In the latest episode of Toppling the Duopoly, an Independent Voter Podcast, host Shawn Griffiths and his guest talk about a short RepresentUs film starring Jennifer Lawrence that gets to the heart of all the political problems in the US, and what YOU can do about it.

Update 8/20/19: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nesse filed a brief in federal court on Monday, August 19, asking the judge to drop a lawsuit filed by 15 Republican politicians, lobbyists, and residents over a voter-approved citizens’ redistricting commission on which they are ineligible to serve.

The recent Democratic debates were cast by the media as an internal party struggle between progressives and moderates. Yet, in a recent interview with Newsy, Michigan US Rep. Dan Kildee (Flint) says his party needs to recognize that Trump won people in Michigan and other states critical to his 2016 win because they were fed up with a system they felt was rigged against them -- and they wanted an authentic voice that promised to shake things up and spoke directly to their concerns and anxieties.

Twenty Democratic candidates took the CNN stage Tuesday, July 30, and Wednesday, July 31, for the second round of Democratic debates ahead of the 2020 presidential primary. Right out of the gate, the field heatedly divided itself on issues like health care, immigration, criminal justice, and more as each Democrat tried to set themselves apart from the rest.

Sanders and Warren took on John Delaney and Tim Ryan over their Medicare for All plan, Kamala Harris continued to go on the offensive against Joe Biden. And Tulsi Gabbard went after Harris for alleged hypocrisy:

The Supreme Court’s decision to punt on partisan gerrymandering (RUCHO ET AL. v. COMMON CAUSE ET AL.) was discouraging for many in the electoral reform movement, but really should not have come as a surprise. The recent Court has given broad latitude to the Constitution’s granting to state legislatures control of state election law.

As the Nation prepares to watch the second set of Democratic presidential debates, we should be asking ourselves a question: What about the Republicans? Shouldn’t it be a big deal that the Republican Party is NOT planning to hold debates for the 2020 presidential primary?   We even see some of the state parties talking about not holding a primary at all.  Does that sound like fair and open elections?

Russ Verney and David M. Walker join Deconstructed’s host, T.J. O’Hara, to discuss the political legacy of H. Ross Perot.

Mr. Verney was a top advisor and spokesperson for Ross Perot’s 1992 presidential campaign in which Mr. Perot garnered 19% of the popular vote. Mr. Verney was also the first Chair of the Reform Party and Ross Perot’s campaign director during the latter’s 1996 presidential run.