recent data. But what's the appeal of a candidate who -- most likely -- will not actually win the race?

Political scientists and party pollsters run with a common narrative: Independent voters are a myth.

"We think of them as closet partisans who act in almost indistinguishable ways to those who identify as partisans," Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist at Dartmouth explains in a recent National Journal article.

Concerns about rising tuition and how students can afford to finance their major investments in post-secondary education are widespread. Solid insights into these questions require accurate and up-to-date information about prices.

While discussion of the government shutdown has shifted to a conversation about the economic implications, John Wildermuth, a longtime writer on California politics, discusses the impact on California lawmakers in respect to the state's new nonpartisan primary system on Fox&Hounds Daily Blog:

"For those folks still saying California’s primary election changes aren’t doing a thing, take a look at the House vote to end the government shutdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW9qW-7WETo

But, what about the military? How does the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known colloquially as Obamacare, affect military members and their families who have Tricare, the military's health insurance program?

In short, the vast majority of active duty military families will see no change to their coverage as a result of Obamacare. However, there are nuances and exceptions to everything.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its jobs report Tuesday indicating the economic recovery is continuing at a snail's pace. When compared with other contemporary recessions, including those from '01, '91, and '81, the Great Recession remains unparalleled. Likewise, recovery in each of the earlier recessions picked up considerably two years following peak unemployment.