KPCC Election 2008

How's Your Election Spirit?

Mon, 05 May 2008 19:32:18 -0800

Election fatigue is starting to plague even the most die-hard politicos. Are you still feeling engaged and interested in the primary race, or do you just want it to be over? Let us know.

The Immigration Reform Debate

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:10:35 -0800

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.

What is the most important aspect of comprehensive immigration reform? ( surveys)

Pennsylvania Democratic Primary

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:09:02 -0800

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!

Pennsylvania Democratic Debate

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:56:31 -0800

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!

Space Voting!

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:46:03 -0800

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.

Which presidential candidate would handle the war in Iraq best, and why?

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:08:44 -0800

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!

Which presidential candidate would you like to bring back?

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:22:49 -0800

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!

Which factors should decide the Democratic nominee?

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:09:49 -0800

With neither candidate having enough delegates to win without the superdelegates, the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns have made opposing arguments about what the factors used to determine the nominee should be, attempting to influence the superdelegates in their favor. The Obama campaign has argued that pledged delegates should be the most important factor, with Obama currently leading 1,406 to 1,249, according to the Associated Press. The Clinton campaign has recently argued that superdelegates should look at who has won the most big states, which they argue puts Hillary in the lead.

Other factors discussed have included the popular vote (Obama is currently ahead by 700,000 votes out of 26 million), number of states won (Obama currently leads 27 to 14), opinion polling, electability, momentum, and whether each superdelegate should vote their conscience as to which candidate they like personally. Clinton backer Evan Bayh recently pushed the idea that superdelegates should look at the number of electoral votes that the states each candidate has won will have in the general election, which would currently put Hillary ahead 219 to 202. There's also the question of whether the Michigan and Florida votes should be considered in these calculations, even though their elections were ruled invalid by the Democratic National Committee.

Which do you think the superdelegates should consider when making their decision about who the Democratic nominee should be? Which measurements are important to you? We'd love to hear your thoughts; vote in our poll, and tell us more about your thinking by posting a comment below!

A Delegate Situation

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:47:49 -0800

Way back in 2007, when states were jockeying to see who could hold the earliest and therefore most (it seemed at the time) influential primaries, both Michigan and Florida moved up their Democratic primaries (to 1/15/08 and 1/29/08, respectively).

These dates were earlier than was allowed by Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules. The DNC had warned both states that if they did this, their delegates would not be seated at the nominating convention in August 2008. The states chose to move their primaries anyway. In Michigan, the decision to move the primary was made by the state Democratic party. In Florida, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed a law moving the primary date.

Because the assumption was that the states' delegates would not be seated, many of the Democratic candidates did not actively campaign in Florida or Michigan. Several campaigns, including the Obama and Clinton camps, signed a pledge that they would not campaign in those states.

In Florida, all the candidates remained on the ballot. In Michigan, Obama was among several candidates who withdrew their names from the ballot; Clinton did not do so. Clinton won both primaries.

Fast-forward to today. There is a debate raging about what should be done regarding Florida and Michigan's delegates. (An interesting article on this from today's New York Times.) The most likely options appear to be:

Don't seat the delegates at the convention, as was stipulated originally by the DNC when the states chose to move their primaries
Split the delegates 50/50 between Clinton and Obama
Hold in-person do-over elections
Hold mail-in do-over elections

Any form of do-over elections would cost money, and there are also debates about who would pay for them.

Beyond that, there are arguments aplenty about what would be most fair - to the candidates, to the voters in Florida and Michigan, to the other states who followed the DNC's rules, etc.

What do you think is, overall, the fairest way to address Florida and Michigan's delegates in the Democratic presidential race? Why?

Pick the Veep!

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:53:26 -0800

Senator John McCain has clinched the Republican nomination. Whom should he choose as his running mate?

What factors should McCain be considering? Who would best complement his "maverick" style of Republicanism? Post your comment below!

McCain and Obama argue over Iraq

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:11:40 -0800

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have gone back and forth on the issue of Iraq over the last couple days.

