Politics

Bush's Manager of Public Perception of Public Polls

by John Stauber — June 11, 2004 - 11:00pm

"Matthew Dowd, President Bush's chief campaign strategist,
is not just the man who conducts the president's polling.
He also works to control public perceptions about where the
presidential race stands, perhaps more aggressively than
many other campaign aides in his position. ...
'I just want to make sure people have a realistic view,'
said Mr. Dowd, whose official title is 'chief strategist,'
in an interview Friday. 'There are highs that are going to
go down, there are lows that are going to go up.

Main Source: 
New York Times, June 12, 2004

Wrapping Reagan in the Flag One Last Time

by John Stauber — June 10, 2004 - 11:00pm

"The seemingly endless media adulation and myth-building surrounding the drawn-out death and funeral of Ronald Reagan is in keeping his media-savvy teflon-coated presidency. For all the conservative squawking about liberals dominating Hollywood, it is the right-wing that has excelled at putting actors into office."

Main Source: 
CommonDreams.org, June 11, 2004

Less Punk Than You

by Diane Farsetta — June 9, 2004 - 11:00pm

Punk Voter is "a coalition of over 130 bands and about 30 independent record labels" seeking to register and mobilize punk rock fans for the 2004 U.S. presidential election. But will the effort "serve to strengthen the very political system that punk has made its reputation attacking?" Scott Evans would say yes. He writes: "Last March [political punk band] Propagandhi withdrew from Punk Voter's Rock Against Bush Vol.

Main Source: 
CounterPunch, June 10, 2004

Congress: It's Not Just for Fat Cats Anymore

by John Stauber — June 9, 2004 - 11:00pm

The New York Times editorializes today in favor of a little known reform that might have a revitalizing affect on the US political process. Candidates can now draw a salary running their own campaign for Congress. "The victory of a Democratic lawyer, Stephanie Herseth, in the race last week for an open House seat in South Dakota had some intriguing implications. Ms. Herseth is the first successful Congressional candidate of either party to take advantage of a change in the campaign finance rules that allows federal candidates to pay themselves salaries from their campaign treasuries. ...

Main Source: 
New York Times, June 10, 2004

One More Campaign for the Gipper

by Diane Farsetta — June 8, 2004 - 11:00pm

After a "72 hour stretch of glowing remembrances" of Ronald Reagan, "Republicans and Democrats began crafting statements" about the late president "that suited their political goals." Bush-Cheney campaign manager Ken Mehlman told the New York Times, "In many ways, George W.

Main Source: 
The Boston Globe, June 9, 2004

Getting Out the Vote, Religiously

by Diane Farsetta — June 7, 2004 - 11:00pm

House Republicans "quietly introduced a measure to make it easier for churches to support political candidates, just days after the Bush campaign ... [invited] church members to distribute campaign information at their houses of worship," reports the New York Times. "'Safe Harbor for Churches' ...

Main Source: 
New York Times, June 8, 2004

The Terminator, The Gipper and the Banana Republicans

by John Stauber — June 1, 2004 - 11:00pm

"Acting has been a stepping-stone to political careers for numerous Republicans. In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger examples include Ronald Reagan the former governor of California and two-term president of the United States. There are several reasons for this disparity. One is that the Republican Party has actively recruited and supported candidates from the entertainment world. Another is that Republicans often run as 'anti-government' or 'non-politician' candidates, so that an actor's lack of political experience can actually be an advantage for his campaign.

Main Source: 
Excerpt from the book "Banana Republicans," June 2, 2004

Is America Being America?

by Diane Farsetta — May 31, 2004 - 11:00pm

John Kerry's presidential campaign has adopted and dropped several slogans, including a "better set of choices," "safer, stronger, more secure," the "courage to do what's right for America," "the real deal," "bring it on," "change starts here," "build a stronger America," and a "lifetime of service and strength," reports the New York Times.

Main Source: 
New York Times, June 1, 2004

Brand Name: "War President"

by Diane Farsetta — May 24, 2004 - 11:00pm

How is Bush-Cheney '04 like a marketing campaign? "In 2000, Mr. Bush shattered fund-raising records... by recruiting supporters to join a program called the Pioneers, fund-raisers who pledged to raise at least $100,000.

Main Source: 
The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 2004

Lie in a TV Ad, Voters Will Believe You

by John Stauber — May 12, 2004 - 11:00pm

Adam Clymer, formerly the New York Times Washington correspondent, is now the political director for the National Annenberg Election
Survey. He writes in an editorial column that "Americans like to say they are not influenced by campaign commercials, but then many people plainly
believe the attack ads that President Bush and John Kerry
are hurling at each other.

Main Source: 
New York Times, May 12, 2004
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