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In an interview Monday, Brian Dougherty, a Republican National Convention delegate from the Pennsylvania delegation told IVN that if the controversial RNC rule change advanced by the Romney camp at this week's convention were in place in 1976, Ronald Reagan would have never risen to prominence in the GOP at the 1976 Republican convention, which set the stage for his successful presidential bid in 1980. Dougherty said: "Now these rules as they are, if they were in place in 1976, Ronald Reagan w

(Photo: Thinkprogress.org) Rep. Michele Bachmann has always been vocal about her religion, but her recent comments have caused speculation within the political community. At a prayer rally on Sunday, Bachmann addressed the inclement weather in Florida: "Washington, D.C., you'd think by now they'd get the message. An earthquake, a hurricane, are you listening? The American people have done everything they possibly can, now it's time for an act of God and we're getting it." Bachmann is Minnesot

Photo: Gage Skidmore The Commission on Presidential Debates, the private corporation established by Democrats and Republicans to organize and moderate the presidential debates, is currently being petitioned by concerned citizens to invite third party candidates to the 2012 presidential debates. Because the CPD provides no method for citizens to voice their opinions regarding third party inclusion in the presidential debates, activist Rick Stewart has traveled all the way to Washington, DC to h

Credit: bloomfieldforcongress.com A wave of anti-incumbency has rocked recent Republican primary elections across the country, but they aren't the only signs of a possible shake-up on Capitol Hill. In California, the state's first-ever open primary has put a once safely-Democratic Los Angeles congressional seat in play, setting up an outcome which could send reverberations through the American political landscape. Independent challenger Bill Bloomfield wants to unseat 37-year veteran Congressm

Credit: texastribune.org Imagine a business model where the government lends people money to pay you for a service that you may or may not deliver effectively, and no matter what goes wrong, someone else has to pay the government back and you get to keep almost $32 billion a year. Preposterous, you say!  No, in the real world it’s called a for-profit college. Socrates could have died rich if he'd privatized his teaching. “For-Profit College” – isn’t that on oxymoron?  Not really, according to

The Congress approval rating by American voters fell to an all-time low today. According to Gallup, just 10% of Americans think Congress is doing a good job. This is the lowest measure in the 38 years Gallup has been conducting the poll. The disapproval of congress does not appear to be a partisan issue, as Republicans, Independents, and Democrats show an 11%, 10%, and 9% rating, respectively. From Gallup: Before 2007, Congress approval had been below 20% only twice -- in 1979 and 1992. The h

In a lot of ways, school choice programs, though perceived as a draconian libertarian policy, are similar to the single-payer policy that many progressives want for health care. School choice doesn't mean leaving disadvantaged parents without a way to afford their children's education. It means letting the government act as a single payer for education costs, but letting parents choose how to use that money to educate their child in a way that works best for them and their child instead of lett

Compared to other presidential elections, 2008 was an exceptional year in voter participation. Many states saw turnout records broken during the primary election season. Some analysts considered this a high point in our democratic process, but it was far from a trend setter. Historically, turnout in primaries and caucuses have always been low. The highest turnouts are typically during the years where the presidential races are most competitive, such as 1988 and 2000, but even then turnout is on

Credit: topics.lingospot.com Both lawyers running for Vermont Attorney General in the Democratic primary August 28, incumbent Bill Sorrell and challenger TJ Donovan, have accepted campaign donations from people who are or have been their adversaries in court.  Both say the contributions are too small to influence them.  The Vermont Bar Association has no policy that covers such apparent conflicts of interest. Then there’s the $99,000 TV ad campaign for the incumbent, paid for by an out-of-stat

It's been almost 20 years since a question regarding the classification of marijuana laws has been heard in federal court.  But, on October 16th, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear arguments challenging marijuana's schedule 1 status. The status means that the DEA considers Marijuana to be a dangerous drug with no medical value and a "high potential for abuse."  As more and more states pass laws legalizing the drug for medicinal use, this status has created consider