MetaFilter posts tagged with election and President

The Black President

Tom-B — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:20:41 -0800

A 1926 Brazilian sci-fi novel predicts a U.S. election determined by race and gender. O Presidente Negro envisions the 2228 U.S. presidential election. In that race, the white male incumbent, President Kerlog, finds himself running against Evelyn Astor, a white feminist, and James Roy Wilde, the cultivated and brilliant leader of the Black Association, "a man who is more than just a single man ... what we call a leader of the masses."

How Obama Did It

thbt — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:56:33 -0800

How Obama Did It: an in-depth look behind the scenes of the campaign, assembled by a special team of reporters who were granted year-long access on the condition that none of their findings appear until after Election Day.

Barack Obama is the next President of the United States

plexi — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:00:14 -0800

Attention world: We're back baby! USA! USA! USA! USA!

The Presidential Transition Period

brandman — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:18:29 -0800

Well, the Presidential election is only one day away...after which, the US begins the 11 week transition period to a new administration! As established by the twentieth amendment to the US Constitution, "the terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January." So what exactly happens between election day and January 20th? There are a lot of interesting stories about that, which help convey the strong tradition behind lengthy transition periods in the US. In addition to the history, the General Services Administration has various (semi-)recently documented responsibilities during this period under The Presidential Transition Act of 2000, while other branches of the government focus on their respective areas. For example, the Office of Personnel Management focuses on...personnel changes, while the military plans for possible incidents during this time. But what exactly will President-Elect Obama or President-Elect McCain be doing? As you might expect, they've already started planning their administrations, an activity they have far more time to accomplish prior to the "official" transition than our friends in some other countries.

Historical Popular Vote Maps

interrobang — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:42:56 -0800

Electoral maps, going all the way back to the beginning.

The Insiders

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:55:04 -0800

Jane Meyer of The New Yorker explains how John McCain came to pick Sarah Palin Jane Meyer offers a fascinating account of the mating ritual performed between Palin and Republican elite in the year leading up to the general election. Excerpts: ``From the start of her political career, Palin has positioned herself as an insurgent intent on dislodging entrenched interests. In 1996, a campaign pamphlet for her first mayoral run—recently obtained by The New Republic—strikes the same note of populist resentment that Palin did at the Convention: “I’m tired of ‘business as usual’ in this town, and of the ‘Good Ol’ Boys’ network that runs the show here.” Yet Palin has routinely turned to members of Washington’s Old Guard for help. After she became the mayor of Wasilla, Palin oversaw the hiring of a law firm to represent the town’s interests in Washington, D.C. The Wasilla account was handled by Steven Silver, a Washington-area lobbyist who had been the chief of staff to Alaska’s long-serving Republican senator Ted Stevens, who was indicted in July on charges of accepting illegal gifts and is now standing trial. (Silver declined to discuss his ties to Palin.) As the Washington Post reported, Silver’s efforts in the capital helped Wasilla, a town of sixty-seven hundred residents, secure twenty-seven million dollars in federal earmarks. During this election season, however, Palin has presented herself as more abstemious, saying, “I’ve championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress.” ``In February, 2007, Adam Brickley gave himself a mission: he began searching for a running mate for McCain who could halt the momentum of the Democrats. Brickley, a self-described “obsessive” political junkie who recently graduated from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, told me that he began by “randomly searching Wikipedia and election sites for Republican women.”... ``By the spring, the McCain campaign had reportedly sent scouts to Alaska to start vetting Palin as a possible running mate. A week or so before McCain named her, however, sources close to the campaign say, McCain was intent on naming his fellow-senator Joe Lieberman, an independent, who left the Democratic Party in 2006. David Keene, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, who is close to a number of McCain’s top aides, told me that “McCain and Lindsey Graham”—the South Carolina senator, who has been McCain’s closest campaign companion—“really wanted Joe.” But Keene believed that “McCain was scared off” in the final days, after warnings from his advisers that choosing Lieberman would ignite a contentious floor fight at the Convention, as social conservatives revolted against Lieberman for being, among other things, pro-choice. ``“They took it away from him,” a longtime friend of McCain—who asked not to be identified, since the campaign has declined to discuss its selection process—said of the advisers. “He was furious. He was pissed. It wasn’t what he wanted.” Another friend disputed this, characterizing McCain’s mood as one of “understanding resignation.” ''

Edits we can believe in

Horace Rumpole — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:31:03 -0800

