Wedge issues divide politicians from independents – by Ed Hornick

Bringing up divisive issues that distract from fixing the country’s economic woes will only create cracks in the bridge between the two major parties and independents, said Omar H. Ali, an independent voting analyst and professor at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

Independents, he said, are the watchdogs and “conscience of America” when it comes to issues like the economy. The blame game over who caused the economic recession only highlights what is wrong in American politics today, Ali said.

Wanted: A few stand-up candidates – by David Broder

The Democrats seem determined to teach us the price of vacillation, while the Republicans are bent on instructing us on the rewards of obstruction. What a helluva choice awaits in the November election.

This is my sour August reflection on the two months of travel ahead of me on the campaign trail — a search for candidates who may lift the gloom and restore some faith in the principled politics so lacking in Washington these days.

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