With Headlines Like These, Who Needs Frenemies?

Filed under: Election 2008

This little headline may have gotten lost among all the other John McCain headlines yesterday:

McCain denies roughing up Sandinista

Is it just me, or is that the headline equivalent of "When did you stop beating your wife?"

The story, first reported in the Sun Herald, a coastal Mississippi newspaper, goes like this: Senator Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican, claims that he witnessed a confrontation between McCain and a Sandinista while on a diplomatic mission to Nicaragua back in 1987.

Here's what Senator Cochran told the Sun-Herald:

McCain was down at the end of the table and we were talking to the head of the guerrilla group here at this end of the table and I don't know what attracted my attention. But I saw some kind of quick movement at the bottom of the table and I looked down there and John had reached over and grabbed this guy by the shirt collar and had snatched him up like he was throwing him up out of the chair to tell him what he thought about him or whatever. I don't know what he was telling him but I thought, good grief, everybody around here has got guns and we were there on a diplomatic mission. I don't know what had happened to provoke John but he obviously got mad at the guy and he just reached over there and snatched him.

Senator McCain responded to the story at a news conference yesterday by saying, "I had many, many meetings with the Sandinistas. I must say, I did not admire the Sandinistas much. But there was never anything of that nature. It just didn't happen."

Senator Cochran, who once famously expressed his worry about a McCain presidency by calling him "erratic" and "hotheaded," has apparently changed his mind about McCain, though it's hard to tell from this latest anecdote. A spokesperson for the senator says "he wanted to make the point that over the years he has seen Sen. McCain mature into an individual who is not only spirited and tenacious but also thoughtful and levelheaded."

Which, if you read the headlines, maybe didn't work. Here is a smattering of how some news outlets headed the story: McCain's meltdown, McCain's Temper Tantrum Tawdriness (okay, that one is by a blogger), and my personal favorite, "Did McCain really perform the Sandinista snatch?"

Tricia McKinney

11:15 AM ET | 07- 3-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Obama Poster Likened to Hitler's

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Click to play.

Alex Pardee

 

On today's show, Steve Seidman, chair of the strategic communication department at Ithaca College, talked about the iconography of Democrat Barack Obama.

Seidman says some of the campaign's posters remind him of images from history. He argues the "Dream" poster, which shows Obama with a halo, might offend some religious people. But it was this bit that got our Twitter crowd going:

"He's gazing into the distance, almost like a visionary. This is a common approach I've noticed in my research. I would say that I've seen Nixon posters, Carter posters, George Bush -- the second Bush -- posters, even Adolf Hitler. Posters in his election campaigns in Germany have shown him gazing into the distance."

Judge for yourself: Google Images for "Hitler election posters"

Laura Conaway

7:49 AM ET | 06-30-2008 | permalink | comments (15) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Barack Obama Talks Dads

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama spoke at a Chicago church this Father's Day, calling on fathers to realize that "responsibility does not end at conception."

"Any fool can have a child, that doesn't make you a father, it's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father," said Obama. The issue has particular significance for the candidate whose own father left when he was two, and Obama says it is something the African-American community can't afford to ignore.

On the show today, Politico editor John Harris talked about the politics of Barack Obama's Father's Day sermon.

"This is something the most effective African-American politicians have done," said Harris. White audiences "don't want a sort of radical African American politician they want somebody who they believe shares essential middle class values."

Caitlin Kenney

7:19 AM ET | 06-16-2008 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post

Anti-Smear Tactics 2.0

Filed under: Election 2008

Time magazine reports today that the Barack Obama campaign has come up with a new approach to dealing with Internet rumor-mongering: to take the rumors head on. The campaign today unveiled a website called "Fight the Smears."

The first few entries on the website take on some familiar rumors, like the one that Obama is a Muslim and the one that he doesn't put his hand on his heart or refuses to recite the pledge of allegiance. In each entry, his campaign presents evidence that it says refutes the rumor.

Snopes has looked into some of the same rumors.

We'll see if the site helps to douse some of the rumors or if it just fans the flames.

Tricia McKinney

1:35 PM ET | 06-12-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Seeing Sexism in the Clinton Loss

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Seen at Clinton's concession speech, 06.07.08

Getty Images

 

On this morning's show, Rebecca Traister of Salon took on the question of whether sexism played a role in Hillary Clinton's primary defeat.

