As in nature, politics abhors a vacuum. Without a strong voice for more moderate leadership, the Tea Party is filling that vacuum.

I've spent the better part of my career in politics and public policy working on and fighting for education reforms.

Elections are about the future. And the GOP will not win a campaign focused on the past.

There's no question that many factors contribute to voters' perceptions about debates and who wins and who loses.

Presidents should do whatever possible and practical to encourage an environment of cooperation and bipartisanship. And they should maintain a certain level of decorum, diplomacy and decency. But, at the end of the day, presidents get elected to enact change.

Limited government, low taxes, controlled spending and debt, and a restrained regulatory environment make Texas work.

Mention the name George W. Bush in mixed company, and you're likely to spark a lot of debate and emotion - hot and cold, good and bad. Not a lot of neutral reaction. He was elected in the most controversial contest in American electoral history and governed during one of the most tumultuous decades.