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To better understand how presidential debates really work, it might help to frame the operation in business terms. As competitors begin positioning themselves for the 2020 presidential race, they may need to adapt to a change in the procedures. The path to the all-important televised presidential debates may be forcibly smoothed out by a US District Court Judge so that candidates outside one of the nation's two large franchise parties have better access to the microphone. The election may seem

Now is a pivotal moment for the millions of Americans who recognize that there is something terribly wrong with our government. That is why a coalition of over 80 civic action groups, called the Bridge Alliance, is kicking off its educational campaign #HealthyGov. It's no secret that Americans want change. A plurality of Americans no longer wish to identify with the establishment parties in the US. Even more Americans think a third party is needed. Congressional approval barely escapes the sing

How can a party unite the independent majority and defeat the Republicans and the Democrats? For decades, American voters have pretty much known about the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. As a matter of fact, those parties are believed by many to be the only ones. During the last several years, tens of millions of people disillusioned with these establishment parties have felt like they are not represented. They feel as if they have no voice at all, and they have turned away from vot

As the momentum grows for a third-party and a political system overhaul, Americans are increasingly frustrated, disenfranchised, and fed-up with "politics as usual." Time and again we have seen our elected officials kick the can down the road to the next generation in favor of doing "just enough" to keep their jobs while doing far too little to make our communities stronger. The truth is, independents hold the power; we just need to use it. Each state is different so these examples are only ex

The line is a very strange thing, and you're probably familiar with it even if you don't really care for political discussions. It goes from left to right, and the further to the left you are the more "leftist" you are, and the further to the right you are the more "right-wing" you are, and if you're in the center, then you're somewhere between these two poles. But what do they really represent? It's a uni-dimensional analysis so it couldn't possibly represent anything very complex, right? Ye

Our politicians seem to hide their personal lives from us so well that we truly don’t know who they are. Only after a major scandal or legal action do we get to fling open their closet doors and see the many skeletons piled inside. Fortunately, Arizona has a man running for governor who decided to open his closet for public viewing, and the media took notice. Unfortunately, the media fell victim to tunnel vision — staring at the closet and never checking out the owner. They never took a chance

Here’s something that should chill you to your bones: the state of human rights, including journalistic freedom, is in noticeable decline all across the world. Amnesty International describes this settling haze of authoritarianism as “Trump-led politics of hate” and attempts to, in the strongest possible terms, impress upon the world just how high the stakes are. Trump-style politics are “eating away at human rights around the world,” they say. It wasn’t impossible to see it coming. Some exper

Deep Blue California sent a strong signal to longtime Senator Dianne Feinstein that she just isn't Blue enough. In a vote at the San Diego Convention Center on Saturday, the California Democratic Party voted not to endorse the 84-year-old Feinstein, instead giving many of their votes to State Senator Kevin De Leon, considered a more progressive Democrat. De Leon got 54 percent of the vote, compared to 37 percent for Feinstein. Neither Democrat will receive the state party endorsement because t

Is there any more grotesque example of American “exceptionalism” than our longstanding failure to respond to recurring, murderous violence in our schools? Is the nation that led mankind to the moon and back unable to halt the tragic transformation of children and teachers into the neatly gathered, heedlessly compliant soft targets for cowards wielding weapons of war? THE CURTAIN RISES ON OUR KABUKI THEATER As the smoke and chaos cleared from the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School, our politici

There are 10 seconds to go, and it’s not looking good. Seemingly untouchable in the first half, the Minnesota Vikings are now down by one point against the New Orleans Saints — and I’m getting nervous. Not because I’m particularly passionate about them winning, but because I know my boyfriend Matt will sink into temporary depression if they lose this playoff game. …Of course, at the time, I didn’t know they would get stomped the following week, but I digress… As you may know, miraculously, a