“Disagreement is critical to the well-being of our nation. But we must carry on our arguments with the realization that those with whom we disagree are not our enemies; rather, they are our colleagues in a great enterprise. When we respect each other enough to respond carefully to argument, we are filling roles necessary in a republic.”—Judge Thomas B. Griffith, “The Work of Civility."

Human beings are really good at fighting with enemies.

In one corner, there’s the “irresistible force” that is independent expenditures. In NY Progress and Protection PAC (NYPPP) v.

“I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.”― Oliver Cromwell

Socialism. Communism. Few words are more misunderstood, mistreated, and mysterious in American politics.

Mandela was born in July 1918. While living in Johannesburg later, he became involved in anti-colonial politics.

In 1948, the government began implementing the policy of apartheid, which he would be a voice against. Although he was a man of non-violence, he co-founded the militant organization, Umkhonto we Sizwe, in 1961.

The First Amendment protects one's right to free speech, the value of which was enshrined by John Stuart Mill in his 19th century classic, On Liberty:

Fundraising is the backbone of political campaigns. Without the money coming in, candidates are limited to what they can afford and not everyone has pockets like Michael Bloomberg.

Ironically, political parties themselves are private organizations, separate from the candidates they are affiliated with. The money they use for conventions, elections, and their overhead, or housekeeping purposes, are subsidized by the taxpayers. This creates problems with corruption and campaign finance laws, especially during perpetual election cycles.

In April 2013, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) issued Statement No.