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The Choice

Great documentary on Senators McCain and Obama. As fair as anything out there about two remarkable men. Watch the whole two hour documentary online for free!

Great list of articles on both candidates.

VOTE.

Peer pressure (and used to be beer pressure)

Fascinating article:

In the 1880s, Green said, turnout used to touch 80 percent. By the 1920s, it was down to 40 percent. The reason, he said, was a number of well-meaning electoral reforms.

Elections in the mid-19th century were festive affairs, and people gathered to carouse, jostle one another and vote. They sometimes cast their ballots on a stage to cheers and jeers. Voting, even their choice of candidates, used to be extremely public.

A series of progressive reforms in the late 19th century turned voting into a private affair. Campaign operatives were kept clear of polling stations. People got to vote in secret, and few knew whether their neighbors voted.

Turnout plummeted.

What this suggests is that, besides civic pride and political conviction, a central reason people vote is that democratic participation is an intensely social act. Politics, candidates and campaigns offer us zones of connection with other citizens -- even our political opponents. It gives millions of people common topics of conversation.

Voting used to be that way, too. We certainly don't want to go back to the time when casting ballots involved fistfights and booze, but the Michigan experiment suggests one way we can revive some of the social aspects of voting.
Your vote may count for very little in the outcome of an election, but it may count for a lot in the eyes of your friends and neighbors.

See the Washington Post article in full.

Eight days and counting down

I personally believe this election will be far closer than any poll is indicating. However, out of a number of possible scenarios, I recognize that the likelihood of McCain winning by a blowout is highly unlikely. Still, if it's close, it's either man's election.

That said, there are a number of interesting articles out there about the state of the race and some larger issues.
1) George W. Bush's campaign folks, namely Karl Rove, thought that they were going to create a new Republican majority in America. That hasn't worked out. If the GOP wins the presidential election, it will be DESPITE President Bush. Also, the GOP is quite likely to lose many seats in Congress. John Harwood of the NYTimes has more.
2) The issue of race is obviously a factor in this election. What kind of factor? Who really knows until election day? Pennsylvania will serve as a large experiment, and here's an article on that state from the NYTimes.
3) All of the focus has, obviously, been on the presidential contest. However, no less important are the MANY races taking place at the state level, for state government. Most states are holding their legislative elections, and those outcomes will have an important determination on how all legislative districts are redrawn across the country. The GOP's chances look better in this important area. See here.
4) Recent polling from the Commonwealth of Virginia makes the state look good for Obama. Both Obama and Palin have visited my town of Leesburg within the past week. This is an important state, which is odd for presidential elections.
5) In most battleground states, Obama has the upper hand. But it is CLOSE in many of those states, according to Zogby.

Polling - is it really scientific?

10/28/2008: NYTimes on fivethiryeight.com, among others. See HERE.

Poll watching is ADDICTIVE: See WSJ HERE.

Reasons to doubt ANY poll: see this interesting WSJ article.

A spate of widely publicized newspaper and network polls over the past week have shown Barack Obama opening a big lead over John McCain. But other surveys tell a somewhat different story, suggesting the presidential race is still close, and the Republican has even gained ground in recent days.

The reason for the divergence: Pollsters are facing new challenges this year, trying to gauge whether the electorate is changing, and how much.

Triangle

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David von Drehle

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fine book. If you find any of the following topics interesting, then this book is for you: American political history; New York City politics; New York state politics; the rise of Al Smith; the rise of FDR; the creation of the modern Democratic Party; the rise of bigger government; social movements; immigrant politics; and suffrage for women. One need not be happy with all of those topics, but the Triangle fire in NYC in 1911 was an important event in the changing relationship between the government (at all levels) and the people. A tale of a tragic event that was well told too.


View all my reviews.

Polling

An interesting - and long - article on polling.

Another good op-ed about polling. We can trust polls - with QUALIFICATIONS! And we should definitely not focus too much on immediate exit polls. Just watch for the ultimate poll: the election returns! Michael Barone in the WSJ.

McCain

McCain is no fan of the New York Times, but the Times Magazine has a thick story on the Senator. Haven't read it yet, but it should be interesting. The article is written by Robert Draper, who wrote a surprisingly balanced book on President George W. Bush, Dead Certain.

Here's last Sunday's NYTimes Magazine's article on Obama. Fascinating.

Editorials

Two interesting editorials out in two prominent papers.

The Wall Street Journal offers a cautionary editorial on what will happen if Dems win the White House and build on their lead in Congress.

The Washington Post endorses Barack Obama for president.

Need a break from a nasty campaign?

Watch the below videos:

Obama 1:


Obama 2:


McCain 1:


McCain 2:

Interesting article on Northern Virginia Congressman, Tom Davis

A must read about Rep. Davis's frustrations as a Congressman and Republican. From NYTimes Magazine.

NOVA Students Debate!

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DEBATE 2008

ALEXANDRIA CAMPUS

BISDORF PHASE III AUDITORIUM

ROTUNDA

Tuesday, October 7, 12:30-2:00 P.M.



Moderator: Dr. Jim McClellan, Dean, H & SS

Event sponsor: Campus Diversity Committee

Special Consultant: Dr. Jack Lechelt, Pol. Sci. Dept.



We invite the entire campus community to attend this event.

Hope to see you there!

Interesting articles

I haven't read all of these yet, but they appear to be interesting.

- On McCain's chief strategist, Steve Schmidt. From the LA Times.

- George Packer article on Obama's efforts in Ohio. From the New Yorker.

- Article on Ariana Huffington. From the New Yorker.

- Article on John McCain's career as a Navy pilot. From the LA Times.

Great political website!

A student point this gem of a website out to me. I don't understand all of the graphs and do-dads, but impressive. Hopefully it is still around after the election.
FiveThirtyEight.com.

Early Voting: Catch the WAVE!

Voters across the nation are ALREADY casting their ballots for the next president.
Check out this article from the Washington Post.
What can local residents do? (That is, those living in VA, MD, or DC.)
The District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia require an excuse for absentee voting, which can be done by mail or in person at local election boards or designated centers.

Virginia requires voters to specify one of 16 reasons they need an absentee ballot. They can vote absentee without an excuse, however, if they request a ballot containing only the presidential and vice presidential candidates.
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms
Here is the actual absentee voter application: http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Absentee_Documents/VA_Absentee_ballot_application.pdf

District of Columbia.
http://www.dcboee.org

Maryland voters in November will decide whether to amend the state constitution to allow no-excuse absentee voting and early voting beginning in 2010.
www.elections.state.md.us