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I first heard the news that Ross Perot had died last Tuesday afternoon and it didn’t take long for the major media obituaries to appear. In public life in America, your obituary is written long before you die – literally and figuratively. Those of us who had been part of and partners with the Perot rebellion knew that the official “branding” of Ross Perot was already set in stone. The two-time independent presidential candidate in 1992 and 1996, whose millions of supporters sent a shockwave thr

Independent and third party candidates more often than conventional candidates clearly identify America’s core challenges, pains and crises. They sometimes present well-considered solutions, though they may not know enough about the legislative and executive branches of government to implement those solutions. Still, here are seven reasons why independent presidential debates and forums will save America in 2020. 1. Integrity Whether driven by public service or personal ego, every single Demo

Poor Bernie Sanders. It’s not enough that he had the balls to challenge The Anointed One in the Democratic Party primary in 2016. It’s not enough that in doing so he split open a divide in his party that makes the San Andreas Fault look like a crevasse you could hop, skip or jump over wearing a sturdy hiking shoe. That Sanders did these things has already earned him a special place in the history of American progressivism. But now, Sanders is in the race for the 2020 nomination, no longer a lon

The biggest story happening right now nationwide that is not getting any attention from the mainstream media are the campaigns, ballot proposals, signature drives, and legislative efforts going on RIGHT NOW to give voters an election system that protects their right to a meaningful and equal vote in the taxpayer-funded election process -- from the primary to the general election. I’ve covered 10 of the biggest reform organizations to watch in 2020, whose mission it is to give voters a better el

It is no secret that both parties control the presidential nomination process. But what is less-known is that taxpayers, not the parties, fund the primary election. So, why wouldn’t every voter, regardless of party, get to participate? That’s why the Independent Voter Project (IVP) responded to another partisan “solution” this week to California’s confusing (and taxpayer funded) semi-closed presidential primary, which would continue to shortchange over 5.6 million independent voters. Instead

With politics in a permanent state of chaos, we might have to look outside the political sphere to be grounded politically. At least I do. Sports is a good place to turn -- real sports, not the blood sport of partisanship and governance. Like a lot of people, I spent my Sunday night glued to the television. Not to watch 60 Minutes and its pompous narrative of “what Americans should be concerned about.” Heaven forbid. But to watch the women’s basketball teams of Notre Dame and Baylor battle it o

A Roadmap to A Better Democracy By: Wes Messamore Reform activists from around the country gathered in the Country Music Capital of the World –– Nashville, Tennessee –– over the last weekend in March to celebrate an absolute tidal wave of policy victories in 2018; listen to inspirational speeches; share and learn the nuts and bolts of policy reform; and even to air fierce differences of opinion over the best way to reform elections in America and over other areas of public policy. How they buz

In this special episode of "Toppling the Duopoly," we air the one-on-one interview I had with former Starbucks CEO and potential independent presidential candidate Howard Schultz. It's an interview you won't get anywhere else as I ask Howard about many of the obstacles in place that rig elections in favor of the Republican and Democratic Parties -- from the presidential debates to the spoiler argument to partisan primaries. He says he supports many of the reforms being proposed across the coun

At Splinter News David Boddiger writes: "Howard Schultz finally has his big campaign rallying cry." He's referring to a chant raised by a few loud attendees at the Unrig Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, Sunday when the Starbucks Founder and CEO took the stage to address election reform and stump for his 2020 candidacy. Billionaires for President! Billionaires for President! Billionaires for President! The young rabble rousers, the most privileged and wealthy generation in the history of the

I’ve got some good news and some bad news. And once we put it all together, it’ll be news you can use — an easy way to join the Second American Revolution, now in progress. First, the bad news: You are being violated by your own government. Hustled and conned. We all are. Our voices and our votes. Our tax dollars, too. On a piece of parchment that birthed this country, our founders emphasized that lawmakers would derive “their just Powers from the consent of the governed.” That’s us. But those