In the end, polls leading up to the New Hampshire primary vote showing a double-digit lead for Democratic Senator Barack Obama were wrong -- and Senator Hillary Clinton scored an upset victory -- once again tossing the (new) conventional wisdom out the window and creating a new political dynamic. And so the stage is set for a battle royal -- one likely to go the … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton Wins New Hampshire Democratic Primary
Did Independents Voting For McCain Hurt Obama And Help Clinton?
The political nail-biter continues in New Hampshire, where primary votes so far show New York Senator Hillary Clinton holding a slim but persistent lead against Senator Barack Obama, whose victory in the Iowa caucuses last week led to an explosion of Obama-mania in not just the media -- but in pre-New Hampshire opinion polls as well. Part of the pre-vote conventional wisdom … [Read more...] about Did Independents Voting For McCain Hurt Obama And Help Clinton?
TDL Primary Blogging
I wrote three relatively brief posts so far on the New Hampshire primaries, which I didn't put up over here. Wasn't Obama supposed to have a bounce or something? Then why is he locked in a dogfight with Hillary Clinton (and losing it)? Meanwhile, aside from pulling for Obama, I'm rooting for Ron Paul to beat Rudy Giuliani for fourth place on sheer humiliation … [Read more...] about TDL Primary Blogging
Climate Change Should Be In The Primaries
Climate change has slipped off the radar of both Democrats and Republicans as they enter the Primaries and election year 2008. Al Gore’s tirade against Bush may have delighted delegates at last December’s Climate Conference in Bali, Indonesia, but had little concrete impact on the politics of the US elections. How we treat Mother Earth, on whose health all of us depend for … [Read more...] about Climate Change Should Be In The Primaries
BUSHarraf Responsible for Extremism in Pakistan
In a brief departure from its coverage of the U.S. elections, Watching America is featuring a story from El Salvador about the rise of extremism in Pakistan, relating it firmly to U.S. support of the Musharraf regime. The president Musharraf appears at the moment to feel secure, at least in the strict political sense, since as we have seen, another attack on his life … [Read more...] about BUSHarraf Responsible for Extremism in Pakistan
McCain Projected GOP Winner But Democrats Too Close To Call In New Hampshire
Early returns from New Hampshire put Republican Senator John McCain ahead in the Republican Presidential nomination race -- while the Democratic Party's race is too close to call. The question thus becomes: will pollsters be red-faced tomorrow -- and the conventional wisdom be changed again? The reason: rather than showing a massive blowout for Senator Barack Obama on the … [Read more...] about McCain Projected GOP Winner But Democrats Too Close To Call In New Hampshire
Massive Turnout In New Hampshire Primary
New Hampshire voters are reportedly flocking to the ballot boxes in such record numbers today that they're running out of ballots -- amid signs that many independent voters were opting to vote in the Democratic race. That's likely to mean another big win for Democratic Senator Barack Obama and another loss for longtime front-runner Senator Hillary Clinton. The other … [Read more...] about Massive Turnout In New Hampshire Primary
Bill Clinton Accuses Press Of Helping Create Obama “Fantasy”
We've said it before and we'll say it again: when the history of Senator Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign is written, it will be said that the biggest mistake was letting her husband Bill retake center stage. Now he's seemingly fanning the flames of growing tensions between the Clinton camp and the press. This is not the sign of a campaign that is on the ascent or of … [Read more...] about Bill Clinton Accuses Press Of Helping Create Obama “Fantasy”
A Political Communications Professor Blogs from NH
A local professor has been making observations on the ground in New Hampshire. Northern Kentucky University communications professor Dr. Cady Short-Thompson is in New Hampshire as part of a once-every-four-years academic project. She is filing her impressions of the presidential primary campaigns. Report from New Hampshire BY DR. CADY SHORT-THOMPSON | … [Read more...] about A Political Communications Professor Blogs from NH
Truth Squad Avengers!
