Arizona’s politics is so divisive that families tiptoe around the subject until they barely speak, old friends don’t connect because discussing what is going on in the world is off the table for comment, neighbors are careful not to say the word Republican or Democrat, and new acquaintances are welcome if they have your same political philosophy.

There are as many reasons to run for public office as there are candidates. Many are motivated by a particular issue or philosophy, which they emphasize in their election campaign. They tell us what they will do.  Too often overlooked, ...

TUCSON ai??i?? When Sandra Day O'Connor was a member of the Arizona Senate in the 1970s and needed to get business done, she would bring folks from both sides of the aisle to the adobe house she and her husband built, serve Mexican food and beer and work things out, civilly. Sadly, politicians in Arizona and the U.S. are struggling with the concept of civil discussion ai??i?? unfortunate, because civil discussion leads to "good civic action," O'Connor said July 19 at the YWCA Tucson.