From RAND Review, a special issue on politics and government in the United States. From The Atlantic Monthly, Mariah Blake on the Ballot Cops: A controversial new organization is building a nationwide army to root out voter fraud — or suppress voter turnout; Robert Draper on the League of Dangerous Mapmakers: How a few determined partisans rig Congress; and James Bennett on the new price of American politics: Citizens United has changed our democracy — will it lead to a populist awakening or a corporate recapturing of U.S. elections? Eric Patashnik on why government fails to adopt painless solutions to the nation’s problems. Alan Suderman on how the worst-kept secret in D.C. contracting is how easy it is to game the system. From TED, Clay Shirky on how the Internet will transform government (eventually). William Murchison reviews Government Bullies: How Everyday Americans Are Being Harassed, Abused, and Imprisoned by the Feds by Rand Paul. Because they can: Michael Levy on why politicians lie. Kevin Carson on the joke of democratic accountability. In a world that glorifies extroverts, let’s hear it for the quiet man.