For me, the question hasn't been so much whether sexism caused Clinton to lose the Democratic presidential nomination as whether it affected the discussion about her while she was running -- and especially as she lost. For Traister, that's a yes. "Clinton could have won, and we should still be talking about the sexism," she says.

So let's talk about it. You guys already helped us get started, with your take on our Clinton campaign obit.

Another NPR headline: Who Did This to Hillary?

Laura Conaway

7:18 AM ET | 06- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (24) | e-mail post

R.I.P. Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign

Filed under: Election 2008

Editor's note: See the open thread on sexism and Hillary Clinton's defeat.

Today on the show we put together an audio obituary of Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, in which we recapped some of the more memorable moments from the last 16 months. Here it is, in case you missed it:

Dan Pashman

1:05 PM ET | 06- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

Open Thread: An End to the Democratic Race

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Barack Obama claimed the Democratic nomination for president Tuesday night, amassing more than the 2,118 delegates needed for the win.

His rival, Hillary Clinton, told insiders she'd consider joining the ticket as Obama's vice president.

You can sort that out in the comments below.

Bonus:
John McCain's speech last night.
Which a lot of bloggers panned.

Laura Conaway

7:13 AM ET | 06- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

This Is a Libertarian Open Thread

Filed under: Election 2008

On today's show, David Weigel of Reason magazine reported from the 2008 Libertarian presidential convention.

Weigel says the Libertarians have real hope for winning elections this year. Candidates are talking about furthering the legacy of Ron Paul, who has been running as a Republican this year. Meanwhile, the Libertarians are talking about each other, with the left and right wings trading accusations about plans for last-minute takeovers.

Consider this your Libertarian thread. No questions. No directions. The marketplace of ideas is always open. Unless I'm out having a picnic with my family.

Laura Conaway

2:50 PM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Can John McCain Save the Republican Brand?

Filed under: Election 2008

Conservative Republicans wonder whether John McCain can reinvent the party.

photocredit

On this morning's show, Jim VandeHei of Politico.com took a look at the state of the Republican brand. And what a picture.

VandeHei says the GOP is in the worst shape with voters that the party has seen since Watergate. The editor spent time recently with Republican governors, looking for a preview of their strategy for the presidential campaign. "It's clear they feel that the one ace in the hole that they still hold is national security and fighting terrorism," he says.

And that brings us to Sen. John McCain, the presumptive nominee and Vietnam war hero. VandeHei says conservative Republicans who dismissed McCain as not Republican enough are now hoping he can reinvent -- and reinvigorate -- the party. Even if they don't much like the results.

Laura Conaway

9:58 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Kentucky Explained in Black and White

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Our conversation this morning with a professor from Kentucky stopped a few Twitter listeners cold.

Donald Gross, who teaches political science at the University of Kentucky at Lexington, took a question from Mike Pesca about Hillary Clinton's 30-point lead over Barack Obama in polls ahead of that state's Democratic presidential contest.

Gross noted that Kentucky has a very small African-American community -- the U.S. Census Bureau puts the figure at 7.5 percent of the population.

"I think in many parts of the state of Kentucky people are a bit uncomfortable with African-Americans," he said. "In a lot of the rural areas, literally a lot of these individuals have never seen African-Americans. They don't interact with them."

Continue reading "Kentucky Explained in Black and White" »

Laura Conaway

9:06 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (26) | e-mail post

Clinton, Obama Split Pair of Contests: Now What?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Clinton and Obama split Tuesday's contests.

AFP/Getty Images

As expected, Sen. Barack Obama took the Democratic presidential primary in North Carolina by a good margin -- some 56 to 42 percent. Obama received more than 90 percent of the African American vote and about 40 percent of the white vote. He won in every age group except voters over 65.

Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Clinton won in Indiana by about 22,000 votes of the more than 1.2 million cast. She did well among white men and made some inroads into Obama's base, garnering support from younger white voters and those making more than $100,000. Clinton now trails Obama in pledged delegates by 171; she retains a 271-256 lead in declared superdelegates.

So those are the numbers, as NPR reports them this morning. Now comes the jawing -- starting with the New York Times analysis piece headlined "Options Dwindling for Clinton." Your turn's in the comments.

