Blog Entries

McCain Leading In Polls for the First Time Since April

tuan@fas.harvard.edu — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:00:00 +0100

For the first time since April 2008, the RCP average has McCain leading at +1.0.

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Palin Scrubbed Her Own Wikipedia Page?

krasney@fas.harvard.edu — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

DailyKos has an article documenting how Wikipedia user "YoungTrigg" (the name of Palin's son) scrubbed McCain veep nominee Sarah Palin's Wikipedia page.

The article cites an NPR story about this. You can find the audio here.

According to NPR, about thirty favorable changes were made to Palin's Wikipedia page about fifteen minutes before her name was leaked. Check out the story, and tell us what you think in the comments.

Palin Potpourri

ahallow@fas.harvard.edu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

As you'd expect after such a surprise pick, I've heard a lot of reactions to the Sarah Palin pick flying around - some supportive, some skeptical.

Most of the responses seem to focus on Palin's inexperience and how it will affect the campaign. I've heard people say Obama's inexperience will make it hard for him to attack Palin for being inexperienced (see below), and I've heard people say Palin's inexperience will make it hard for McCain to attack Obama for being inexperienc [...]

One woman's view of Sarah Palin as Veep

sjack@fas.harvard.edu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

My mom: I think it's the worst choice anyone could make for Vice President--ever!

Me: Worse than Dan Quayle?

Mom: Yes!

Me: You know, it's also a little patronizing to think that women will vote for her just because she's a woman--

Mom: I know; "Oh! Oh! I'm going to vote for her because she was on the cover of Vogue!"

It's not as though my mom is a big Democrat, either. I wonder how many women are going to feel this way; I expect some backlash [...]

Should Obama Ridicule "Hockey Moms"? + General Thoughts

tuan@fas.harvard.edu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Sam and Nick make valid points that the Obama camp will really want to go after Palin's inexperience and ask the question "Is this the woman you want running the country if McCain dies?"

But we have to ask ourselves whether or not that will necessarily hurt McCain. A "Hockey Mom" with motherly, conservative, PTA mom values running the country? That could be hard to resist for stay-at-home PTA moms watching the tv in their kitchen. Why not? If we can run the scho [...]

A Weak Speech from the "Hockey Mom"

krasney@fas.harvard.edu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Did anyone else find her really whiny? Really hard to listen to? Unimpressed with her career as a "hockey mom" and small-town councilwoman and mayor?

And what's with the names of those kids? Track? Trig? Really? Really?

Listening to her speak, I can't help but think that McCain made a major mistake. Sure, she might hit some of the key constituancies. But this shocking and unconventional a pick, especially one that je [...]

Sarah Palin is McCain's Veep

krasney@fas.harvard.edu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

It looks like Sarah Palin, the second-year Alaska governor, is John McCain's veep nominee.

Picking a pro-choice, pro-death penality, anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, female governor from Alaska plays to several key constituancies for McCain. It appeals to embittered Hillary supporters; women; oil interests; coal interests; auto inter [...]

It's Palin...

ahallow@fas.harvard.edu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

... says the New York Times.

She'd been mentioned a lot earlier this summer but had unaccountably fallen off the radar over the past week or two. But I think she's a pretty smart pick, as a Washington outsider and especially as someone who mirrors McCain's "maverick" storyline. She's challenged Alaska's Republican establishment and - get this - personally killed the Bridge to Nowhere. It'll be interesting to see whether the campaign tries to ignore the Ted St [...]

GOP VP Selection Now A Guessing Game

tuan@fas.harvard.edu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

McCain is set to announce his running mate today in Dayton Ohio.

It turns out that Pawlenty and Romney, whom most thought were top contenders are out of the running, so it's a toss-up now, and I think we're in for a big surprise.

I don't know why, but I just have this feelin' that he's going to pick Joe Lieberman. I have to head out now, so I don't have time to explain all my reasons, but if I happen to be right, I will discuss in more detail later..

If I happen to be wrong [...]

Obama's speech

sjack@fas.harvard.edu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Frances' response, below, from a libertarian perspective, doesn't make sense to me, and I think it misses the big points (I've responded in detail in a comment).

My view is that this was a historic speech; both thoughtful and direct. I don't have time tonight to do an in-depth analysis, so expect that either tomorrow morning or tomorrow night.

UPDATE: Hoh hoh, I have the luxury of waiting until tomorrow to formulate an analysis of the speech, but the McCain campaign ap [...]

...And All I Got Was This Lousy Speech

fmartel@fas.harvard.edu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

I retract my previous statements. Thanks to Barack Obama's Speech of a Lifetime, which claims that all young people should be forced into slave labor (aka "peace corps") and that anyone who succeeds in America should be taxed to death just for nebulously falling into an "elite" of people that work for what they want- I'm back 100% with Bob Barr. Not because I like Bob Barr or anything- he's kind of annoying, to be honest. But because I've been kicked out of my former party [...]

Obama Parades Clintons at DNC Just to Have them Crushed by Godzilla Joe Biden

fmartel@fas.harvard.edu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Sorry for showing up a little late to comment on the Joe Biden speech, but I spent the aftermath of the speech sobbing hysterically and then woke up in tears only to begin thesis research. Thanks, Joe.

But before I get to that, I should address Sam's last post on Hillary's speech, in which he brings up the "I guess I should mention Obama and get myself out of trouble" part of the speech. I agree that that was tactfully written and, on paper, an extremely moving use of rhetor [...]

Thought of the Day

sjack@fas.harvard.edu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Stevie Wonder is still awesome.

Pandering

krasney@fas.harvard.edu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0100

One of McCain's new ads (one of the few positive ones I've seen so far):

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4KIvRTg6KQ&feature=user

Methinks McCain anticipated a conversation like this:

A: "McCain has been really negative on the campaign trail. Didn't he call for a 'respectful campaign?'"

B: "What are you talking about? Didn't you see that one really gracious one where he congratu [...]