September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
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October 2008
New Hampshire: a reality check on the election
10/21/08 2:45 PM
Tufts is a (mostly) liberal-minded school in the middle of a very blue state. It is also a university comprised of educated, politically aware, and successful students. Given this environment, it is sometimes easy to forget that the population of the rest of the country does not always look this way. Less than an hour north, New Hampshire—one of the most contested states in the election--offers a reality check on how close this election may be. A few observations from a recent venture outside of Massa-blue-setts: 1. Signs: Aside from the state’s slogan plastered on every license plate (“Live Free or Die”), roadside reading material is dominated by campaign signs supporting every candidate imaginable. Close Senate and House races are very visible, but...Debate reaction roundup: McCain gains, Obama wins
10/16/08 12:06 PM
In our last entry, I gave my own take on last night's debate and what it means for the 2008 presidential race going forward. But what did other (read: more qualified) people have to say? Here's a roundup of reactions from across the Web: Politico.com: "...after more than 90 minutes of intense exchanges with Barack Obama — sometimes compelling, often awkward — there was very little new light, and no obvious reason for McCain to be optimistic that he has turned his troubled campaign in a new direction." Politicalwire.com: "This was Sen. John McCain's best debate yet. He scored many points and effectively distanced himself from President Bush with the comment, "I am not president Bush. If you want to run against president Bush, you should have done that...Analysis | Could McCain's best performance be Obama's knockout punch?
10/16/08 11:04 AM
At the final presidential debate last night, John McCain faced what was likely his last, best chance to disqualify his opponent and make up for lagging poll numbers with a decisive win. By all accounts, he didn't do that. But on the morning after, the general consensus among political analysts is that the third debate was McCain's best performance. From Marc Ambinder, one of the nation's top political minds: "McCain and Obama tied on points. Maybe McCain even won on points. Solid policy answers, tough policy attacks, solid command of the facts. The first and last thirty minutes were among McCain's best . But debates aren't usually won on points. They're won on valence and visuals." And once again, Obama won the charisma and likability contest. Instant polls from CBS...Hard times for the McCain campaign
10/14/08 1:39 AM
If the McCain campaign thought that this past week was tough, then the coming week might prove nearly impossible. Considering that major news networks running head over heels to cover both rising racial tensions at McCain campaign rallies and the "abuse of power" by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, it would seem as though the McCain campaign is headed the same way as the economy. Indeed, the Gallup Poll reported recently that the Obama-Biden ticket has opened up a significant lead against their Republican opponents (51-42). At this point, even if Senator McCain secured all of the uncommited voters (about 7 percent of the electorate), he still would probably be behind Senator Obama by two percentage points. Perhaps, if Senators Obama or Biden were to make a truly...Polls find Obama won handily in second debate
10/8/08 11:32 AM
With Obama already ahead in the polls, last night's presidential debate, the second of three, may have been a final nail in the McCain campaign's coffin. The contest, held in McCain's favored "town-hall" style format, focused mainly on the economy and domestic issues, with several foreign policy questions mixed in. A CNN poll of debate watchers found that Obama had come out on top by a significant margin, with 54 percent of respondents giving him the win while just 30 percent favored McCain's performance. A CBS poll of uncommitted voters had similar numbers: 40 percent said Obama won, 26 percent favored McCain, and 34 percent said it was a tie. Those margins alone wouldn't be the end of the world for McCain -- after all, it was only one debate. But a look at some other key...Political roundtable discussion from Tufts Daily Radio
10/6/08 3:27 AM
On this week's installment of Tufts Daily radio, Tyler Cooper from the Tufts Republicans and Daily political columnist Michael Sherry discussed recent developments in the 2008 presidential race, including the recent VP debate and each campaign's strategy. You can listen below, click here to download the file and click subscribe to get Tufts Daily Radio delivered to your iTunes each week. -- Matt Skibinski...Audio | Tufts Dems, Reps discuss the election
10/3/08 5:47 PM
Representatives from the Tufts Republicans and the Tufts Democrats joined Tufts Daily political columnist Michael Sherry for a political roundtable discussion on the inaugural episode of Tufts Daily Radio (airing on WMFO, 91.5 FM, Sundays at 11:00) last week. The group discussed the first presidential debate, the significance of each ticket's vice presidential nominees, and other issues surrounding the race. You can listen to the interview below, and tune in to WMFO this Sunday to hear more campus political voices discuss the financial crisis, the VP debate and other recent developments: --Matt Skibinski...Early polls: Biden won, but Palin gained
10/3/08 2:31 AM
Ah, the era of instant polling. Just minutes after the debates finished, both CBS and CNN released "instant polls" with viewers' reactions to the debate. The numbers thus far look good for Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), but they should be taken with a grain of salt. The CNN poll asked Americans watching the debate who they thought had won. Biden topped Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) in that vote, 51 percent to 36 percent. The CBS poll was slightly different; it asked only uncommitted voters; that is, people who plan to vote but have not made up their mind about who to cast their ballot for yet. That poll (which had a limited sample size -- there were only 500 participants) found that 46 percent of participants thought Biden had prevailed. Just 21 percent thought Palin came out...Veep debate postgame analysis
10/3/08 2:22 AM
(Click here for a blow-by-blow summary of the debate). Despite many dire predictions of bloviating by Democratic Delaware Senator Joseph Biden and blunders by Republican Governor Sarah Palin, the one and only vice presidential debate was remarkably civil, and arguably just as substantive as last week’s presidential debate. It was also more enjoyable to watch. Who couldn’t appreciate Governor Palin’s remarkably genial, “Hey, can I call you Joe?” In matters of energy policy, they both played the terminology game. Biden reiterated his support for “clean coal” and “safe nuclear,” and Palin expounded the virtues of “clean green natural gas.” Though Biden successfully rebutted several of the...In VP debate, both candidates exceed expectations
10/3/08 1:07 AM
Despite predictions that it would be long-winded and gaffe-filled, Thursday's vice presidential debate turned out to be a cordial and substantive one, with Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) clashing politely on a number of issues. After Palin's series of embarassing appearances in interviews with CBS' Katie Couric last week, many assumed she would stumble and mistake key pieces of information when put on the spot in debate. She did not. Likewise, Biden's gaffe-prone, foot-in-mouth reputation preceded him, and some liberals worried that he would say or do something that conservatives could construe as condescending toward Palin (thus garnering her sympathy votes). He didn't do that either. So what did the vice presidential candidates do and say tonight? Below are...