Laura Conaway

6:35 AM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Is Wright Trying to Hurt Obama?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright addresses the National Press Club on April 28.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

 

Torpedo. That's the word I keep hearing to describe what the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is or is not trying to do to Barack Obama's presidential bid. Yesterday, the Democratic senator's former pastor spoke at the National Press Club -- affirming his positions on the root causes of AIDS and 9-11 and decrying criticism of his sermons. "This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright," Wright says. "It is an attack on the black church."

Obama told reporters that Wright doesn't speak for him or for the campaign. "Some of the comments that Rev. Wright has made offend me, and I understand why they offend the American people," the frontrunner said. Judging from opinion pages, that may not be enough. Obama and Wright's hometown paper, the Chicago Tribune, headlined an editorial "Wright's Curious Mission," writing:

By the end of Wright's performance, you had to wonder if he was trying to torpedo Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. He surely didn't seem troubled by that possibility. "Nothing can get in the way if God wants Obama to be president," Wright said. Maybe not. But the pastor seemed interested in testing the theory.

Bonus reads:
WaPo's Eugene Robinson: Where Wright goes wrong
EbonyJet's Monroe Anderson

Laura Conaway

6:25 AM ET | 04-29-2008 | permalink | comments (42) | e-mail post

Get My Vote: Guy Wants Online Education System

Filed under: Election 2008

NPR wants you. Specifically, we want you to tell the world what moves you as a voter. Our new Get My Vote project invites you to express yourself in video, audio or text. Some people think of it as a way to tell politicians what they have to do win you over it. We like to think of it as "Understand My Vote" -- as in, get it?

Like russpears, the guy in the video up there. He wants funding for a free online education system. And seriously, I'm way far from wanting that myself, or at least from marking it as a priority. But disagreeing is half the fun. Check out Get My Vote -- then take a couple of minutes to post your own entry. We'll be blogging the best of your stuff in the weeks to come.

Laura Conaway

7:17 AM ET | 04-28-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Found on Twitter: Clinton, Obama Respond

Filed under: Election 2008

I checked the major Democratic rivals Twitter feeds this morning for signs of life after yesterday's primary in Pennsylvania.

From Hillary Clinton's Twitter account, about 10 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday:
"Thank you Pennsylvania!!"

And from Barack Obama's Twitter account, about noon on Tuesday:
"Traveling through PA today & asking folks to vote for change! If you are in PA & need polling location info visit http://pa.barackobama.com."

Laura Conaway

7:46 AM ET | 04-23-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Obama's 'Bitter' Remarks

Filed under: Election 2008

Let's catch up: Democrat Barack Obama went to a fundraiser last week in San Francisco and gave a speech in which he talked about working-class voters like the ones in Pennsylvania and Indiana. Obama said they've have fallen through the cracks in the American economy, and they're not happy about it.

"It's not surprising then they get bitter," he said. "They cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

The other presidential hopefuls, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain, called Obama elitist and out of touch with ordinary Americans. Obama replied that he'd merely said what "everybody knows is true," but that he does wish he'd put it a little better. Personally, I'm most struck by his saying that people no longer believe leaders in Washington will fix economic problems, so they vote on social issues.

You?

Full listen: Full audio on the Huffington Post

Laura Conaway

7:33 AM ET | 04-13-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

Obama and the Autograph Seeker

Filed under: Election 2008

Al Wittnebert, CFO of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club, says a code of honor governs people who seek signatures and pictures from the famous. Today, we asked to consider the incident in the clip above. It shows a man asking -- perhaps insisting -- that Sen. Barack Obama pose for a picture.

Laura Conaway

7:42 AM ET | 04- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

We Told You It Was Coming

Filed under: Election 2008

Sen. Hillary Clinton will appear on ELLEN this Monday to discuss gay rights.

Check out our discussion from earlier this week about Democrats courting the gay vote.

Alison Stewart

11:57 AM ET | 04- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Gay Editor Says Clinton, Obama Courting His Paper

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

You guys want to talk about the election?

Mark Segal, editor of the Philadelphia Gay News, says Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are each asking for his newspaper's endorsement. Here's what he wants:

"We want to hear what's going on with their positions on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. We just don't want hear a very simple, 'Yeah, I want to get rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' We would like to hear a plan."

