2008 Campaign

Why So Many Pundits Wrongly Scored the Debate 'Even'

Greg Mitchell | Posted 10.28.2008 | Politics

Read More: 2008 Campaign, Debate, John McCain, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, John Mccain Debate, Obama Mccain Debate Mississippi, Obama Debate, Obama Mccain Debate, Obama McCain Debates, Mccain Debate, Barack Obama Debate, Presidential Debates, Presidential Debate Reaction, Politics News
Greg Mitchell

My feeling is that the Couric interview might have done for McCain what the first Nixon-Kennedy debate did for Nixon in 1960 -- a true watershed moment.

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Friday Talking Points [49] -- Before And After The First Debate

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.27.2008 | Politics

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Chris Weigant

[UPDATED -- See part 2 in the Talking Points section.] This week's column will be presented in a sort of semi-liveblogging fashion. What you're getti...

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A Leader Should Be Able To Multitask

Lara M. Gardner | Posted 10.26.2008 | Home

Read More: 2008 Campaign, Presidential Politics, Presidential Debates, Economy, Bush Administration, Henry Paulson, Senate, Bailout, Barack Obama, Economic Crisis, George Bush, Economic Woes, Wall Street, John McCain, Home News
Lara M. Gardner

McCain has been a senator for what, twenty-six years? Based on the number of years McCain has spent in public office, debating and campaigning should both be skills in which he is quite adept.

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Both Campaigns Use Ghost Writers, But Only One Uses Them to Manipulate Readers

Chuck Lasker | Posted 10.26.2008 | Home

Read More: Salon.com, John McCain, Writers, Ghost Writers, John McCain 2008, Mccain Letters to the Editor, McCain Campaign, 2008 Campaign, Newspaper Op-Eds, Barack Obama, Obama Campaign, Home News
Chuck Lasker

Obama's Ghost Writer Guild helps his supporters put their own thoughts into words, while McCain's ghost writers help McCain supporters lie to the media.

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What's Left Without Wall Street? We, The People

Charles Karel Bouley | Posted 10.26.2008 | Business

Read More: 2008 Campaign, Bear Stearns, Bailout, Lehman Brothers, Wall Street, Economy, Business News
Charles Karel Bouley

Right now, if I miss a payment, who will pay off my $200K mortgage? Who will pay off my credit card balances? The White House? Doubtful.

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The Bailout and the War

Daniel Radosh | Posted 10.26.2008 | Politics

Read More: 2008 Campaign, John McCain, Iraq, Bailout, Iraq War Funding, Barack Obama, Economy, Politics News
Daniel Radosh

The Iraq war has already cost taxpayers about $700 billion. If we hadn't gone to war, we could have gotten the bailout free and had some left over for a party.

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Or, You Could Lead

Larry Womack | Posted 10.25.2008 | Politics

Read More: 2008 Campaign, John McCain, Bailout, Barack Obama, Financial Crisis, Wall Street Crisis, Politics News
Larry Womack

It is a fantastic parting statement from the Bush administration, an effort to codify the unwritten law that this presidency years ago proved -- that rich screw-ups are this nation's royalty.

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McCain's Sandbag: Revenge on Obama, Served Cold?

Scott Shrake | Posted 10.25.2008 | Politics

Read More: 2008 Campaign, Financial Crisis, Congress, Senate, John McCain, Presidential Debates, Barack Obama, Politics News
Scott Shrake

John McCain's actions of stealing all the glory in yesterday afternoon with his surprise announcement about suspending his campaign calls to mind the altercation between the two in February 2006.

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Electoral Math Update -- Obama Bounces Back

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.25.2008 | Politics

Read More: Tossup, Polls, Vice President, Elector, State, Dead Cat Bounce, Poll, Mccain, Obama, Campaign, Charts, Electoral College, President, Sarah Palin, Electoral, 2008, 2008 Campaign, Election Analysis, Bounce, Chart, 2008 Electoral Graphics, John McCain, Electoral Vote, 2008 Elections, Joe Biden, 08, Abulsme.com, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Biden, Election, Electoral Votes, 08 Election, Elections, 08 Campaign, Vote, Palin, Barack, 2008 Presidential Race, Samuel Minter, State by State, State Polls, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Today was a banner day for Obama in the national polls (especially the one that puts him up nine points, 52/43) -- but they are largely meaningless, since that is not how we elect our president.