He holds a degree in jam-making. His stepmother is a former stripper by the name of Kandy Caine. He once appeared in a Backstreet Boys video. He's Senator Julian Polonius Foley Marcos DeWiki III, and he's running for President. (more) (via)

VP debate highlights in song and dance

MegoSteve — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:08:43 -0800

If you missed the VP debate last night, you might enjoy this video of VP debate highlights in song and dance by Michael Gregory. (Also available: Running From Your Shadow, presidential debate highlights in song and dance.) DLYT

Final Days

djgh — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:46:26 -0800

"On the weekends, he favors two-hour bicycle rides at a Secret Service training facility outside Washington, where he sometimes asks companions and agents to ride behind him so that he can have the illusion of riding alone." With all the focus on the upcoming election, what of George W. Bush?

A Speech So Stirring It Converted Pat Buchanan

WCityMike — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:46:30 -0800

On the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, Barack Obama accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party to be their Presidential candidate with a speech so well-crafted that Pat bloody Buchanan couldn't stop raving about it, and had to be cut off by his fellow broadcasters. It was an occasion so historic that McCain chose to release an ad congratulating his opponent.

US Presidential Campaign Videos

flibbertigibbet — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:03:41 -0800

The evolution of the US presidential campaign ad, 1952 to 1996... 1952: Eisenhower-Nixon (We Like Ike, The Man from Abilene) vs Stevenson-Sparkman (I Love the Gov [apologies for the intro], Ike... Bob..., Vote Stevenson/The Music Man, (Remember the Farmer, Back to the Days of '31). Bonus: Newsreels dealing with the campaigns. 1956: Eisenhower-Nixon (Eisenhower Answers America: The Cost of Living [excerpt], Corruption (california spot)) vs Stevenson-Kefauver (How's that again, General?, The Man from Libertyville [same annoying intro], Ad-lee, Ad-lie). Bonus: Election Day newsreel, including a santa Claus arriving in a flying saucer; Eisenhower, Suez, and hungary in 1956. 1960: Kennedy/Johnson (Harry Belafonte for Kennedy, West Virginia PRIMARY reel, Every Republican.../Nixon's Experience [higher quality version as part of this reel of Kennedy ads], Kennedy Kennedy Kennedy Kennedy, If We Fail..., Viva Kennedy, Medical Care for our Older Citizens) vs Nixon-Lodge (Peace without Surrender, A Little Help from Ike, Lodge: Our Responsibility is Great). Bonus: Nixon, a year after the election, playing his piano concerto; Nixon/Kennedy bio and debate, other parts of whicdh, dealing solely with Nixon and his life, are available here; Kennedy's inauguration, (part 2), Kennedy on November 9th, 1960. 1964: Johnson-Humphrey (I don't feel guilty being a Republican, Goldwater needs the KKK's help, The Daisy Ad, Which Barry?/Remember Him?, Great Society, Saw off the Eastern Seaboard [annoying intro]) vs Goldwater-Miller (I Don't like No-Win Wars, Bearded Dictator, 90-miles off/The Hand of Big Government/Is Moral Responsibility Out of Style/I Pledge Allegiance). Bonus: Johnson's 1965 inauguration newsreel, more on his inauguration. 1968: Nixon-Agnew (Honourable End, Endorsed by Bush/Endorsed by Baker, Freedom from Fear, Do Something WITH your Country, American Youth, Speaking For You, So Ineffectively as in Vietnam) vs Humphrey-Muskie (What has Nixon ever done for you?, Agnew for VP [annoying intro], Nixon's Silence, Political Winds, Do you want Castro to have the bomb?) vs Wallace-LeMay (Wallace has the courage). 1972: Nixon-Agnew (Nixon Now) vs McGovern-Shriver (This is about..., You have to make those hard decisions, He was hired by James McCord/Don't want to rock the boat/assorted 1984 primary advertisements, Our Economy... [annoying intro]). Bonus: CBS on Nixon's re-election efforts, in January, 1972; Nixon goes on Soviet TV; Shirley Maclaine goes on Cavett for McGovern. 