Source Weekly

I had a decision to make. I’d been in Tampa for all of 15 minutes, and I was already late for something, anything, everything—a white rabbit with OCD, searching for Mad Hatters.
Of course, I knew that the real Republican National Convention would occur far from the klieg lights and sound bites of primetime. It’d be found in closed-door meetings, invitation-only events and the visceral experience of witnessing the awkward, painful birth of history in the making.
The week before the RNC began, that manifested itself in the creation of the official GOP platform. According to a Washington Post account, proposed initiatives included returning to the gold standard, safeguarding against Sharia law, loosening gun regulations, building a new border fence and excluding female soldiers from combat duty.

A lot of people believe that we’re at a pivotal time in our political history. We’re inclined to agree. It seems that Americans are drifting to opposite poles both politically and socially. For that reason, it’s crucial that voters know who they are sending to city hall, the statehouse and the White House. The problem, of course, is that even as it appears we are more polarized, it’s harder and harder to know just what candidates stand for on either side of aisle. Between scripted debates, focus group-tested talking points and “fair and balanced” reporting, it’s hard to cut through all the bullshit.