John Locke in American Intellectual Life
If you could have a coffee chat with any historical or current figure, who would it be and why?
I would probably say Thomas Jefferson. He was clearly an incredibly smart person, but he was also as complex and hypocritical. I want to know what was going through his mind when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. I want to ask him if he didn’t see the clear contradiction of writing “all men are created equal” while also owning people as property. I want to know why he waited so long to reconcile with John Adams.
