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Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Ph.D., joins T.J. O’Hara, host of Deconstructed, to discuss the structural challenges of the Constitution that have contributed to the growing political stalemate in our Nation’s capital. Dr. Sheehan Zaino is a Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Iona College and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Television and Radio. She is also the author of several books, including her latest, American Democracy in Crisis: The Case for Rethinking Madisonian Gover

Independent voters are having a moment. The pro-voter reform movement is having a moment. And, the nonpartisan group Independent Voting is hosting a virtual event to celebrate this moment. On October 25, at 6 PM EDT, the nonpartisan group Independent Voting is hosting the 20th Annual Anti-Corruption Awards via Zoom. In the past, the event honored public and civil service leaders who challenged the political status quo in New York City. However, this year, the group is expanding the awards to a

The mood among Democrats these days seems to oscillate between panic and despair. The Biden administration, which billed itself as restoring competence and order to the political process, not only grievously botched the Afghanistan withdrawal and the removal of Haitian immigrants in Texas, but cannot even attain a semblance of order within its own party. Whether it be the filibuster, government spending, or tax policy, Democrats seem afflicted with an auto-immune disease that requires them to at

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished with permission from the publisher. ‍ Public opinion of the Supreme Court dropped to its lowest point in two decades after the justices declined to block Texas' controversial abortion law, new polling shows, echoing poor marks for the other branches of government. Two-fifths of Americans approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing — a sharp decline from July when 49 percent of people indicated approval,

Toppling the Duopoly host Shawn Griffiths is joined by Tom Charron, who is representing a new group called the California RCV Coalition (Cal RCV). At a time when ranked choice voting is having a moment, the group is set to officially launch on September 21 during an online Zoom event that is open to the public. Charron explains why more California cities and the state as a whole need ranked choice voting for their elections and the benefits it would bring to bolstering representation across soci

Two of the most frequently used words in right-wing America, “freedom” and “Constitution,” are also among the most misused. Many American conservatives believe the “Constitution” gives them the “freedom” to do just about anything they like. They are free to own guns and carry them openly, free to refuse to be vaccinated, free to refuse to wear masks in public places, free to refuse to accept the results of a free and fair election, and, to some, even free to invade government buildings and threa

In America, we value the principle of “one person, one vote.” We believe that everyone’s vote should matter. And we value smooth transitions from one presidential administration to the next. We don’t expect our candidates to win all the time, but we at least expect for everyone’s vote to count equally towards the results. Yet for presidential elections, we have a system that ignores this cherished principle. Instead of going by the national popular vote, we have a state-by-state, winner-take-a

Voters have the power to decide who wins on election day, but only a small percentage of them decide who will be on the ballot. For our democracy to not only survive, but thrive, voters must determine who runs as well as who wins. Small-dollar campaign financing in the form of Democracy dollars would go a long way towards building a truly equitable democracy and transforming our representation. When I meet with neighbors and community groups, we talk about the ideal candidate—the person who wou

On July 22, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made national news by filing a brief with the Supreme Court asking the justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, claiming the 1973 decision and the subsequent 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey were “egregiously wrong” as “both recognize a right that has no basis in the Constitution.”  She added, “It is time for the Court to set this right and return this political debate to the political branches of government.”  Days later, 228 Republican leg

After more than a year of economic suffering that has left millions of Americans reeling from the devastating effects of unemployment, the end finally appears to be in sight. While the upward trends that we are experiencing are certainly promising, there is a misguided misconception that there are already enough quality jobs out there, and employees simply need to return to work. Despite the progress we’ve made, we certainly aren’t out of the woods yet, and it is important that lawmakers continu