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In 2004 John Kerry was thought to be more electable than Howard Dean but democratic voters lost that bet. This year, electability is playing an even bigger role in the primary season. But what is it anyway? Jason Zengerle wrote about electability in the current issue of New York Magazine.
Senator Clinton? Clinton? Hillary? In response to a listener’s letter we explore how the media and On The Media refer to the junior senator from New York.
The Clinton campaign machine has developed a reputation for being adversarial, at best, with the press. Is it a response to a drubbing by the media during her husband’s presidency? Or is it a lesson learned from the Bush administration? The New Republic's Michael Crowley explains the consequences of crossing Hillary.
“Dirty tricks” have long been a staple of American campaign politics – only now they increasingly play out online, reaching millions of voters. Take, for example, the conservative email forward. Christopher Hayes, Washington editor of The Nation, has a few in his inbox.
Faux presidential candidate Stephen Colbert is getting as much attention as the serious contenders and even outscoring many of them in the polls. Brooke takes a look at Colbert's White House bid.
In his November-issue report, Harper’s editor Ken Silverstein explains how the former Massachusetts governor has been re-branded for the national market. The question now remaining is – Will you buy the product?
The celebrity endorsement is not exactly new to politics, but then there’s never been a celebrity quite like Oprah Winfrey, who, until now, has never publicly backed a politician. USC history professor Steve Ross says that Barack Obama may have won over the most influential voter of all.
Oprah may have an air of gravitas, but what about the campaign coverage itself? National Journal columnist William Powers argues that – for a variety of reasons – the soft feature has become the entrée of political reporting and the hard policy story, the side dish.
