The 20D vote has thus opened the door to no less than three extremely complex and uncertain scenarios. The only certainty about this election is that the country broke with its past.

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Why can't we just admit that BB-8 is adorable, Finn is hilarious, Rey is badass, seeing Han and Chewie again was awesome, the special effects were tremendous, Poe is Soloesque, Kylo Ren is intriguing -- and this movie makes absolutely no sense whatsoever?

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As a member of Congress and the head of a social security advocacy group, we believe that it's time to take action to ensure that seniors, veterans, workers who have been forced to stop work as the result of serious and permanent disabilities, and others receive a badly needed raise.

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Just when I thought that one day, as a person with a vagina, I may (hypothetically-speaking), be able to become president... there was Saturday night's Democratic debate on ABC.

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One thing is clear, the force is definitely woke.

Paul Brandeis Raushenbush

Walter, I pray that on this Christmas and every Christmas for as long as you shall live that you will remember and know how much your parents love you. May the birth of Jesus be a reminder that your life is precious.

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The big news today was that Senator Lindsey Graham has decided to drop out of the presidential nomination race. But recently, what has surprised me even more, is one Hillary Clinton quote in particular about the Middle East that hasn't gotten any media attention at all.

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Bernie Sanders successfully differentiated himself between Clinton's hawkish foreign policy and failures. Sanders is indeed the true front runner, and wins in Iowa and New Hampshire will undermine the groupthink that has so many pundits and observers worshiping at the altar of ever-changing polls.

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Liberals from other nations will continue to lobby Washington to advance their home countries' interests. No surprise there. But they shouldn't complain if American liberals choose priceless domestic peace and prosperity over costly international charity and conflict.

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Place your "innovation team" outside the mothership, far away from the hordes that will tell them how "crazy" their ideas are. True innovation is massively disruptive and the average employee hates disruptive change.

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If Hillary becomes the nominee, as seems likely, young women will come out and vote for her. If she can take steps to remind young women that feminism is far from over, and that she understands the world differently because she is a woman, they may be even more likely to support her.

Mark Myers

Christmas is like a tumbler full of mirth at its finest. When family and friends come home to celebrate the cheer of the season, you drink to your heart's content and are filled by its warming sway. When you are hurting, the tumbler has a jagged edge.

Little noticed in the deal that Congress approved Friday is the fact that the anti-abortion lobby got wiped out. The deal included no provisions cutting funding for Planned Parenthood -- an issue on which Republicans have been prepared to shut down the government in past budget fights.

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This new law can create positive change. States will now take the lead on accountability, interventions and teacher evaluation systems. While some states will mess up, we hope most will learn from the failures of NCLB and give teachers and schools the latitude and support to deeply engage students and to focus on the whole child.

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What this "debate" has revealed, in fact, is a mainstream policing mindset ready to manufacture fear without evidence and promote the belief that American civil rights and liberties are actually an impediment to public safety.

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December is prime time for year-end lists. They're an easy way to reflect on the past year, but lives aren't on the line when it comes to the top 10 albums of 2015, or the year's best-selling books. But there is one year-end list that can hold lives in the balance -- animals' lives.

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Republicans are trying to whip people into a frenzy, then convince them that only by taking extreme steps can their government keep them "safe." And, of course, only Republicans have the you-know-whats to take those extreme steps because "political correctness," blah, blah, blah.

Kat Kinsman

There, just inside, is my mother -- or at least what's left of her. Today, I do not know who is in there. But I am damned if I am going to speak to her like the aged infant she appears to be. She deserves the dignity of being someone's mother and for this small while, I allow myself the indulgence of being her child.

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The president has the power to destroy the world. And the 2016 candidates -- Democratic and Republican -- have barely been asked about how they approach that terrible responsibility. Nuclear weapons are more dangerous than ISIS will ever be. They deserve a more serious debate.

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Democrats are split.One camp believes everything is okay, at least in presidential years, because the demographic trends favor us and because the Republicans are so damn good at alienating people. Another camp thinks we need to panic because the numbers of Democratic elected officials are so low and Hillary has weaknesses as a candidate.

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After the implosion of the two old parties and the electoral success of the two new parties
last night, Iglesias declared that a new Spain is born. He might be right, but for now, that new Spain does not look much like Greece.

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I am so sick of being told how our generation is such a pain in the ass. You know what's really a pain in the ass? Practically owing my first born (and their first born) to Sallie Mae for my student loans.

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What she has demonstrated in the current election cycle is an even higher degree of fluidity in this most singular of political communication formats. Her performance in Saturday night's debate in New Hampshire should give pause to her would-be Republican rivals. This is a woman who knows how to debate.

The pursuit of the Republican presidential nomination requires appeal to an extreme right wing base that sees the world differently than the majority of Americans. This is particularly true on issues like immigration and the environment.

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Celebrate as you will -- Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, something else or nothing at all. But to paraphrase Bernie Sanders, "enough with your damn war on Christmas." Can we just have some peace on earth and lay this phony war to rest in peace?

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Political discourse in the U.S. between those on the right and those on the left seems to be increasingly unproductive. And if the subject is something as volatile as gun control, constructive communication may feel impossible. But there's no reason to let it ruin your holiday dinner.

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We are running around looking for new information because we are trying to convince ourselves that we don't know enough right now to accomplish what we want. But before we can make positive changes, we need to feel positive about ourselves.

A campaign to honor the struggle to end slavery in the United States is an excellent social studies project to engage students as active citizens responding to racism and in shaping the future the United States.

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Stopping the investment of public tax dollars on fossil fuel subsidies is one of the first steps the U.S. needs to make in its green transition. When ExxonMobil is reporting $8.8 billion in quarterly profits, they can afford to take the hit.