Because the Democratic Party's Iowa Caucus website breaks down results in absurd amounts of detail (and is updated literally by the minute), I'm going to track the voting around four small liberal arts colleges (I don't do the big ones because they're in big cities and it's impossible to figure out which precincts actually contain the schools). I don't pretend that this … [Read more...] about Student Caucusers
Give Me Numbers!
It's a testament to how poll-starved I am that I can panic from seeing early numbers putting the Democratic order as Clinton/Edwards/Obama (with Obama lagging significantly) -- numbers gathered from seven of 1781 precincts. I know in my heart that this is utterly meaningless, but yet I still feel dread. Cf. Jay Carney. … [Read more...] about Give Me Numbers!
Persuader Blizzard Hits Iowa; NH Next
How timely, that the Sunday before the Iowa caucus, The New York Times would publish an essay about Vance Packard's "The Hidden Persuaders." "Persuaders" was Packard's book, published in 1957, that became a best-seller for, in essayist Mark Greif's words, "exposing the secret world of advertising and brands." In this world, media experts, beyond the public's knowledge, … [Read more...] about Persuader Blizzard Hits Iowa; NH Next
It’s Still Premature to Declare U.S. Policy on Pakistan Bankrupt, But …
Does the assassination of Benazir Bhutto signal the collapse of American policy in the region? According to the editorial board of the NRC Handelsblad of The Netherlands, not quite ... "... the assassination of Bhutto is an unprecedented setback for the United States. If Pakistan with its fifty warheads crumbles, the entire region around the only Islamic nuclear power runs the … [Read more...] about It’s Still Premature to Declare U.S. Policy on Pakistan Bankrupt, But …
Mike Huckabee, Ads, Picket Lines: Cunning Like A Frog? Innocent Like A Mouse? A Lost Story
I come from a long line of old country storytellers; the Magyarok and the meztisos call us, taltos or cantadoras... In our ethnic family, there's an old, old story told by our grandmothers about the old bullfrog who tries to fool others into thinking he is naive instead of cunning and deliberate... "Once there was a large old bullfrog, all spotted with bald forehead and … [Read more...] about Mike Huckabee, Ads, Picket Lines: Cunning Like A Frog? Innocent Like A Mouse? A Lost Story
A Centrist Agenda
In anticipation of the Centrist meeting in Oklahoma this weekend Mort Kondracke offers up an agenda in Moderate Graybeards Need a Top 10 Agenda. Here's One This is a domestic policy list. The graybeards might also want to recommend a new American foreign policy that would include a bigger active-duty military trained for "nation building" and counter-insurgency, … [Read more...] about A Centrist Agenda
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Two Articles Today
ALL EYES ON THE HAWKEYE STATE But should we be watching so early and closely? ROOTED IN "HOPE" Bill Clinton and Mike Huckabee … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Two Articles Today
Puerto Rico Must Declare Independence to Restore Spanish to its Rightful Place
Is the over-dependence on the use of English hampering Puerto Rico economically and socially? According to this op-ed article from Argentina's Argenpress, Puerto Rico must have its national sovereignty, not only to correct cultural and historical wrongs committed by the 'United States Empire,' but to revert to Spanish simply to do business with the growing number of other … [Read more...] about Puerto Rico Must Declare Independence to Restore Spanish to its Rightful Place
The Ethnic Dimension of Kenya’s Conflict
The international media has been quick to portray the recent violence in Kenya as an ethnic dispute. But is it really? David Dryer argues that the situation is being misread. … [Read more...] about The Ethnic Dimension of Kenya’s Conflict
Final Iowa Polls: Contradictory But Ron Paul Could Hit Double Digits
As Iowans vote in the Iowa caucuses today, final polling shows contradictions and something that could generate a lot of media buzz: in one poll Rep. Ron Paul is breaking into the double digits. Reuters/C–SPAN/Zogby: Democrat Barack Obama continued his upward momentum through the evening before the Iowa caucuses, capturing the lead ahead of rivals John Edwards and … [Read more...] about Final Iowa Polls: Contradictory But Ron Paul Could Hit Double Digits
Netscape: How The Mighty Have Fallen