1976: Carter-Mondale (I'm a Southerner (annoying intro), It's hard Work (Rosalyn Carter) (annoying intro), The Republicans assure us/two 1980 commercials, We've built walls) vs Ford-Dole (He was...). Bonus: Carter profile, Ford's debate gaffe, Ford at Republican National Convention, Reagan's Impromptu Concession speech, Ford's bicentennial minute, Mark Russell's special on the '76 campaign (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Dole: Democratic wars. 1980: Reagan-Bush (Nancy deeply resents..., Ted Kennedy: No More, Can we afford four more years?, George Bush: a president we won't have to train [primary commercial, 25 seconds in], Slowly we slip..., Biographical sketch: a State of Crisis, The Ayatollah Votes, Home-owning and inflation, Inflation and the elderly) vs Carter-Mondale (Two men are the real contenders..., Jimmy Carter, Commander in Chief. Bonus: clip of the Reagan-Carter debate ("there you go again"), and that phrase reprised in the Reagan-Mondale debate, Reagan accepts the nomination, Carter's statement on the doomed Operation Eagle Claw, the birth of toll-free contribution numbers. 1984: Reagan-Bush (Reaganomics, World Leaders, The Bear, Morning in America, secure Peace, A New Beginning [part 2], Next Tuesday, This was America in 1980... Today, This was america (Foreign Policy) vs Mondale-Ferraro (American Dream, Arms Control, Whole world at stake, Polls don't vote... fight!, Your share of Mr. Reagan's Deficits, Rollercoaster, Mr. Reagan's People, Always Felt [annoying intro], Teach your Parents, Orbit KILLER WEAPONS, The Red Phone [annoying intro], Gary Hart's 'New Ideas' [primary, annoying intro], Computers will take control!, Deficits of the Presidents [annoying intro], Idle Tools [annoying intro, primary]). Bonus: Jesse Jackson at Tendley Baptist (David and Goliath), Gary Hart campaign, Jesse Jackson Blues, second Reagan-Mondale debate. 1988: Bush-Quayle (Boston Harbor, The Willie Horton ad [poor quality], "He opposed, Raised taxes [1:15 in; video also includes Newscenter 8 sign-off, an ad for Speedy, US Air, and after the Bush commercial, an ad for Geraldo], Vetos and furloughs) vs Dukakis-Bentsen (The Bush Record; [N.B. all videos that follow for the Dukakis-Bentsen campaign have an annoying intro]: Leadership: Crime, I'm Fed Up With It!, The Best America is Yet To Come, Packaging Bush, Packaging Quayle, The President if Mortal/One in Five, 60-day notice, Social Security, Hey Pal!, All of us are enriched, Furloughs: The Response, Jimmy did well..., Packaging Bush, part 2, Can't Afford to be a Republican, Packaging Bush/Furlough: Part 3, Where was George?, Stopped Seabrook: Seabrook Nuclear Power Station). Bonus: CNN analysis of the campaign commercial [poor quality], CNN highlight reel [poor quality], "You're no Jack Kennedy, Bush vs Rather on Iran-Contra [poor quality], Read My Lips, Debate: If Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered..., Debate: What do you see in Dan Quayle?, Dukakis vs Ted Koppel on Nightline, Seabrook Today. 1992: Clinton-Gore (Can't Afford Four more years, Read my Lips, Read My Lips [2], Endorsed by over 600 economists, Biography [annoying into; part 2], Enough! [annoying intro], Read my Lips Alert [annoying intro], More than 30-second ads [annoying intro], Republican Neglect [annoying intro], A Plan for America) vs Bush-Quayle (no advertisements found) vs Perot-Stockdale (Let your vote say so!, plus bonus video: Perot profile on CNN, which features clips of some commercials, and an example of Perot's speaking style). Bonus: Letterman: Top Ten reasons Bush Should [not] Dump Quayle, Letterman: Top Ten: Quayle's complaints about Clinton, Potatoe and other Quayle quips, Murphy Brown responds (part 2, 3, 4, 5), Letterman: Top Ten Things Overhead at the President's Fundraiser, Clinton in Beasley School, Chicago, during the primaries, Clinton vs heckler, Clinton on Nightline [focusing on leaked letter re: Vietnam draft] (part 2, 3), Gore on campaign trail, Super 8 Clinton, A Different World election episode clip, 1992 review, Read My Lips MTV Mashup with discussion by Bill Moyers and guests. 1996: Clinton-Gore (In the line of duty: assault weapons [poor quality], growth and opportunity [annoying intro], quitting [annoying intro], If Bob Dole were already here... [annoying intro], Risky! [annoying intro]) vs Dole-Kemp (Too Liberal? [primary ad], versus Steve Forbes [primary, poor quality]) vs Nader (no ads, but there are interviews). Bonus: Again with the Mark Russell! (part 2, 3, 4, credits), Dole representative vs Charlie Rose, Charlie Rose and guests discuss the presidential debate, and many, many more; Clinton-Dole debate clip on Dole's age, football and CFC stories.

