If President Obama behavior on the issue of Social Security and his willingness to offer up cuts to Social Security as part of a deficit deal left any doubt about his personal intentions for the program, last night’s debate should put those doubts to bed. One of the most telling moments regarding what Obama’s second [...]

The beginning of the 20th century saw Populists, Progressives, and citizen reformers using the three main forms of large scale direct democracy — recalls, ballot initiatives and referendums — to address systematic problems with the status quo power structure in this country and expand political accountability. After World War II, the use of citizen initiatives [...]