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Lonely Candidate
by Jon Brooks
Fri, October 05, 2007, 2:00 am PDT

It's amazing how all the guys and gals running for office this election season are special. But don't take our word for it. Verification is amply available at Lonely Candidate, where they're tracking each and every time a candidate or proxy claims to possess a unique quality, resume item, or political position by starting a sentence with the words "I'm the only..." Examples:

  • Rudy Giuliani: "I'm the only Republican candidate who can beat Hillary Clinton."
  • Bill Richardson: "I am the only candidate for a constitutional amendment to balance the budget."
  • Dennis Kucinich: "...I'm the only candidate willing and eager to challenge the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies."
  • John McCain: "I'm the only candidate in this race prepared to be Commander-in-Chief from day one and dedicated to continuing the fight against Islamic fundamentalists."

OK, save your "whoop-dee-doos" and "well la dee das" until you've browsed a few more. Like how about this one from Minnesota Democratic candidate for senator Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer: "I'm the only candidate in this race who has a hyphenated last name."

Talk about a shoo-in.

Visit Lonely Candidate

Filed under: Politics, Political Humor, U.S. Elections

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Washingtonpost.com: Issue Coverage Tracker
by Molly McCall
Mon, September 17, 2007, 3:00 am PDT

After Howard Dean astonished the politerati by, gasp, using the Web in 2004, no candidate was going to get caught without an extensive online presence this time around. Neither was any news portal going to withstand the campaign season without launching at least one flashy interactive tool. Among some of the latest online endeavors, we like the Candidate Mashup from our own Yahoo! News (currently Democrats-only) and the Issue Coverage Tracker at Washingtonpost.com.

Drawing from online sources that include news organizations, bloggers, and interest groups, the Post's tracker pulls in commentary and coverage of the presidential race, and then presents the "mentions" in a way that shows graphically who's taking the most heat on what. Scroll over John McCain, for example, and see what issues are most associated with his name in online chatter (immigration, Iraq). Or look at hot button topics like abortion (Giuliani, Thompson) or Iraq (Clinton, Obama) for the candidates who are kicking up the most buzz. Click further and the tracker will dispatch you to the original sources. This is a snazzy piece of web design—and a refreshing way to see how the candidates are being assessed and critiqued online.

Visit Washingtonpost.com: Issue Coverage Tracker

Filed under: Politics, News, Media, U.S. Elections

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Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency
by Molly McCall
Mon, July 02, 2007, 3:00 am PDT

This four-part series from The Washington Post delves into the "largely hidden and little-understood role" that Dick Cheney plays in the Bush White House. ("Angler" is the Secret Service code name for Bush's second-in-command.) Offering photos, video, an annotated cast of characters, and quotes from a range of D.C. power brokers, this multimedia package returns from its biographical deep-dive with a cache of scintillating details: What did the newly elected vice president say to Dan Quayle at a meeting intended to give the Wyoming politician the lay of the land? How did Cheney react as the second tower fell on September 11? And why did the nation's V.P. once call the 19th-ranking official in the Interior Department? No other vice president has wielded the power of his office so fully. Regardless of your opinion of the man, you will surely find something fascinating—and entirely new—in this series.
Visit Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency

Filed under: Politics, Government, People

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Bill Moyers Journal
by Jon Brooks
Fri, May 04, 2007, 3:00 am PDT

Bill Moyers is on the air again, kicking butt and taking names in his own inimitable fashion. If you haven't seen the new weekly series yet, this PBS companion site will serve as a great introduction. You can watch his recent two-hour documentary on the media's culpability in "buying the war" and perpetuating the myths of Iraqi weapons and a Saddam-al Qaida link. Also catch interviews with "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart and journalist/blogger Josh Marshall. A complete show archive, a blog, a podcast, and transcripts round out the offerings. Or find out when the show airs in your market. Keep on keepin' on, Bill; the Republic needs you.
Visit Bill Moyers Journal

Filed under: Politics, Television, News, Media

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Angry Asian Man
by Molly McCall
Sat, April 14, 2007, 3:00 am PDT

As he acknowledges right off, he's not as angry as you think. But he's not going to just sit back and let stuff slide by him, either. Since January, Angry Asian Man has blogged loud and proud about everything from the indignity of some Las Vegas advertising to the glorious prowess of air-guitar master C-Diddy, aka "the Asian fury." (Make air, not war.) Our muckraking blogger tracks who's getting in to Hillary Clinton's fundraisers and who's not, spreads the word on police violence against a Sikh-American army vet, and wades in to the Sanjaya spectacle on "American Idol." He marks the anniversaries of the Bataan Death March and the Syracuse Denny's Incident. He revels in the Sundance film festival. And he comes close to gushing about "Chinatown bad boy" rappers Notorious MSG. He loves. He hates. He's a conscious human in America. Blog on, Angry Asian Man.
Visit Angry Asian Man

Filed under: Politics, Blogs, Pop Culture, Cultures and Groups, Asian-Americans

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