presidential politics news stories on Newser

Obama's an Ideologue and a Pragmatist

John Johnson — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:35:23 CST

Depending on the day, President Obama might be derided as a Marxist radical, a corporate pawn, or pretty much anything in between, writes Ross Douthat. A year into his term, nobody can quite get a political fix on him. Why? "Because he’s an ideologue and a pragmatist all at once,...

Dylan: Obama Will Be Best Prez He Can Be

Jess Kilby — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:06:05 CDT

Barack Obama will be “the best president he can be,” Bob Dylan tells the Times of London, though he has “no idea” if Obama will actually be good at the job. “Most of those guys come into office with the best of intentions and leave as beaten men,” Dylan says....

Enquirer 'Catches' Cindy McCain in Tryst

Ambreen Ali — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:01:02 CST

The National Enquirer says it has caught Cindy McCain “passionately” locking lips with a long-haired, “washed-up ‘80s rock musician” type. The tabloid revealed its “world exclusive” spy photos—admittedly grainy—of the pair at a 2006 music festival in Phoenix. A Huffington Post reader shed doubt on the allegation, pointing...

AP Poll: It's a Dead Heat

Ambreen Ali — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:20:38 CDT

Not all the polls are going in Barack Obama's favor. An AP-GfK survey says John McCain has closed the gap with Obama after the last debate by gaining voters among whites and those earning less than $50,000. The poll has the race at 44%-43% in favor of Obama, a...

This Election Isn't Change, It's More of the Same: Didion

Kevin Spak — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:02:01 CDT

The striking thing about this election season isn’t how different it’s been from years past, “but precisely how similar,” Joan Didion writes for Salon. "Time got wasted in the familiar ways," she laments. The country is in the grip of a startling transformation, but "in the end the old notes...

Winning on the Web, Obama Turns to Xbox Advertising

Clay Dillow — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:12:01 CDT

Barack Obama’s campaign has been lauded for its online efforts, but in the race to make high-speed connections with voters, the Democrat has taken another “new media” leap, placing a campaign billboard inside an Xbox 360 online racing game. While politicians have promoted themselves online before, this is hands-down the...

Obama Wins in a Landslide Among Schoolkids

Clay Dillow — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:27:35 CDT

Barack Obama may be pulling slowly away from John McCain, but he's the overwhelming choice among the pre-K through 12th grade set. In a Scholastic poll, 57% of 250,000 students picked the Dem, USA Today reports. And don’t write it off as youthful inexperience —the poll has an 88%...

McCain's Down, But Not Out

Clay Dillow — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:00:00 CDT

With Obama pulling well ahead of the Straight Talk Express, "the 2008 campaign seems poised to enter its Harry Truman phase," writes Walter Shapiro in Salon. But a November comeback isn’t out of the question. Shapiro runs down four factors that could push McCain into the White House: The elastic...

Mudslingers Today No Match for Jefferson

Kevin Spak — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:23:01 CDT

The 2008 presidential race is getting rough, but the combatants look well-mannered compared to mudslingers of the 19th century. Thomas Jefferson was called an “infidel” and an “unbeliever,” while John Adams was accused of possessing a “hideous hermaphroditical character.” Although “everybody always assumes there was a golden age of presidential...