Add in a position on the federal bill to end discrimination in employment and some kind of something on civil marriage (word: an awfully big issue at my house), and you've got Segal's take.

Laura Conaway

11:51 AM ET | 04- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Hillary Clinton Gets In on the Act

Filed under: Election 2008

No sooner did I ask the question of "What's Hillary Clinton going to offer?" than I got the e-mail answer. A chance to meet Elton John!

Here's the snippet from the e-mail, purportedly from the candidate herself:

I'm really looking forward to the solo concert my friend Elton John is throwing in New York to help our campaign -- and I would very much like the chance to meet you there.

We're sending two supporters, along with their guests, to New York with VIP tickets for this very special, one-night-only concert on April 9, and it could be you. We will have a chance to talk just you and I -- and you will get to meet Elton John at the party we're throwing afterwards. It's going to be a great night.

OK, Senator Clinton, that's "just you and ME" but I won't hold it against you.

Hmmm, what are Mike Gravel and Ron Paul offering?

Tricia McKinney

2:02 PM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Bus Ride with John McCain?

Filed under: Election 2008

So, yesterday I blogged about getting an e-mail offering a chance to have dinner with Barack Obama if I donate as little as $5 by March 31st. Today it's John McCain offering some face time.

I got an email purportedly from Senator McCain himself, saying:

My campaign has come up with an opportunity for a supporter to join me on the Straight Talk Express for a day of conversation and campaigning. As a token of my appreciation for your financial support, you will be entered to win this seat aboard the Straight Talk Express if you make a contribution before midnight on March 31st. I hope you'll consider joining me by making a donation today. If you can give $50 or more, not only will you be entered to win a ride on the Straight Talk Express, but you'll receive a commemorative Straight Talk Express ticket.

So there you go. What is the Hillary Clinton campaign going to offer?

Tricia McKinney

1:34 PM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Support Your Candidate -- YouTube for Another One

Filed under: Election 2008

Went looking for the goods on the McCain Girls and found this in the Washington Post. The paper's campaign blog says the McCain Girls music video, "It's Raining McCain," may come from the same pranksters who put out "Obama-sistible." As you can see from the clip above, "Obama-sistible" has all the charm of "We Built This City," with maybe half the calories.

Laura Conaway

7:39 AM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Dinner with Obama?

Filed under: Election 2008

I just got an e-mail from Obama campaign manager David Plouffe*. The tantalizing subject line: "Dinner with Barack?"

So, hey, I'm not above clicking on an e-mail like that. Turns out the Obama campaign is soliciting donations of $5 or more, and they say that if you donate by March 31st, "you could share your story and your ideas with Barack in person."

So I of course start wondering--how many people will he take to dinner? How does the campaign pick? Is it a lottery? They are very clear about how to give them money, but much less clear about the diner-selection criteria. They do provide a box in which you can tell them your story and ask Obama some questions. I'm guessing it's an essay contest?

*Full disclosure, I have signed up with all three of the major candidates and get "Dear Friend" type e-mails from them though I have never donated to any of them and I don't endorse any of them.

Tricia McKinney

12:15 PM ET | 03-24-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

It's McCaining Men. Er, It's Raining McCain.

Filed under: Election 2008

Way back on Super Tuesday, we did a segment about voters going the extra mile and writing songs for their favorite candidates. Back then, we couldn't find one about McCain. Problem solved:

Ian Chillag

9:42 AM ET | 03-24-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Ferraro Remarks Shift Attention to Race

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Former Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro

Jamie Rose/Getty Images

Here's Geraldine Ferraro talking to the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif., about Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama:

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

And here's Ferraro talking to the New York Times about those remarks:

"Every time that campaign is upset about something, they call it racist," she said. "I will not be discriminated against because I'm white. If they think they're going to shut up Geraldine Ferraro with that kind of stuff, they don't know me."

Your turn to talk's in the comments, right below. You know what to do.

Bonus: Politico has a Ferraro flashback.

Laura Conaway

7:58 AM ET | 03-12-2008 | permalink | comments (27) | e-mail post

Twitter Stream: From @BarackObama

Filed under: Election 2008

Posted six minutes ago from the Twitter feed @barackobama:

"In Columbus,MS & wondering how somebody who's in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who's in first place. Vote Tues!"

