2008 Campaign

President Obama's Entrepreneurial Mindset

Don McNay | Posted 11.17.2009 | Business


Don McNay

I have not seen much evidence of Obama being in touch with small-town Kentucky, but after reading David Plouffe's new book, The Audacity to Win, I have become convinced that he knows what it takes to run a business.

Obama Won Last Year Only Because Stephen Colbert Dropped Out!

Greg Mitchell | Posted 11.03.2009 | Media


Greg Mitchell

Barack Obama ended up beating John McCain rather easily one year ago, but Stephen Colbert didn't stay in the race for the White House or Obama could have really been in trouble (for a minute or two, anyway).

The Writer-in-Chief

Steve Ross | Posted 11.03.2009 | Books


Steve Ross

Dreams from My Father had received a few impressive blurbs and favorable reviews, but had sold only a few thousand copies, so had been out of print for years.

Obama Online -- Where Are the Young Supporters?

Jose Antonio Vargas | Posted 11.20.2009 | Technology


Jose Antonio Vargas

They were ubiquitous, they were tech-savvy, they were vocal -- nearly a year after the election, where are the young Obama supporters?

Where Is That Online-Powered "Movement" Now?

Chris Hughes | Posted 11.21.2009 | Technology


Chris Hughes

What went hand in hand with the technology that helped elect Barack Obama was a resolute and unyielding focus on good-old-fashioned political organizing. What's missing now is the organizing leadership.

Why 2010 Will Not be a Replay of 1994

2morrowknight | Posted 11.18.2009 | Politics


2morrowknight

You remember the story quite well: a young president and his party are soundly defeated in the midterm elections. It really sounds good, but it ain't gonna happen this time.

President Obama: It's Time To Step Up

Adam Green | Posted 11.09.2009 | Politics


Adam Green

Tonight, President Obama delivers his big speech to Congress at 8pm EST. It's expected that he'll express a preference for the public option. But frankly, that's not enough.

One Year Ago, a Turning Point in 2008 Campaign: The Media, Hillary and Sarah Palin

Greg Mitchell | Posted 09.24.2009 | Media


Greg Mitchell

The preposterous media coverage of the (few) unhappy Hillaryites at the Dem convention inspired McCain to select as his running mate someone who would virtually destroy his campaign.

Health-Care Reform was the Key Issue in the 2008 Campaign...What Happened?

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 09.11.2009 | Politics


Joseph A. Palermo

For some, the system works best when elites make the most fundamental decisions for our society, unencumbered by the trappings of "democracy", and when the population is depoliticized, misinformed, or both.

McCain Campaign Investigated Obama Birth Certificate Rumors

The Washington Independent | Posted 08.24.2009 | Politics


n the final months of the 2008 presidential race, Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) campaign learned of a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania that asked the stat...

The Savaging of Sarah Palin

Heather Robinson | Posted 08.08.2009 | Home


Heather Robinson

Whatever your opinions, Palin and her family were savaged in a manner that went beyond any reasonable standard.

One Year Ago: HuffPost Broke Bill Clinton 'Sleazy' Story

Greg Mitchell | Posted 07.03.2009 | Media


Greg Mitchell

It wasn't the biggest scoop of the 2008 campaign, but it produced some rather unusual commentary. Which news outlets, in this day and age, would quote an ex-president, using the word "scumbag"?

Sex, Spitzer, Derivatives: Using Our Outrage

Ari Melber | Posted 04.25.2009 | Politics


Ari Melber

In a galling demonstration of Washington's tangled priorities, leaders in both parties still refuse to tap Eliot Spitzer's expertise for policymaking and enforcement in the current crisis.

The Republican Quitting Machine: Can't Stop, Won't Stop!

Lee Stranahan | Posted 04.16.2009 | Comedy


Lee Stranahan

In a time when so few people actually stand for something, it's nice to see that Republican Party stands firmly, clearly, and unequivocally for being quitters.

Stanford, Madoff Scandals Show Need for Campaign Finance Reform

Duncan Quirk | Posted 03.26.2009 | Politics


Duncan Quirk

Senators and Representatives are elected to represent their constituents, so why should Madoff and Stanford and others be allowed to donate to campaigns for which they are not constituents?

Kill This Myth: Media Not The Reason for Sarah Palin's Demise

Greg Mitchell | Posted 03.20.2009 | Politics


Greg Mitchell

Pundits and disgruntled GOPers allege that the media helped elect Obama by attacking, or mocking, Sarah Palin. This myth should be put to bed.

Underestimate Obama At Your Peril

Alan Fein | Posted 03.14.2009 | Politics


Alan Fein

I think Washington insiders underestimate Obama at their peril, and often look silly doing it. They act like the kid who used to be the smartest kid in the class, until the new kid came along.

Reporters Behaving Badly: Worst Moments Of 2008 Campaign Coverage

Mother Jones | Greg Mitchell | Posted 03.08.2009 | Media


The presidential campaign of 2008 seems pretty far off these days. An economic collapse will do that. But given the profound challenges facing the nat...

Bernard Goldberg's "Bias" Against the Facts

Karl Frisch | Posted 02.28.2009 | Media


Karl Frisch

Just shy of a week after Obama took the oath of office, there's a new tome out by Bernard Goldberg that seeks to trash the supposedly liberal "mainstream media" for being in the tank for Obama.

Yes, the Media Helped Elect Obama, But...

Greg Mitchell | Posted 02.28.2009 | Media


Greg Mitchell

The preposterous media coverage of the (few) unhappy Hillary-ites is what inspired McCain to select as his running mate someone who would virtually destroy his campaign.

The Day I Learned Obama was not Mine Alone

Michelle Haimoff | Posted 02.21.2009 | Politics


Michelle Haimoff

Perhaps because we perceived Obama's victory as a long shot, we all somehow convinced ourselves that the involvement of each and every one of us was indispensable to the man's success.

Words That Worked in 2008 (and Some That Didn't): A Report Card

Michael Maslansky | Posted 02.05.2009 | Politics


Michael Maslansky

The following is our admittedly subjective ranking of the top ten words of 2008 and how well people used them.

One Year Ago Tonight: A Turning Point in 2008 Election -- When Bill Sank Hill

Greg Mitchell | Posted 01.12.2009 | Politics


Greg Mitchell

With Barack Obama only a little more than a month from taking office, it is amazing to look back at the night, one year ago, when Bill Clinton suddenly came out of the closet to throw cold water on the emerging Obama fever.

Obama And Oil Companies: Did The President-Elect Just Break His First Campaign Promise?

Mother Jones | Posted 01.03.2009 | Green


Did Barack Obama just break his first campaign promise? On the campaign trail, Obama railed against big oil companies. He often criticized John McC...

The Real McCain

Robert J. Elisberg | Posted 12.26.2008 | Politics


Robert J. Elisberg

John McCain didn't have an out-of-body experience after he got the Republican nomination. John McCain didn't have an evil twin campaigning for him. That was John McCain.