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Category: US Politics

Who will the Southern Baptists let McCain choose?

Who will the Southern Baptists let McCain choose?

Which VP will keep Southern Baptists on-side? Mike has alerted me to a fascinating CBS News interview with Richard Land, who chairs the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the ‘public-policy wing’ of the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC is the largest Protestant denomination in the US, and they weild significant political influence over the Republican Party. “CBSNews.com: A number of evangelicals and leaders of what used to be called the religious right have said that what they’re really looking for–to…

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Does this have wider implications?

Does this have wider implications?

What might this mean for Michigan and the Presidential campaigns? Thirty-four-years-and-a-day since Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, the most serious political scandal of 2008 is reaching its peak, and rather refreshingly it doesn’t directly involve either candidate in the White House race. Kwame Kilpatrick, the Mayor of Detroit, is tonight sat in jail, having breached his bail conditions by taking a trip to Canada. The 38-year-old Mayor, once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, is facing eight indictments,…

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How much does military service count?

How much does military service count?

What is the impact of a nominee for POTUS having worn the uniform? “To err is human; to forgive, divine. Neither is the stated policy of the United States Marine Corps.” During the final stages of the primary season, when McCain was already the presumptive nominee but Clinton and Obama were still fighting their way to the Democratic nomination, I commented that the three candidates were all suited to different variants of the job. Rather glibly, I suggested that I…

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Why have these names fallen off the radar?

Why have these names fallen off the radar?

Why are Mike Huckabee and Bill Richardson no longer being touted for VP? Today’s front page of the Wall Street Journal leads with claims that both Obama and McCain are about to announce their VP choices in the coming week. They give a list of prospective candidates on the ‘Narrow List’ that everyone here will be familiar with from our discussions. For McCain, Governors Pawlenty (MN), Crist (FL) and Palin (AK) join Carly Fiorina (CEO of HP), fmr Governor Mitt…

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Who will exploit the cracks in the glass ceiling?

Who will exploit the cracks in the glass ceiling?

Has Hillary’s loss helped future female Presidential hopefuls? I’ll start with a controversial premise: Hillary Clinton failing to win the Democratic nomination might well have been the best thing that could have happened, from the perspective of those who like the idea of living under a female President of the United States. I have little doubt that Hillary Clinton would have beaten John McCain – largely because she was better equipped to secure Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida than Obama,…

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Things to do in Denver when you’re … a blogger

Things to do in Denver when you’re … a blogger

For one week in August, Politicalbetting.com will be reporting from Denver Back in March, I sent in some application forms to the DNC and RNC so that PoliticalBetting.com could be credentialled alongside other media outlets to cover the Nominating Conventions from Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul respectively. The RNC gave us an unequivocal rejection (the Right seems less interested in what Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) called “a Series of Tubes“ than the Left) but the Democrats have made some accommodation for…

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How audacious is Obama prepared to be?

How audacious is Obama prepared to be?

Could a daring move could seal the Election early? Very few people would fail to recognise the talents of Senator Obama as a campaigning politician. His oratory is uplifting, his intellect apparent, his energy and youth appealing, and his campaign not only made the most of new technology, but didn’t sacrifice the benefits of old-fashioned door knocking and lawn signs either. He beat one of the toughest opponents imagineable in the primary season, and now enjoys a massive fundraising advantage…

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Gubernatorial Races in November

Gubernatorial Races in November

How many State Houses will change hands? In this, the centennial year of the non-partisan National Governors’ Association, the Democrats currently occupy 28 of the 50 State Houses in the US, and will be hoping to extend this tally in November. These races, which arguably have a greater impact on voters’ lives than Congressional contests, are frequently overshadowed by elections for the US Senate, so I wanted to give an overview of each of November’s Gubernatorial battles. I have excluded…

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