Laura Conaway

1:52 PM ET | 03-10-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

UPDATE: BPP Tweets to Obama

Filed under: Election 2008

On today's show, we took advantage of the "direct message" button on Democrat Barack Obama's Twitter account. Host Alison Stewart sent a message asking if he'd like to be on our show. Turns out, we were able to do that because Obama follows our Twitter feed -- along with 13,577 others.

The reason we can't send a direct message to Hillary Clinton's Twitter account -- the reason no one can -- is that she doesn't follow anyone. Which is a not unreasonable choice, when you consider what Obama's Twitter page must look like with 13,578 people yakking away. NPR Twitter guru Andy Carvin recommends posting @hillaryclinton, which I just tried.

In other Twitter news, Republican John McCain does appear to have a Twitter account. It's a little different from the ones on the Democratic side, not least because it has about twice as many posts. But it also has a somewhat different tone, with entries like today's "Glory is not a conceit. It is not a decoration for valor. Glory belongs to the act of being constant to something greater than yourself," and "Obama campaign advisor seems to endorse McCain http://tinyurl.com/3xcfoy" I just posted @johnmccain2008, too.

Gonna call the campaigns now and talk Twitter.

Laura Conaway

9:47 AM ET | 03- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Misogyny or Racism--Which Is Worse?

Filed under: Election 2008, Media, Sound Off

Tomorrow features yet another contest for the Democratic presidential hopefuls, and the fight for the nomination is getting grittier by the day.

If you read Maureen Dowd's column in the New York Times this week, you'll know that she wrote about gender and race and the current political climate. Specifically, Dowd addressed the way Clinton and some of her supporters are weaving the issue of gender into her profile as a candidate.

Dowd then raised this "elephant in the room" question:

People will have to choose which of America's sins are greater, and which stain will have to be removed first. Is misogyny worse than racism, or is racism worse than misogyny?

What do you think?

Alison Stewart

9:44 AM ET | 03- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

BPP Nudges Barack Obama

Filed under: Election 2008

As listener Adriana Rodarte pointed out yesterday, Democrat Barack Obama's Twitter account lets you send him what Twitter calls a "direct message" -- but the account of his party rival, Hillary Clinton, has those features turned off.

A few minutes ago, we sent Obama a message inviting him to appear on our show. We'll see if he writes back.

Laura Conaway

8:43 AM ET | 03- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Barack Obama Tweets for Another Pol

Filed under: Election 2008

Like his Democratic rival, presidential candidate Barack Obama has a Twitter account. Obama has posted a grand total of 76 times, compared to 64 for Hillary Clinton.

Before today, Obama's last tweet was aimed at getting out the vote for the March 4 presidential contests. Today, on March 6, he shows up in our Twitter stream again:

In Chicago, hoping you will help Bill Foster win Cong. Dist. 14 in this Saturday's Special Election. Visit: http://my.barackobama.com/f...

Laura Conaway

3:01 PM ET | 03- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Primary Horoscopes

Filed under: Election 2008

By now we've heard all the pundits, parsed the exit poll numbers, blamed the media for getting it wrong and looked at Hillary Clinton's campaign strategy for clues to her success in the primaries yesterday.

But did anybody check the candidates' horoscopes?

My horoscope page of choice, in the New York Post, was amazingly spot-on for the candidates yesterday.

Hillary Clinton was born on October 26th. Hello, Scorpio!:

March 4, 2008 -- If life has been getting on top of you lately you will get the chance to reverse the process over the next 24 hours. Forget about making excuses. Forget about blaming others for your failures. You are, or should be, the master of your fate, so get out there and make things happen. It's easy when you try.

Barak Obama was born August 4th. Hello, Leo!:

March 4, 2008 -- There will be a lot of minor distractions over the next 24 hours and, not surprisingly, you will get rather frustrated at how slowly you are moving towards your goal. You have got to be aggressive about your private time. You have got to let others know you need your space - and peace and quiet to go with it.

The Republicans after the jump:

Continue reading "Primary Horoscopes" »

Tricia McKinney

2:46 PM ET | 03- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Who Wins as the Democrats Battle On?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Clinton v. Obama goes another round.

Getty Images

Winning three out of four primaries Tuesday, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is claiming a comeback. Meanwhile, blogger Bill Scher of LiberalOasis.com says it's almost "impossible" for her to beat Barack Obama. He suggests the big winner here is Republican John McCain, who clinched the nomination yesterday and can now watch Obama and Clinton pummel each other.