Cross-Posted to The Debate Link Over at The Plank, Michelle Cottle reports that John McCain is establishing a "truth squad" specifically to counter negative attacks in South Carolina. Can't say I blame him. Say what you will about McCain, but he was brutally smeared in South Carolina 2000, the worst being "Black baby" calls (McCain has an adopted child from Bangladesh, … [Read more...] about Truth Squad Avengers!
Huckabee’s Catholic Problem
Cross-posted to The Debate Link I've always kind of assumed the deep divisions between (conservative) American Catholics and Evangelicals had mostly healed by now. But maybe that's due to my stance as an outsider: as a liberal Jew, it's difficult for me to differentiate between various conservative Christian sects from each other. This also might lead me to pervasively … [Read more...] about Huckabee’s Catholic Problem
You Can’t Divorce the President
THINK, People! This is not supposed to be romantic. We are not electing a handsome President to take us on dates and haunt our dreams but rather a sober Chief Executive to make decisions affecting our personal and national future for decades to come. I want maturity and experience, not youth and beauty! If we elect the political equivalent of a White Knight or a Beauty … [Read more...] about You Can’t Divorce the President
Obama’s Kennedy Connection
There were echoes in his Iowa victory speech Thursday night that may come from the influence on Barack Obama of the man who worked with JFK on "Profiles in Courage" and his Inaugural Address in 1960. At 79, Ted Sorensen has been out on the campaign trail, introducing Obama and comparing him to the President he served almost half a century ago. "Obama is older than Kennedy … [Read more...] about Obama’s Kennedy Connection
Realism Gone Awry
Hidden deep in this week's NYT article, "In Global Battle on AIDS, Bush Creates Legacy," I noticed this paragraph: Colin L. Powell, then the new secretary of state, was deeply troubled by demographics showing that in some African nations, AIDS threatened to wipe out the entire child-bearing population - a condition that could create instability, and a climate ripe for … [Read more...] about Realism Gone Awry
Bad Signs Pile Up For Bill And Hillary Clinton In New Hampshire And Beyond
Who would have ever thought that students would walk out on former President Bill Clinton? Who would have thought that Senators and even some unions backing Senator Hillary Clinton would think out loud (to reporters) about jumping ship? But it's happening. The signs are piling up that Hillary Clinton's campaign is not just in big trouble in New Hampshire, but that if she … [Read more...] about Bad Signs Pile Up For Bill And Hillary Clinton In New Hampshire And Beyond
Zogby Poll: Comfortable New Hampshire Primary Leads For Obama And McCain
The latest Zogby tracking poll indicates the headline coming out of the today's New Hampshire primary could again be voters thirsting for change giving Democratic Senator Barack Obama a whopping victory margin -- and a comeback by Republican Senator John McCain: The big momentum behind Democrat Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois who is seeking his party’s presidential … [Read more...] about Zogby Poll: Comfortable New Hampshire Primary Leads For Obama And McCain
Bill Graham: An Appreciation
Picking the Winners
Following up on my Iowa picks last week in a limited office poll, here's what I submitted today for the top three finishers in NH -- plus, my guesses on the approximate percentage of votes they'll each receive. (With some NH areas already voting, I probably should have submitted my guesses last night, but so it goes.) DEMOCRATS 1. Obama 39% 2. Clinton 30% 3. … [Read more...] about Picking the Winners
Along the Path to Reducing Polarization
Along the path to heal Polarization is reform of Campaign finance and adjusting the legal rights of Corporations and other legal entities. I found these following astute comments at the progressive blog Alternet in response to an article by Nick Nyart of Public Campaign, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to reform that aims to dramatically reduce the role of … [Read more...] about Along the Path to Reducing Polarization
Why It’s Suddenly Okay For the World To Feel Good About the U.S. Again
Howard thanked for visiting "Austrian" troops in Iraq I covered eight presidential campaigns as a reporter and editor and am now involved in yet another as a blogger, but I have never seen a global explosion of enthusiasm for a candidate like that for Barack Obama since his Iowa caucus victory. That groundswell continues to grow as polls show that he may hand Hillary Clinton … [Read more...] about Why It’s Suddenly Okay For the World To Feel Good About the U.S. Again