Their recent issue began with Obama's comments during Tuesday night's Democratic debate that he would withdraw troops from Iraq, but reserved the right to send them back in if al-Qaida began to establish a base in Iraq. McCain fired back Wednesday that al-Qaida is already in Iraq, and that Obama's answer showed a lack of understanding. They've continued to exchange barbs.

How important is the issue of Iraq to you? What do you think about the Iraq war so far? What do you think should be done going forward? Tell us all about it in our comments!

(Photo: STF/AFP/Getty Images)

Obama and Clinton Face Off In Key Debate

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:35:43 -0800

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama debated on MSNBC last night in Cleveland, Ohio. The debate opened with a 16 minute back and forth over health care. Other topics that they grappled with included Louis Farrakhan, Russia, IRS records, media bias, Iraq, campaign tactics, the NAFTA trade agreements, and more.

Who do you think won the debate? Does either candidate gain momentum going into next week's Ohio and Texas primaries? Is the media being fair to both candidates? We'd love to hear what you think in our comments!

(Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

Senator Dodd Endorses Obama

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:52:46 -0800

Senator Chris Dodd endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama today. Dodd is the first 2008 Democratic presidential candidate to make an endorsement. Other former Democratic candidates John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, and Dennis Kucinich have all remained on the sidelines to date.

There has been concern over the prospect of superdelegates going against the pledged delegate total, popular vote, and/or number of states won, and tipping the election. Dodd himself is a superdelegate. Obama has been picking up more superdelegate endorsements, while Hillary Clinton has lost some who had previously committed to her.

Who do you think has momentum in the Democratic race? Hillary Clinton? Barack Obama? Mike Gravel? Do you think there's a chance it could shift directions? If so, how?

What impact do you think Dodd's endorsement will have? What impact would the endorsements of other 2008 Democratic candidates have, and will they endorse soon? How about former vice president/2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore? Who do you think any of them would endorse? Tell us your thoughts in our comments!

Ralph Nader Announces Third Presidential Bid

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:13:31 -0800

Ralph Nader announced his third presidential bid on Sunday's "Meet The Press." He previously ran in 2000, winning 2.7% of the vote, and 2004, winning 0.4% of the vote.

Nader came to prominence as a consumer advocate, writing the book "Unsafe at Any Speed" and taking on the car industry for their safety practices. He continued his activism, forming the group Public Citizen and enlisting other activists to work for him, who became known as "Nader's Raiders."

In 2000, he ran for president on the Green Party ticket, hoping to earn 5% of the popular vote, which would have earned the Green Party matching funds in future elections. However, he only received 2.7% of the popular vote. There was an ensuing argument about whether the votes for Nader could have tipped the 2000 election from Al Gore to George W. Bush, particularly due to Nader's votes in Florida, a crucial swing state. He ran for president again in 2004, this time independent of any party, receiving 0.4% of the vote.

Do you feel the need for a third party candidate? Are you happy with the choices offered by the Democratic and Republican parties? Do you worry about Nader tipping the balance one direction or another in this election? Would you consider voting for Nader or another third party candidate? Tell us your thoughts in our comments section!

The New York Times vs. John McCain

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:39:30 -0800

What do you think of today's New York Times article about Senator John McCain's relationship with a telecommunications industry lobbyist?

Do you consider it to be a worthwhile journalistic contribution to the presidential campaign? Do you believe, as Senator McCain charged, that the article amounted to nothing more than "a hit-and-run smear campaign?" Do you think it matters whether McCain had an affair with the lobbyist?

The New York Times argues that its article was trying to make a more subtle point, as the article put it: "Even as he has vowed to hold himself to the highest ethical standards, his confidence in his own integrity has sometimes seemed to blind him to potentially embarrassing conflicts of interest." Do you think the article substantiates that assertion?

Update: The New York Times is soliciting reader questions regarding the McCain article; questions will be addressed on Friday, February 22 by the reporters and editors who worked on the story.