Not sure what I think about all that. You?

Laura Conaway

8:39 AM ET | 03- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

Voter Checks in from Vermont

Filed under: Election 2008

Outside the St. Mark's Church polling place in Burlington, Vt.

@danyork

 

Twitter friend @danyork (here, too) sends these photos from his polling place, Ward 4 in Burlington, Vt. Supporters of the dueling Democrats in the race got in some last-minute pitches.

On the Republican side, John McCain won. On the Democratic side, it was Barack Obama.

Voting in Burlington, Vt.

@danyork

 

After the jump, a sweet food pic.

Continue reading "Voter Checks in from Vermont" »

Laura Conaway

6:52 AM ET | 03- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Hillary Clinton May Sue Texas Democrats

Filed under: Election 2008

From the Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

The Texas Democratic Party is warning that its primary night caucuses could be delayed or disrupted after aides to White House hopeful Hillary Clinton raised the specter of an "imminent" lawsuit over its complicated delegate selection process, officials said Thursday night.

(With thanks to Twitter friend @elizs.)

Laura Conaway

12:27 PM ET | 02-29-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Video: Chaos at the Hawaii Caucus

Filed under: Election 2008

On Tuesday, the Hawaii Democratic Caucus had an historically large turnout.
Thanks to a hot tip from our Twitter feed, we came across this video of the scene at the polls.
Many thanks to Ryan Ozawa for the Vlogging.

Hawaii Democratic Caucus from hawaii on Vimeo.

From Ryan's blog:

The Hawaii Democratic Caucus was held the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008. Prior to this year's hotly contested race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (who was born in Hawaii), the state's record turnout for the primary caucus was 4,800 people in 1988. Last night, over 36,000 people turned out to participate. Long lines everywhere, chaos and confusion in several locations, and handmade ballots had to suffice for many when the printed ones ran out. In the end, Obama received 76 percent of the Hawaii Democratic vote, versus Clinton's 24 percent.

Win Rosenfeld

4:53 PM ET | 02-21-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Voting in Milwaukee: With Cupcakes

Filed under: Election 2008

The line at the Maryland Avenue Montessori polling place.

Courtesy of bb_mke

 

Twitter friend @bb_mke sends these pics from the polling place/bake sale at the Maryland Avenue Montessori School in Milwaukee, Wisc., Tuesday.

Vote a little, buy a lot.

Courtesy of bb_mke

 

@bb_mke writes, "I think we'd be in much better shape as a country if every election involved home-made Rice Krispy treats and cupcakes."

(They do the bake sale thing at my precinct, too, in Brooklyn -- always look forward to that.)

Laura Conaway

7:20 AM ET | 02-20-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Please Add to the Election Lexicon 2008

Filed under: Election 2008

The saucy folks at Daily Candy have come through with a list of political jargon to get you through this long primary season. A sample:

scamdidate: n. an unviable aspirant who just confuses the public

super delegetsome: n. when power insiders use their influence to score dates

pundItgirl: n. the token female analyst who sits at at the table with Wolf Blitzer and co.

Click for the full list, or add your own.

Alison Stewart

11:19 AM ET | 02-18-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Hillary Clinton Has a Video, Too

Filed under: Election 2008

The NPR News Blog has a terrific take on the dueling music videos for Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Our buddies in D.C. say one of the clips is sparking "unintentional guffaws." You be the judge.

Video for Barack Obama

Video for Hillary Clinton

Laura Conaway

11:40 AM ET | 02-15-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Pic: Voting with Diebold in Silver Spring, Md.

Filed under: Election 2008

Electronic voting in Silver Spring, Md.

Andy Carvin

 

After waiting nearly an hour, NPR's Andy Carvin finally reached the head of the voting line in Silver Spring, Md., where he was welcomed by the Diebold electronic voting machine. In New York, we still pull a lever.

Laura Conaway

9:05 AM ET | 02-12-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Voter Pic: Long Lines at Silver Spring Polls

Filed under: Election 2008

The line in Silver Spring, Md.

Andy Carvin

 

NPR's Andy Carvin reports a significant wait at his polling place in Silver Spring, Md., around 8 a.m.

Laura Conaway

8:44 AM ET | 02-12-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post