In the wake of the 2016 election, social media has been singled out for blame for the ways in which some platforms were so easily manipulated into tools against democracy.
For 23-year-old Richard Wolf, it’s a completely different story; social media is the driving force behind his campaign to become the Democratic nominee in Texas House District 63.
“At least for my district...online communities have really put together a lot of really strong volunteers...and have really mobilized the Democrats in my area,” Wolf told Cheddar.
Wolf has been wielding memes to discuss liberal policy proposals on social media, which he says is the most cost-efficient and unfiltered way to campaign. So far, he has only spent about $200 on online advertising.
“Basically, I just make whatever I want, do whatever I like, and I put that online,” Wolf said. “So far, I’ve been getting pretty positive responses.”
Early voting numbers for the Texas primary on Tuesday show that Democratic turnout has surpassed GOP voting, giving the party momentum and hope to flip the Lone Star State. The Democrats face an uphill battle there as the Republicans now hold 95 of the 150 seats in the state House. But Wolf sees positive signs.
“People are not happy with the Trump administration...and we can see the Republican party kind of losing energy.” said Wolf.
Only time will tell whether the rising Democrat tide will lift Wolf’s boat at the ballot box.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-this-texas-house-candidate-is-using-memes-to-move-the-state-leftward).
A bipartisan group of 43 representatives joined forces in a letter to President Joe Biden to remind the executive branch that it must seek the approval of Congress before authorizing a war — whether or not its in Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore. 4th District) led the effort and joined Cheddar News Wrap to explain. "It's time for Congress to get back the authority, which is vested to us in the constitution, not in the executive branch," he said. "The president. once we're at war, we speak with one voice with the commander in chief. But before that, it's up to the American people and Congress whether or not we're going to become engaged in a war."
Chris Konstantinos, Chief Investment Strategist at RiverFront Investment Group, explains why he remains encouraged about the S&P and the state of the market despite the major indexes closing mostly lower on Monday.
President Joe Biden will be delivering his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and with so many issues from Ukraine to inflation, everyone will be focused on what he might say. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y. 11th District) joined Cheddar News to discuss what she thinks the president should address. "I think what he hasn't done yet is go after the gas, the oil, the minerals, the mining industries, that is incredibly important," she said. "There's still some banks there that are not sanctioned. He needs to go after all the banks, but I also think that providing the equipment that Ukraine needs to continue to protect its capital and its country are incredibly important."
As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, one of its few big allies remaining appears to be China. Gordon Chang, Asian affairs expert and author of "The Coming Collapse of China," joined Cheddar News to discuss what might be behind China's support for Putin's current strategy. “I think China is looking at what Putin did yesterday, which is to raise his nuclear forces on a higher alert level,” Chang stated, “If they see that Putin gets away with his nuclear threats, which he's been making over the last three or four days, then I'm sure that Beijing is going to ramp up its threats as well, and it could ramp them up against any number of different countries with which it perceives it has a problem with"
Joel Rubin, president of the Washington Strategy Group and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, joins Cheddar News to discuss the Russia-Ukraine tensions and the new sanctions President Biden placed on Russia.
Officials from Ukraine and Russia have begun meeting along the Belarus border to discuss a potential end to the ongoing invasion, even as the fighting continues to drag on. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas 9th District) joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, what to expect from President Joe Biden's State of The Union Address, and the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court. "I'm still hopeful, and I hope that Mr. Putin will understand that he has united the world against him," Green said of the new round of peace talks.
Within hours of Russia's first attack on Ukraine, President Joe Biden addressed the nation by stating that the White House will impose wider sanctions on Russian banks. These sanctions could result in damage to the Russian economy. Host of "Oh My World" on Youtube and Former Spokesperson for the U. S. Mission to the U. N. Hagar Chemali, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