Where Religion & Politics Intersect

Rykey — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:47:02 -0800

Like it or not, religion is at the forefront of the 2008 US Presidential elections. The Pew Forum On Religion & Public Life previously cited in MeFi threads examines many of the current intersections of religion and politics, domestic and abroad.

"NIXON-AGNEW", in red and in blue.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:49:33 -0800

United States election logos, 2008-1960.

The story of the Democratic primaries so far, boiled down to seven minutes.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:10:22 -0800

The Democratic Primary Season in 7 Minutes.

Prolonging the Battle

digaman — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:54:13 -0800

The hidden factor in Hillary Clinton's rebound: committed Republicans voting in open primaries who want to prolong the messy battle for the Democratic nomination, encouraged by right-wing radio hosts like Laura Ingraham and Rush Limbaugh. Or is Hillary just suddenly more palatable to conservatives than multi-culti Obama?

US Presidential Greatness as a Function of Experience

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:25:50 -0800

Is an Experienced President a Good President?

Would he swear on the Bible?

not_on_display — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:52:32 -0800

"We have the chance to accomplish two other things: to provide a model for what a truly sincere, forthright, and courageous Presidential candidate might look like, and to demonstrate how desperate America’s voters are to see one." Jesus in 2008!

Science and Technology in the 2008 Presidential Election

homunculus — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:00:07 -0800

Dr. President: "The next president of the United States of America will control a $150 billion annual research budget, 200,000 scientists, and 38 major research institutions and all their related labs. This president will shape human endeavors in space, bioethics debates, and the energy landscape of the 21st century." With the coming election, the AAAS has created a new website and devoted a section of their journal Science to the Democratic and Republican candidates' positions on science and technology issues. But to help further clarify their positions, some people are calling for the candidates to have a presidential debate on science and technology. [Via The Intersection and Wired Science.]

The Obama Phenomenon

homunculus — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 12:55:45 -0800

Pride and Palpitations over Barack Obama's victory in Iowa. With Obama's Win, What to Expect at Fox News

Gravel's F**king Dope!

dhammond — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 21:57:22 -0800

"Presidential candidate" Mike Gravel raps, and other rappers rap for Gravel as well.

Beats flipping a coin.

allkindsoftime — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:35:29 -0800

Glassbooth connects you to the presidential candidate that represents your beliefs the best. Too busy/lazy/etc. to research the candidates on your own? Let web 2.0 tell you who to vote for.

NJPSE

XQUZYPHYR — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:40:37 -0800

The National Journal opened its Political Stock Exchange site this week, creating a free, play-money version of the various political market sites. New users get $10,000 in virtual money to bid on real-life options, including all Senate races, the first round of primaries, potential VP selections, and the margin of Bush's approval rating by the end of the year.

"This was what college students did before Facebook."

kliuless — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 12:49:59 -0800

Hillary Clinton as Lisa Simpson!? Not sure if I put my finger on it, but that's my impression reading some excerpts from letters Hillary Clinton wrote to a high school friend whilst in college. I've been entertaining Barack Obama as Lincoln -- an impression he's actively cultivated (so, another Simpsons tie-in :) -- and I welcome uncanned glimpses into candidates' formative years to get a better idea of their 'character' (as if they're running on character and 'bio') so it was great to read her reminisce on her childhood: "I'd play out in the patch of sunlight that broke the density of the elms in front of our house and pretend there were heavenly movie cameras watching my every move."

President and CEO

kliuless — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 04:07:15 -0800

Bloomberg running for prez as an independent? You'd almost have to give it low odds but, as an outside possibility, I find it intriguing.

... Karl Rove, a handful of the party's most tech-savvy computer gurus and the former Republican Ohio Secretary of State, created, owned and operated the vote-counting system...

amberglow — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:44:57 -0800

Network Hosting Attorney Scandal E-Mails Also Hosted Ohio's 2004 Election Results --...more than ample documentation to show that on Election Night 2004, Ohio's "official" Secretary of State website -- which gave the world the presidential election results -- was redirected from an Ohio government server to a group of servers that contain scores of Republican web sites, including the secret White House e-mail accounts that have emerged in the scandal surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's firing of eight federal prosecutors. ...