"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.

The lawsuit that Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas filed against five makers of opioid painkillers was recently dismissed. This case is a great example of why local governments should not partner with private attorneys to sue businesses. We give governmental prosecutors great power because they can lock people up and because they represent us, the people. However, we also expect them to have a higher ethical duty – to try to be just and fair.

Money's significance in almost any political system can't be underestimated. Even before the days of the Athenian assembly, the wealthy have exerted significant, if not the most influence in the political process.

What a difference one election can make. In 2014, California experienced record low voter participation rates despite a gubernatorial election and several ballot measures. Voters just sat it out, tuned it out, or simply forgot it was happening.

NSA) data collection remains in limbo even as the legal landscape has changed and more private companies have been suspected of collecting data.