Turn on CNN or Fox News, and you would have to assume that all American politics settle nicely into two buckets -- two opposite extremes. With the patterns of brinksmanship and divisive politics that have defined much of our political dialog in recent years, it's easy to see how people form this opinion about the USA.

However, the truth is that extremist tactics are typically much less successful than moderate ones. Out of all of the important political decisions that define our way of life in the United States, many more of them have been more moderate than we may think.

In a nutshell, here’s how I would describe the state of American politics. The regulators are unqualified to regulate. The parties are unqualified to govern. The political scientists are unqualified to call themselves scientists. A sorry state of affairs.

These days it’s very fashionable to require “evidence-based research” to confirm pretty much anything and everything, including things that are obvious to the naked eye. This “standard” has spread like wildfire through the social sciences and policy world.

Attempting to capitalize on the controversy surrounding the National Anthem and the National Football League, the California chapter of the NAACP is seeking the support of California lawmakers to remove the “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem completely.

California NAACP President Alice Huffman drafted the NAACP’s resolutions after President Donald Trump suggested NFL owners should fire any player who doesn’t stand for the anthem.

Today, New Yorkers will vote on whether to hold a New York State Constitutional Convention, often referred to by the shorthand “con con.” The con con issue has fractured both parties along establishment vs activists lines, those who fear it as a threat to entrenched gains against those who see an opportunity to pursue goals that have long been deadlocked at the state level.

On Monday, Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap approved the petition form for supporters of ranked choice voting to use, to repeal the anti-ranked-choice bill that the legislature passed last month. See this story.

At a special agenda meeting to update the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on the numbers associated with the Hepatitis A outbreak impacting the region, the County Health and Human Services Agency provided "misleading and inaccurate" information to the Supervisors.

Three of the four supervisors present expressed concern about the accuracy of the 10-page PowerPoint presentation provided by the agency, which was designed to provide a progress report.

In a story that continues to get more bizarre as new details emerge, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), is recovering from 5 broken ribs after a neighbor assaulted him Friday afternoon while the Tea Party Republican leader was mowing his lawn in his gated community in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

What was initially reported as "minor injuries" turned out to be far more severe.

2017 is an off-year for US elections. November 7 will see gubernatorial elections held in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as house state legislative elections in the same states. There will also be various other local elections, mayoral races, and other citizen initiatives taking place.

There is a lack of media coverage for these smaller elections, and they will certainly fly under the radar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZcl9fCEvi8

Late Friday night, WikiLeaks tweeted out the Joint Fundraising Agreement between the Hillary Clinton campaign and DNC officials that backs up former Interim DNC Chair Donna Brazile's claim that the Clinton camp essentially took over the party.

https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/926681785819389952

The tweet links out to a PDF uploaded by MSNBC:

On November 3, Justice Samuel Alito refused a request by Pennsylvania state officials to delay a trial in League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania v Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. That case, filed in Commonwealth Court, seeks a ruling that Pennsylvania’s U.S. House district boundaries are an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.