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McCain Wants to Help The Country. And, Soften the Beating He's Taking in Polls.

Elon James White | Posted 10.25.2008 | Politics

Read More: Financial Crisis, John McCain, Bullshit, Presidential Debates, Barack Obama, White House, Strategy, 2008 Campaign, 2008 Race for the White House, 2008 Election, Emergency Cancellation, Politics News
Elon James White

McCain is playing a very strange game in this 2008 Election. His campaign strategists are keeping everyone on their toes with the cancellation of one of the most anticipated debates in history.

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Friday Talking Points [48] -- Throwing Out The Rulebook

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.20.2008 | Politics

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Chris Weigant

Back in Volume 36 of this Friday Talking Points column, I pointed out what seemed to me to be an obvious observation -- that the media was going a lot...

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How Fact-Checking Took Center Stage In 2008 Campaign

Editor and Publisher | Samuel Chamberlain | Posted 10.18.2008 | Media

Read More: Fact-Checking Candidates, 2008 Campaign, Fact Checking Candidates, Fact-Checking, Fact Checking, Media News

The fact-checkers have gone wild in the past two weeks, but even before Barack Obama and John McCain were officially selected for the final leg in the...

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Electoral Math Checkup -- Obama's Low Point?

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.18.2008 | Politics

Read More: Tossup, Polls, Vice President, Elector, State, Poll, Mccain, Obama, Campaign, Charts, Electoral College, President, Sarah Palin, Electoral, 2008, 2008 Campaign, Election Analysis, Chart, 2008 Electoral Graphics, John McCain, Electoral Vote, 2008 Elections, Joe Biden, 08, Abulsme.com, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Biden, Election, Electoral Votes, 08 Election, Elections, 08 Campaign, Vote, Palin, Barack, 2008 Presidential Race, Samuel Minter, State by State, State Polls, Politics News
Chris Weigant

The national trend for Obama may have turned around in his favor in just the last couple of days. So even though things look grim here, Obama is already starting to bounce back.

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More Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Please

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.16.2008 | Politics

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Chris Weigant

Her performance was so strong and so well focused that it would be foolish not to immediately send her out on the campaign trail and/or to as many television interviews as she can squeeze into her schedule.

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Democrats, Stop Your Worrying

Rick Siegel | Posted 10.16.2008 | Home

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Rick Siegel

Democrats, stop telling people how worried you are about whether Senator Obama is blowing it or not, that only serves to raise everyone's anxieties. As November 4th gets closer, more and more people will see this election as a way to shape the future of our country.

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Friday Talking Points [47] -- Our First Anniversary

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.13.2008 | Politics

Read More: Lies, Lobbyists, Cindy McCain, Mccain, Campaign, Mark Penn, Sarah Palin, Obama Sex, 2008, Midotw, Craig Ferguson, Liar Liar, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Per Capita, Real Estate, Alaska, Trust, 3:00 AM, Felon, Joe Biden, 08, Rant, Pants on Fire, Lie, Barack Obama, Biden, Election, 08 Election, Late Late Show, Elections, Martin Luther King, Mddotw, Obama, Maverick, Arizona, Media, Anniversary, Charlie Rangel, Friday Talking Points, Governor, King, Party Hack, Holiday, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, 2008 Campaign, Keating Five, Keating, John McCain, Charles Rangel, Obama Virus, 2008 Elections, 2008 Election, Lobbyist, Rangel, 08 Campaign, Earmarks, Tax, Virus, Palin, 2008 Presidential Race, Charles Keating, Mccain Lies, Earmark, Ferguson, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Surprise! It's our first anniversary column! But before we get to that, I have to pass on this information, in the hopes nobody will get stung by a v...

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Has Sarah Palin Really Shaken Up the Race?

