What a change from the heady days of fall 2011, when the "occupying" in OWS was in full bloom. It cannot be, I would think, that their raison d'être has disappeared.

Perhaps the greatest success of the bank lobby has been its success in pitting the right and the left against each other to undermine a broader understanding that the status quo is neither in the public interest nor necessary for an effective financial system.

From the look of things, entering its "terrible twos," OWS is still working through a learning curve on this. If it doesn't manage to find common ground with other activists, this may be a cautionary tale for protests groups in the U.S. and throughout the world.

Maybe understanding the historic events and behavioral roots that have produced these venomously angry polarized times can help us let go of at least a little of our own deep instinct to align with the tribe in the name of safety and protection.

Our analysis of a representative survey of Occupy activists and supporters suggest that the political transformation that Occupy engendered among those who gravitated to Zuccotti Park and its counterparts around the country will continue to reverberate for many years to come.

No one doubts that social networking produces results in politics, from the Arab Spring to the 2012 election, where President Obama's ground game made the difference. It could change everything, but the way forward is far from clear. What's at stake is huge.

The real measure of the radicalism of Les Miserables is not in the character of the heroes or the evils visited upon them, but in that of the movie's villain, Inspector Javert. 

Why has the Libertarian Party -- and more importantly, the much broadly based new liberty movement -- failed to make a significant electoral impact, despite its recent tailwinds?