President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva easily won yesterday's run-off presidential election to secure a second term. He defeated Geraldo Alckmin. The results are here. Lula beat Alckmin 48.6% to 41.6% in the first round of voting on October 1. Since no candidate won an absolute majority of the vote (over 50%), a second round was held between the top two candidates. Lula beat … [Read more...] about Lula wins in Brazil

Can you guess who it is? Were you right? … [Read more...] about A New Website Is Up Trying To Draft A Famous GOPer For President

Is there a risk that media coverage of or about possible upcoming voting problems such as voting fraud and voting suppression can veer into the line of hysteria and even suppress the vote if the coverage comes in September or October? Are there dots that need to be connected in various instances of voter suppression and allegations of voting fraud? Which has shown to be the … [Read more...] about Voting Fraud And Voting Suppression

So how did Rush Limbaugh's comments about Michael J. Fox strike young Americans? Were they listening to the controversy and how did it strike them? Here's one You Tube take on it: And if you want to watch Michael J. Fox "fake it" some more, watch his interview on ABC News HERE. … [Read more...] about Young You Tubers On Rush Limbaugh Versus Michael J. Fox

If The Democrats Win There Is Likely To Be A Change In Iraq Policy, Right? Not necessarily, writes Steve Clemmons. He predicts that even if the Democrats take one or more houses of Congress and even if the bipartisan commission on Iraq headed by the first President Bush's Secretary of State James Baker suggests substantive policy changes it ain't necessarily gonna happen due … [Read more...] about Will Dick Cheney Be The Stumbling Block After The Elections?

The Moderate Voice occassionally runs Guest Voice posts from readers. This is by Kevin Anderson, a 23 year old college student in Ohio. By Kevin Anderson Barack Obama. Just uttering those two words, especially in Democratic Party circles, can get many hearts fluttering. And why not? His speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention was the stuff of rhetorical … [Read more...] about Guest Voice: The Case For Barack Obama In 2008

The Ripon Society has a fascinating — and timely — article written by Dr. William C. Binning, Chairman Youngstown State University's Political Science Department, that uses Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign stop in Ohio's Mahoning Valley as a springboard to specifically outline lessons present day Republicans running for election and re-election might … [Read more...] about What Present Republicans Can Learn From Ronald Reagan

This photo was taken at the height of the Palm Springs fire by teen photographer Greg P. … [Read more...] about Smoke From Big California Fire Colors The San Diego Skies

Most political observers caution that get-out-the-vote (GOTV) operations only count for about a point or two in the final tally of elections. But as this post by David Kowalski at MyDD reminds us, many of the races in 1994 were won by tiny margins. In fact, 25 of the 52 seats picked up by the Republicans were won by such a tiny margin that a COMBINED 25,000 votes going the … [Read more...] about Why GOTV matters

Reflections on the Cardin/Steele debate. … [Read more...] about Why It’s Great To Be From Maryland

Today's Foxtrot comic is a particularly good one. Foxtrot is rarely political, so this is a bit of a step out for them, but it makes a good point (and isn't particularly partisan). … [Read more...] about “Most People Don’t Care About This Stuff”

One of the most insightful books I ever read dealing with broad array of topics like terrorism, China and Africa Approximately one week ago I received a wonderful book: Why Geography Matters written by Dutch-American Harm de Blij. I started reading and had - and continue to have (haven't finished it yet) - great difficulty putting it down (which is quite problematic … [Read more...] about The Next Superpower: China

If Pennsylvania is any indication, GOPers during the last week of Campaign 2006 may want to change the course from talking about staying the course on the war in Iraq since a poll shows it has hurt Rick Santorum:As U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum makes fighting global terrorism his closing pitch of the campaign, the latest Temple/Inquirer Poll shows that growing doubts about the Iraq … [Read more...] about Poll Shows Rick Santorum Hurt By Pro-Iraq War Stand

Some newsmen don't let it slide. … [Read more...] about On Over The Line Political Ads

The L.A. Times reports that White House political guru Karl Rove is pursuing a three-pronged plan that he is confident will help the GOP hold onto power it can in Congress:As the midterm campaign enters the homestretch, the GOP congressional juggernaut that has dominated national politics for more than a decade may be over. Polls show Democrats extending their leads in pivotal … [Read more...] about Karl Rove’s 11th Hour Campaign Plan

Is it this? UPDATE: Or is it this? … [Read more...] about The October Surprise (UPDATED)

The Washington Post conducted a poll in Maryland. In short: It will be very, very blue:A strong Democratic tide in Maryland threatens to swamp Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s reelection bid and bolsters the party's efforts to retain control of an important U.S. Senate seat, according to a new Washington Post poll. Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D) held a 10 … [Read more...] about Polls in Maryland

you're the weakest link... goodbye Jules Crittenden joins the conservatives calling for Rumsfeld and Cheney to resign. Personally, I don't see how these two, albeit especially Rumsfeld, can stay on even another week. That being said, Jules seems to believe that the original goal for Iraq is still achievable:For the Middle East to retain any semblance of stability, Iraq must … [Read more...] about Crittenden: Rumsfeld and Cheney Must Go

This is the kind of cynical advice political professionals dish out. Dick Morris' latest includes this gem:But, as Rove and Co. realize, almost every election features an endgame Democratic uptick as downscale voters, who normally pay no attention to politics, begin to focus on the election. Like non-baseball fans who only pay attention to the national pastime during the World … [Read more...] about More Advice From Dick Morris

Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, writing in the Washington Post, gives further evidence that there are now two kinds of Republicans: (1) Those that want to return to the GOP being a party of values — values Democrats may not agree with, but values that are consistent. (2) And those that believe whatever belief-of-the-day coming from President George W. Bush, … [Read more...] about Dick Armey: Where The GOP Went Wrong (UPDATED)