By U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, Penny and Bill George, Tom Horner, Peter Hutchinson and Karla Ekdahl in the Star Tribune.  Opinion editor’s note: This article was submitted on behalf of several Minnesotans who are active in state and national politics. They are listed...

Lee Drutman in the New York Times As impeachment mania grips Washington, it is easy to descend into an ever-deepening political pessimism. But as odd as it may seem, for the first time in years, I’m optimistic about the future of American democracy. It might be...

Jeanne Massey in MinnPost Our current state of extreme divisiveness didn’t start under the current presidency, but it has certainly intensified. The accelerating polarization we are experiencing is not just something we feel and believe to be true; the data show that...

Lori Sturdevant in the Star Tribune With no real hope of winning, third-party presidential candidates serve as spoilers. They thwart majority rule, undermine the winner’s legitimacy and risk an undesirable outcome. Even when they bring worthy issues to the fore (see...

Review of Larry Diamond's Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency in the New York Times. China today holds as many as a million Uighurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in “political education” camps. Across China,...