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Connecticut Democrat Ned Lamont’s primary victory on Tuesday has been widely heralded as the first major win for the online liberal advocacy community. But how much credit do the so-called “net-roots” really deserve? Brooke speaks with Internet theorist and NYU telecom professor Clay Shirky about the political web in its age of adolescence.
Midterm election season is almost upon us, and so we can safely expect that the tenor of TV advertising is about to take a negative turn. Attack ads are regularly condemned as a plague on the body politic, but in a new book, political scientist John Geer argues that negative ads can actually be a positive contribution to political discourse. Geer makes the case for Brooke.
What are fringe politicians who want to stand out on Capitol Hill to do? Or a politico with a pet issue for the national stage? Here’s an idea: announce a run for president. New Republic Senior Editor Michael Crowley tells Brooke some of the many reasons why a hopeless candidate announces a big run.
Former Virginia governor Mark Warner hasn’t launched a presidential campaign; neither has Senator Chuck Hagel. But both have been featured on the cover of The New York Times Magazine as potential candidates. Is Warner the anti-Hillary? Is Hagel the un-McCain? Somehow the vetting process for 2008 has already begun. NYT Magazine editor Gerald Marzorati talks timing with Brooke.
This July, Mexican voters will elect a new president. Campaign season has reflected a general loosening of the government’s stranglehold on media during the past six years. But the opening has also made way for a new media phenomenon: negative advertising. It’s a tactic that reflects the influence of political consultants who come from north of the border. From Mexico City, Collin Campbell reports.
Getting a candidate elected has its rewards, but losing isn't bad either. A media consultant for a congressional candidate, for instance, may get as much as 10-15% of the total spent on TV ads. Salon Washington bureau chief Walter Shapiro tells Bob that Americans might not fork over as many campaign contributions if they knew how much the consultants were taking.
For years, gun ownership has been one of the most persistent and polarizing aspects of America's "culture war." But have the media done justice to both sides of the issue? Some journalists have admitted that mainstream media tend to stereotype hunters and gun collectors as raging lunatics. Which, in turn, has led many gun owners to believe in media conspiracies to repeal the Second Amendment. OTM's John Solomon sets out to find some common ground.
We've all by now heard about the sleeper factor in Election '04: moral values voters. But recently, some commentators have been questioning that explanation. They point to new data from the Pew Center showing that voters identify "moral values" as their biggest concern only when presented with a multiple choice questionnaire. Bob talks to Pew director Andrew Kohut about the sloppy origins of conventional wisdom.