Lincoln Mitchell | Posted 10.13.2008 | Politics

Read More: Polls, 2008 Campaign, 2008 Presidential Campaign, John McCain, Ed Koch, Campaign Strategy, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Politics News
Lincoln Mitchell

Palin's presence has moved the numbers, but not all that much, and perhaps not for all that long. The kinds of questions we need to ask now are: what states does Palin put into play?

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Lipschtick and Pigs

Mary Lyon | Posted 10.12.2008 | Politics

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Mary Lyon

Amazing what a difference a week makes. Something has changed since Sarah Palin burst into the Republican Convention and started living it up by the...

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Ad Suggestion For Obama -- McCain AWOL On GI Bill

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.11.2008 | Politics

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Chris Weigant

It's time to fight fire with fire -- point out McCain's most embarassing votes, and paint him as an extremist or a party hack while doing so. Also paint him as anti-middle-class.

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Selling Sarah (We Just Gotta Have More Controversy!)

Diane Tucker | Posted 02.21.2009 | Home

Read More: Sarah Palin, 2008 Elections, Google, Hilary Rosen, John McCain, Sarah Palin Vp, Britney Spears, Sarah Palin Vp Pick, Madonna, Sarah Palin Vice President, Controversy, GoDaddy.Com, Barack Obama Race, Wall Street Journal, 2008 Election, New York City, Arianna Huffington, Barack Obama, Offthebus, Barack Obama 2008, Larry King, John McCain 2008, Huffington Post Off the Bus, Michael Moore, 2008 Presidential Race, Marketing, 2008 Campaign, Gop, Christina Aguilera, Sarah Palin Reaction, Home News
Diane Tucker

It's suddenly 1999 again, when we all thought that accurately calling a candidate "unqualified" would make him a laughing stock. But the joke was on us: the cheap shots generated controversy, which helped land him in the White House.

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Palin Winning Over Twenty-Something Catholics

Diane Tucker | Posted 10.09.2008 | Home

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Diane Tucker

Catholics have backed the popular-vote-winning candidate in the last nine presidential elections. They make up nearly a quarter of all registered U.S. voters and may well determine who wins the White House in 2008.

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Maliki's Leverage Over Bush

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.09.2008 | Politics

Read More: George Bush, Negotiation, Concession, Troops, United Nations, 16 Month, Iraq, Mccain, Obama, Campaign, 2013, Withdrawal, President, Bob Woodward, 2010, 2008, Bugging, Sofa, Puppet, 2008 Campaign, Un, Status of Forces Agreement, Status of Forces, Parliament, John McCain, Time Horizon, Withdraw, Combat, Timeline, Forces, Spying, 2008 Elections, 08, 2011, 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Election, 08 Election, Elections, Spy, 08 Campaign, Barack, 2008 Presidential Race, Maliki, Senate, Aspirational Goal, Woodward, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Because the clock is running out on Bush and because his domestic popularity continues to fall, Maliki is using the international media to boost his own popularity with the voters in Iraq.

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Energizing Our Core

Russell Simmons | Posted 10.13.2008 | Politics

Read More: Barack Obama, 2008 Campaign, Campaign Volunteer, John McCain, Democratic Party, 2008 Election, Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin, Celebrities Talk Politics, Politics News
Russell Simmons

If we keep our base energized, I believe people will come out in huge, record breaking numbers on November 4th.

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The Delegate From Sadr City

Joshuah Bearman | Posted 10.31.2008 | Politics

Read More: Delegates, 2008 Campaign, Dnc, Iraq, Democrats, Washington, Denver, Democratic Convention, Sadr City Delegate, Politics News
Joshuah Bearman

You may be shocked to learn that not all stories from the convention were about tactics, or personalities, or disunity, or overcoming disunity, or yet more endless parsing of personalities and stagecraft.

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Friday Talking Points [46] -- Moose Poop!

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.06.2008 | Politics

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Chris Weigant

Sarah Palin has already singlehandedly introduced several terms into our political lexicon. "Hockey mom" is probably the most recognizable of these. ...

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