America’s political news-makers are as responsible for perpetuating the hyper-partisan structure of contemporary politics as the politicians themselves.

As deeply divided as Americans are now on political issues, Bernie Sanders is having the unique effect of being even more polarizing to some voters while also attracting others who wouldn't normally touch someone so fiscally liberal. His populist message is resonating very strongly with people who are tired of a country where working people still struggle to make ends meet, but also with opponents of crony capitalism across the political spectrum.

Perhaps one of the least thought out and most tired observations made with respect to the Syrian refugees arriving in Europe is that they have smartphones and tablets. The implication being that if these people can afford to buy smartphones and tablets, they do not need the help of western nations to survive.

Unfortunately, this sentiment misunderstands the Syrian refugee crisis, and indeed all refugee crises, to an alarming degree.

NAPA VALLEY, CALIF. - The Napa County Board of Supervisors will vote on an upcoming proposal to decide whether or not political party central committees will have to reimburse county election offices for conducting their elections.

The vote was tentatively scheduled for September 22, and now has been postponed pending county counsel’s direction.

"The medium is the message."

Of the countless theories, concepts, and aphorisms generated by academia within the last half-century, few have been as insightful or as influential as the notion that "the medium is the message." Coined by the Canadian intellectual Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) in the 1960s, this concept refers to the way that the content of any communication is largely shaped by the medium through which it is transmitted.

The first-ever Politicon is coming to the Los Angeles Convention Center on October 9 and 10.

Republican candidate Donald Trump announced he would hold a live Q&A session from the Twitter headquarters, inviting his millions of followers to take part using #AskTrump while he answered questions on video. The standard domestic and foreign policy questions came as expected, but even questions about football made the cut.

Here's the rundown:

There's an old story (probably an urban legend), about a farmer who gets knocked out in the pig pen, and while down and out, the pigs wind up devouring him in a crazed feeding frenzy.

In many ways, Scott Walker's exit on Monday has set off a similar political cannibalization -- he's down and out of the race, but he has plenty of really meaty assets and connections for the other contenders to gobble up.

First and foremost, Walker's bundlers really knew how to raise funds, creating a $20 million super PAC in just the first several months of 2015.

Social Security is the largest expense in the federal budget. Is it unreasonable for voters to expect candidates to know how the program works or the problems it faces?

Today, voters really don’t know.

It takes courage to be a police officer. A police officer puts their life on the line every day they clock in to work. The officers are given power and authority to complete their dangerous duties.

Occasionally, an officer bestowed with this power will abuse it. This can lead to false imprisonment, fines, and possibly death for an innocent citizen. If found guilty for this abuse of power, the officer could face the same penalties his victim faced.