KPCC Election 2008
April 2008 Archives
The Immigration Reform Debate
On May Day, immigration marches are once again planned throughout Los Angeles. Immigration is also a hot topic in this election year, with all three candidates proposing a variety of reforms. What matters to you in the immigration debate? Where do you stand? Tell us all about it by commenting below!
Note: We understand that this is a controversial issue on which people have strong feelings. We ask that you keep your comments civil and respectful.
Tools
- April 30, 2008 4:10 PM
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Pennsylvania Democratic Primary
The next major Democratic contest is the Tuesday, April 22 Pennsylvania primary. Hillary Clinton enters ahead in Pennsylvania polls, but behind Barack Obama in delegates and voters. What do you think Clinton needs to do in order to win more pledged delegates and superdelegates?
Both candidates have also sharpened their tone against one another as the election season progresses. Do you think this will win either one more voters? Do you think last week’s Pennsylvania Democratic debate helped either candidate? Tell us your thoughts on the Pennsylvania primary, our poll, and the election in general in our comments!
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- April 21, 2008 3:09 PM
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Pennsylvania Democratic Debate
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama debated in Pennsylvania Wednesday night, leading into next Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary. You can tune in to hear the entire debate Thursday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. here on 89.3 KPCC, along with special NPR analysis. The debate covered hot button issues, including Senator Obama's comments on small town voters, Senator Clinton's account of her visit to and landing in Bosnia, whether Clinton felt Obama could win in the fall, and Obama's connection with Reverend Jeremiah Wright. It also covered policy questions, including gun control, taxes, and Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. In their closing statements, they were asked to make their case to the superdelegates for why they should be chosen as the party's nominee. Who do you think won the debate, and why? Did the issues you were interested in get addressed adequately during the debate? Who do you think will win in Pennsylvania, and who will get the Democratic presidential nomination? Tell us your thoughts in our comments!Tools
- April 17, 2008 10:56 AM
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Space Voting!
You may know about absentee voting via mail, or from overseas. But how about from space? If you're voting in a Texas election, it's legal.
In 1996, American astronaut John E. Blaha wanted to vote in that year's general election from aboard the Russian space station Mir, but since he was sent into space before absentee ballot forms were made available and was going to be on the Mir space station until after the election, he wasn't allowed to vote. Russian cosmonauts had simply voiced their voting preferences to staff on Earth, but U.S. law wouldn't allow that due to privacy concerns.
In 1997, with most astronauts being stationed in the Houston area, the Texas legislature passed a bill allowing their citizens to, yes, vote from outer space. Fun fact: It was signed into law by then Texas governor George W. Bush.
An electronic ballot is generated by the county clerk's office, which is then e-mailed to the astronaut's secure e-mail account. Mission control then transmits the e-mail via satellite to the astronaut in question. The astronaut can then cast his vote and use the same secure e-mail connection to send his ballot back to the county clerk's office.
The first astronaut to exercise this right was Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao in the 2004 presidential election, during his time aboard the International Space Station.Tools
Which presidential candidate would handle the war in Iraq best, and why?
General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker testify before Congress on April 8 and 9. All three major remaining presidential candidates are on committees that will hear testimony from Petraeus and Crocker. Senators Hillary Clinton and Senator John McCain are members of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, where Petraeus and Crocker testify the morning of the 8th. Senator Barack Obama serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Petraeus and Crocker testify Tuesday afternoon.
Senator Clinton has promised to begin a phased redeployment of troops in Iraq within her first 60 days in office. Senator McCain believes that more troops are needed in Iraq. Senator Obama has pledged to immediately begin removing troops from Iraq, removing one to two combat brigades per month, with all combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months.
Which of these approachees do you think is most likely to succeed? How would you define "success" in Iraq? Will the testimony given by General Petraeus or Ambassador Crocker affect your opinion? Which candidate do you think would handle the war in Iraq best, if elected? Tell us your thoughts in our comments!Tools
- April 7, 2008 5:08 PM
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Which presidential candidate would you like to bring back?
We now have a presumptive Republican nominee, and the Democratic race has come down to two final combatants, but many other candidates on both sides have fallen over the course of this primary season.
On the Democratic side, we saw Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson, and Mike Gravel (technically still running – possibly as both a Democrat and a Libertarian!).
For the Republicans, we had Sam Brownback, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Ron Paul (also still running, sort of), Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo, Fred Thompson, and a candidate now going after the Constitution Party nomination, Alan Keyes.
Which candidate do you wish was still in the race? If you could wave a magic wand and bring back any presidential hopeful from the political dead, which would it be? Post your answer below, and tell us why!Tools
- April 3, 2008 5:22 PM
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