All eyes are on Denver and whether the Democratic party will unify around Barack Obama, healing rifts that remain from the protracted primary fight. But the focus should be on unity of values and purpose, not just candidacy. By now, we all know American voters want change. But what do...

I have to confess I've never really cared about the Olympics. Since I'm not much for sports or raw nationalism, the fusion of the two doesn't really get me up in the morning. But I will tune in tonight to watch Lopez Lamong -- Sudanese "Lost Boy" turned US track...

Today's American young people feel a deep connection to people in Tibet and Darfur, want to hold corporations accountable to environmental standards and worker justice, and value the role of government in meeting our shared needs. Yet the Internet tools that help Millennials appreciate our interconnectedness may actually erode the...

To: Our Next President
From: Postville, Iowa
Date: June 12, 2008
Re: Do Something!

Postville, Iowa, is as American as it gets. Originally inhabited by American Indians, like most of the nation, Postville became a town in the mid-1800s when a half-way house was established...

From the superdelegate process to the farm bill to the recent raid on immigrants in Postville, Iowa, elitism is rearing its nipped-and-tucked head all across America.

How else can you explain anointing a handful of Democratic party officials to have more power in the nominating process than millions of average...

In the most famous passage in The Wealth of Nations, grandfather of capitalism Adam Smith wrote:

Every individual...generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry he intends only his...

When I hear the word "raid" these days, the first thing I think of us the war in Iraq. Something like, "US Forces Raid Shi'ite Stronghold of Sadr City." I have images of American forces going home by home, banging down the doors, threatening anyone they find...

The first thing I noticed about Juan when I met him is his presence. For a young man, just graduated from high school -- that period when most of us were shy and awkward at best...

1. Wiretapping is bad.

2. Even ugly men with good looking partners cheat.

3. When the NY State minimum wage is $7.15 an hour and the average household income is around $20 an hour at best, but the finance titans behind the mortgage crisis...

It says something about the extremities of inequality in our world when rich people are now paying money to take tours of poor people. An article by Eric Weiner in the travel section of the Sunday New York Times highlights the growing business of "poorism" -- taking tour groups...

This year's most-honored films mostly are rather bleak. "If a movie-goer manages to see all the Oscar-nominated films, a generous dose of antidepressants will be in order," remarked Washington Post writer Robin Givhan.

With at least one survey finding 75 percent of Americans feeling that our country is on the...

I admit it's hard. Every day, several times per day, I stifle mean thoughts about passers-by. The S.U.V. driver taking up two lanes. The teenagers blocking the sidewalk. The person who keeps stealing my paper, who I've never even seen but bother to imagine just so I can be mad...

When I was a kid, my dad used to make a quarter appear behind my ear. He'd wave both his hands to distract me while, all along, the coin was hidden up his sleeve. That was the trick.

So the current attacks against immigrants in politics and the media feel...

Recently in the New York Times, Gloria Steinem argued that if Barack Obama was a woman, he wouldn't be elected. That's probably true. Ms. Steinem then concludes that gender "is probably the most restricting force in American life." That's definitely false. Or, rather, a false choice. The reality...

Recently in the New York Times, Gloria Steinem argued that if Barack Obama was a woman, he wouldn't be elected. That's probably true. Ms. Steinem then concludes that gender "is probably the most restricting force in American life." That's definitely false. Or, rather, a false choice. The reality...

A recent poll from the Des Moines Register found that many voters are still undecided as we approach the Iowa caucuses tomorrow evening. But on the issue of values, voters have already made up their minds. Community values are the top priority in this year's election.

Particularly among likely caucus...

I'm Jewish. In fact, following my first-ever full-blown Christmas with my partner's family, an aunt re-introduced me to a cousin saying, "You remember Sally. She was the token Jew at Christmas."

It was true. I'm outsider to the religious parts of the holiday. But I'm no stranger to...

It's rare that everyday Americans take center stage in the presidential election. News pundits and political consultants are more concerned with the sex lives of the candidates than the real stories and real issues of voters. But this election, everything will change. Real people and real issues will be front...

Ironically, the things that matter most to our country are not the things that matter most in politics today. Politics has become a playground for the wealthy elite, with lobbyists, corporate CEOs and big donors holding more sway than regular people. Meanwhile, in towns and cities across the United States,...

I wish that film and TV writers could care as much about solidarity and justice on screen as they care on the picket lines.

By going on strike, the stage and screen writers are participating in an American tradition of people joining...