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This weekend, Showtime kicks off a ten-episode series that aims to select a "people's candidate." The contest winner will claim $200,000 in cash and a national platform from which, producers say, the victor could mount an actual write-in campaign for president. New Hampshire Public Radio's Josh Rogers filed this report from his home state, where part of American Candidate was taped earlier this summer.
In politics, 2004 is shaping up to be the year of the weblog. During the primary, candidates discovered they could raise money from supporters by featuring blogs on their websites. And for the first time, bloggers have been accredited to cover this summer's political conventions. They'll be allowed to visit the convention floor, interview delegates, and do everything the other journalists do. Some guardians of the old order are none too happy about their presence, but others are excited about the prospect of bloggers shaking up convention reporting. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.
With both halves of the Democratic presidential ticket accounted for, campaign season is finally in full swing. There wasn't much novelty in the substance of the candidates' stump speeches this week. But when it came to the ever-important war of images, it was clear that at least one major element of the race is still up for grabs. Namely, says Paul Waldman, editor-in-chief of The Gadflyer, the character flaw that will ultimately define John Kerry. Waldman and Brooke look at how the two campaigns have used the media to define the top John.
Presidential candidate and anti-corporate crusader Ralph Nader's new book hit stores this month, courtesy of publishing house HarperCollins. The irony is that HarperCollins is owned by Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul who does not hesitate to use his media organs to promote Republican causes. Is HarperCollins admirably backing books that fly in the face of its owner's politics? Or is Murdoch another one of the powerful Republicans cynically supporting Nader to re-route votes from John Kerry? Bob talks to Salon senior writer Eric Boehlert.
The metaphor of the week was "last piece in the puzzle." The piece in question was Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, newly anointed contender for vice president. And "the pick" was the news that kept on giving. From Tuesday morning, when Senator Kerry made his choice known, through this Sunday, when the two Johns will appear together on 60 Minutes, the new look of the presumptive Democratic ticket dominated headlines, thanks to a carefully crafted media strategy of photo-friendly events spread over the course of the week. Brooke and Bob recap.
Listeners weigh in on our coverage of voter disenfranchisement in Florida, as well as our handling of the 9/11 Commission's recent reports.
With his poll numbers slipping even on issues previously dominated by Republicans, and critical media coverage of his administration higher-ups making headlines every day, the president and inner circle have been visibly dodging and deflecting for several weeks now. But where is John Kerry? Is the Democratic challenger intentionally lying low, saving his media strength for the last lap? And is this the strategy that he used to win the first time around? No and no, says former Kerry rival Howard Dean. Bob discusses the campaign with the world's leading expert on getting skunked by Kerry.
On Wednesday, a judge in Florida heard arguments in a case brought by CNN against the State of Florida. At issue is the list of convicted felons in the state, who under Florida law, must be purged from the voting rolls. State law allows the press to view the list, but not to copy or disseminate it. Florida Senator Bill Nelson, who has joined CNN in its lawsuit, tells Brooke why he thinks it's so important that the media have full access to the list
