If we lend credence to recent polls then voters in New York are set to punish one of the most dysfunctional state legislatures in the nation. September 14 is the first shot the electorate gets to settle the score with those that shamed us by turning Albany into a circus. ...

There is an element of ahistoricism in the idea that American politics is uniquely “broken” today. The forward-looking essence to the American spirit discourages the near-obsessive focus on past slights and failures that can hobble a culture. However, it also encourages a sense that what is striking or disturbing is ...

There is an element of ahistoricism in the idea that American politics is uniquely “broken” today. The forward-looking essence to the American spirit discourages the near-obsessive focus on past slights and failures that can hobble a culture. However, it also encourages a sense that what is striking or disturbing is ...

If we lend credence to recent polls then voters in New York are set to punish one of the most dysfunctional state legislatures in the nation. September 14 is the first shot the electorate gets to settle the score with those that shamed us by turning Albany into a circus. ...

I tried to bid an official farewell to summer with a dip in the waters at my favorite spot off the Jersey Shore (the place, not the TV show), but swimming was restricted, such were the riptide conditions left over from the hurricane that just skidded past us a few ...

I tried to bid an official farewell to summer with a dip in the waters at my favorite spot off the Jersey Shore (the place, not the TV show), but swimming was restricted, such were the riptide conditions left over from the hurricane that just skidded past us a few ...

With less than a week to go, polls indicate most Democratic voters couldn't pick one of the five contenders for Attorney General out of a line-up. The airwaves are jammed with AG wannabe TV ads and the candidates are all beating the bushes to produce yet another marquee endorsement.

With less than a week to go, polls indicate most Democratic voters couldn't pick one of the five contenders for Attorney General out of a line-up. The airwaves are jammed with AG wannabe TV ads and the candidates are all beating the bushes to produce yet another marquee endorsement.

I think what’s broken is the failure of anybody to communicate in a civil way. When I was in the Senate and the House of Representatives, there were huge differences of opinions between Republicans and Democrats. Nevertheless, the fact is those differences occurred on about ten percent of the issues. ...

I think what’s broken is the failure of anybody to communicate in a civil way. When I was in the Senate and the House of Representatives, there were huge differences of opinions between Republicans and Democrats. Nevertheless, the fact is those differences occurred on about ten percent of the issues. ...

The debate over the role of charter schools in education reform isn’t just academic. New York’s decision to allow more charter schools played a critical role in the state winning its $700 million federal Race to the Top award. Now, charters have become a political issue in a Harlem State ...

As voters size up their picks this midterm election, they might wonder just where is "the change we can believe in?" If the reordering of national priorities that President Obama and the Democrats promised in 2008 has occurred, there is little sign of it in the lives of the middle ...

When voters go to the primary polls on Tuesday, they will use New York's new paper ballots for the first time. WNYC's Brian Lehrer and Azi Paybarah recently took the new ballot for a test drive.

I began losing faith in the institution of government in the late 1990's. I had high hopes when the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years, but then they settled into the swamp they swore to drain.