When I bought my first notebook computer in 1995, an unwieldy Compac that weighed a ton, had limited memory and the speed of a tortoise, it was pre-loaded with Windows 95 and Netscape Navigator 2.0, the inaugural version of what would quickly become the first widely used Web browser. Not that I had any choice. The release of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser was still a … [Read more...] about Netscape: How The Mighty Have Fallen
Iowa Caucuses & Predictions
The media is revelling in predictions about the US presidential hopefuls who would make it to the hustings. Among others, I enjoyed reading the Rolling Stone's forecast: "The smart money — not to mention the latest polls — gives an edge to Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee in tonight’s Iowa caucuses. "But take a couple hundred thousand Midwesterners, pack them into gyms and … [Read more...] about Iowa Caucuses & Predictions
Joe Biden’s Last Hurrah
An accumulation of small signs suggest a strong third or fourth place finish in Iowa today for Joe Biden to keep his candidacy alive. If not, it's over. County leaders and mayors have been endorsing him, and, perhaps sobered by the death of Benazir Bhutto, crowds have been coming out to hear what he has to say about Pakistan and other worrisome parts of the world as chairman … [Read more...] about Joe Biden’s Last Hurrah
CIA Tapes & Doing The Right Thing
"Doing the right thing" is the universal wrench of politics and governance. This is because what constitutes the right thing has more to do with how a pol or public official adjusts the wrench to fit their circumstances -- which is to say survive with arms and legs intact if not win points -- than the moral high ground. That so noted, the news that Attorney General Michael … [Read more...] about CIA Tapes & Doing The Right Thing
Overlooked but Not Forgotten
In the hooplah surrounding today's caucuses in Iowa and the anticipation of New Hampshire's primaries next Tuesday, here's a calendar entry that will probably be overlooked by many: tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Orphan Drug Act (ODA). Who cares? Well, our family does, along with millions of others. We care because we all know someone who lives … [Read more...] about Overlooked but Not Forgotten
US Presidential Marathon Begins: ‘World is Watching’
I wrote in an earlier post that although the people in the world were eager to follow the US presidential election 2008, they find it difficult to wade through the flood of material being churned out in the media and make some sense out of it. Many people still turn to the British media for help. For example...The Independent has two stories today that clarify many issues. … [Read more...] about US Presidential Marathon Begins: ‘World is Watching’
The Old Mine Road Shootout (A Post That Has Nothing To Do With Iowa)
Nobody knows how old the narrow road paralleling the banks of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey known as Old Mine Road might be. It was an Indian path before white settlers arrived in the late 17th century. The 40-mile-long New Jersey portion of the road is little changed since Dutch miners used it to transport iron ore from the Catskills in upstate New York to … [Read more...] about The Old Mine Road Shootout (A Post That Has Nothing To Do With Iowa)
My American Historian ‘Guru’…& the US Presidential Election
As polling begins in the US presidential marathon, a race described as "the most expensive, unpredictable and crucial in modern US history", I am reminded of my memorable few days of intense interaction in the mid-1960s with a wonderful American historian at the Delhi University where I was studying political science. James MacGregor Burns kindled in me an abiding interest in … [Read more...] about My American Historian ‘Guru’…& the US Presidential Election
Iowa Caucuses Vote: Toss Up Amid Conficting Reports And Defeat Spin Preparation
The long awaited Iowa caucuses take place today in an atmosphere of political uncertainty greater than in many past years -- amid conflicting reports, see-saw polls and signs that at least one campaign is already working on its spin to explain its candidate's anticipated defeat. And, when it's over, it begins an official month of mega-politicking ending Super Tuesday … [Read more...] about Iowa Caucuses Vote: Toss Up Amid Conficting Reports And Defeat Spin Preparation
Guest Voice – Wanted: Viable Third Party Presidential Candidate
Here's a special original Guest Voice commentary by TMV's favorite poet, Michael Silverstein, aka Wall Street Poet. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Moderate Voice or its writers. Wanted: Viable Third Party Presidential Candidate By Michael Silverstein Wanted: Viable third party candidate for the 2008 presidential race. Excellent … [Read more...] about Guest Voice – Wanted: Viable Third Party Presidential Candidate