From Democracy, Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein on the election and the future: Politicians won’t change until they’re forced to — only a more demanding electorate and more responsible elites can compel them; and Kent Greenfield on how changing corporations, not the Constitution, is the key to a fairer post-Citizens United world. A book salon on Billionaires and Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps by Greg Palast and Ted Rall. Remember all the famous moments in past debates that changed the outcome of those elections? Well, they didn’t. From The New Yorker, Jill Lepore on the birth of the modern campaign; and James Surowiecki on victory-lab on how to run for President. Richard McGregor goes inside Obama’s HQ: The “big data” push to keep the President in power uses technology to micro-target voters like never before. Despite George W. Bush's absence from the 2012 Republican National Convention, he still influences today's GOP ticket. Peter Beinart on the Ghost of George W. Bush: Why Dubya will decide the winner this fall. From Vanity Fair, Michael Lewis on Obama’s Way (and more). The Tragedy of Barack Obama: Michael Knox Beran on how he fell into the tragic error he once deplored. Why experts say Obama’s in for a rough four years — even if he wins big.
