This morning, after a few minutes of online browsing, my girlfriend said to me – matter-of-factly over her cup of steaming coffee – that, "They say that Clinton won the debate last night."

Democratic candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sparred over the NSA’s mass surveillance program during the first Democratic presidential debate, hosted by CNN on Tuesday.

Nothing ignites partisan temper-tantrums more than the suggestion that the "other side" might have gained an advantage overlooked by our side. The latest bout of alarmist nonsense came from a Politico story in August attributing outsized macro-manipulation potential to the world’s favorite online search engine, Google.

The opening introduction to the Democratic debate was quite telling.

Sounding like a preview to a Monday Night Football game, a cheesy male voice went into great detail about the “faceoff” between the two top contenders: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w7NFTnLQt8

Sen. Bernie Sanders repeats Democratic talking points on Social Security about as frequently as anyone. He is unfortunately wrong more frequently than anyone.

On Saturday, California Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed Assembly Bill 1461, the Motor Voter Act, into law. The bill makes it to where all who have registered for a driver’s license are automatically registered to vote. In January of this year, a California law went into effect that allows illegal immigrants to have a California driver’s license, which is why critics of the new Motor Voter Act have suggested it is a calculated way to allow illegal immigrants an opportunity to vote in elections.

No matter how bad the economy is or what’s going on in the rest of the world, Americans seem to have an insatiable need to focus on abortion. When the landmark Roe v. Wade passed through the Supreme Court in 1973, who imagined we’d be incessantly arguing about it over forty years later?

For those who consider abortion the taking of an innocent life, terminating a pregnancy continues to be a source of contentious debate. Advocates for choice see scrutiny as part of an effort to limit a woman’s options in health care and choices about her own body.

Californians, including the estimated 6.6 million eligible Californians who aren’t registered, will soon have fewer excuses for not registering to vote.

Governor Brown signed a landmark measure into law over the weekend that will allow eligible Californians to be automatically registered to vote when they go to the Department of Motor Vehicles office to obtain or renew a driver’s license.

With two election cycles under its belt, California’s nonpartisan primary system has shown positive results for electoral competition and voter confidence. Studies show that changing the first stage of the election from a private party nomination process to a nonpartisan public process results in more competitive elections, produces a more productive legislature, and enhances overall satisfaction with representation.

The California Supreme Court will consider whether or not voters will be allowed to weigh in on the Citizens United v. FEC decision in 2016. The proposed measure is part of an ongoing effort to get Congress to pass a constitutional amendment that would overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's decision.