Contrary to proclamations about "fake news," more Americans believe the government, tech industry leaders and even religious leaders act unethically most or some of the time more than journalists do. That's the latest finding from Pew Research Center's ongoing tracking of Americans' sentiment about a variety of civics matters.

Here's my suggestion. Instead of sending mixed signals -- and risk going "negative" -- why don't all of the Democratic candidates pool their media dollars and messaging to convey a unified front on all the key issues and save the debates for, well, the debates.

Imagine if at the height of his scandal Richard Nixon cashed in by selling bookings to the Watergate Hotel? Well, that's exactly what the current resident of the White House is doing, in what likely is the most blatant example of crass Presidential campaign commercialization to date.

Like others, I assumed the current administration would bungle us into some kind of war by now, I just didn't know it would be a trade war. Politics aside, this war is threatening economies, both macro and, as far as Madison Avenue is concerned, micro ones too.