"Tens of Thousands March in Moscow to Honor Putin Critic"

By, Andrew E. Kramer

Link to article

This recent NYT article covers the recent assassination of Boris Nemtsov, the leading opposition leader opposed to Vladimir Putins regime.  Shot in the back during a demonstration, Nemtsov's assassination has galvanized the various Russian opposition groups and political parties that are at odds with Putins regime.

Unlike politics in the US, where national politics have traditionally been dominated by two political parties (since the Federalists and Anti-Federalists parties that were established shortly after the Revolutionary War), political parties and groups in Russia are more numerous.  Putin himself has come to be the dominant for<ace in Russian politics, with United Russia being the largest political party, with slightly more than half of the State Duma (Russian parliament).  The remaining Duma seats are divided amongst The Communist Party, A Just Russia, and the LDPR (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia- don't be fooled by the name, it's not liberal or democratic but the far-right nationalist wing of Russian politics).  Various other advocacy groups and single issue groups control varying amounts of sway in Russian political life, like free speech and free press groups, as well as gay rights activist groups.

All in all, this is probably one of the most (if not the most) significant political developments in the world.  Given the Ukraine crisis, followed by economic sanctions on Russia, which have subsequently devastated the ruble and the Russian economy, this event may have significant implications.  Unity of the disparate opposition parties, while also generating more opposition and perhaps deep distrust of Putins regime if any ties to the assassination are linked to the state, are all potential scenarios that could ultimately lead to a regime change in Russia.

Last week, I was contacted by a reporter for Huffington Post, who was interested in doing an article about the youngest legislators in the United States.  Turns out, I'm number six on the list for youngest legislators, clocking in at twenty-two. 


Set up a phone interview time and we had about a fifteen-minute interview about my whole experience of becoming a State Legislator.  Earlier this week, the article went up on Huff-Po and can be found here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/22/youngest-legislators-america_n_6680330.html if you'd like to read up more on some of the young people who've gotten involved in state politics.


Certainly been a bit overwhelming, being thrust into an environment dominated by (generally) significantly older and often more experienced counterparts, so it was reassuring to realize that many of the other young state legislators had similar experiences.  Also has been interesting to get in touch with them and gather more info on their policy concerns, proposals, experiences, etc.

Blog Proposal

Last semester, I was elected to the NH Statehouse as a State Representative.  Blog postings will reflect my experiences in the Statehouse, significant bills and issues being proposed and discussed and general comments about life as a college student and elected official.  A sitting member of the Election Law Committee, I'll also make posts about bills that come through the Committee.  Primary focus of my blog posts will revolve around the ideology and concepts floating around the Statehouse.  From time to time, I may draw comparisons to other states, comment about national politics and take a global, comparative perspective at policies or issues I focus on. 


This blog was initiated for my Web Expressions college course.