US election: fancy a beer?
If you have not been looking at the developments in the race for the White House in microscopic detail over the summer break, today’s Guardian news section contains a useful overview of the post primary campaign. And there’s a bit of analysis from me in this post as well
read more...»US elections focus
As I’ve said before on this blog, it is almost inevitable that all US A2 exams will carry a question or two on the 2008 race for the presidency, and for this reason alone students should keep abreast of the latest developments stateside.
But the race for the White House can also be fun to follow purely for the intrinsic benefits of learning more about the motivations of American voters. Here I draw your attention to a twin set of articles in this week’s Economist
read more...»US death penalty graphically illustrated
I have been banging the drum of the Independent’s Big Question series for some time. The most recent column examines state executions in the USA. Interesting juxtaposition when a lot of attention is focused on the issue of human rghts in China. See it here
American Politics texts: a heads up for teachers (with links to Amazon)
It’s that time of year when I think about ordering books for the new term, and I thought I’d share with readers details of a couple of American publications on US Politics.
read more...»A tale of two (second) chambers
Marking the synoptic paper for the Edexcel American Politics route this summer I was struck by the extent to which students apparently feel that the US Congress is a far more effective institution than the UK Parliament. Whilst it is undeniable that the American legislature possesses far more power, it is not necessarily the case that it exercises these powers more responsibly or intelligently than its UK equivalent.
read more...»Thin and nasty
An aspect of the science of psephology I have hitherto been unfamiliar with is the salience attached to the body mass index of candidates. But according to a report in today’s paper, Barack Obama might be too fit to appeal to an obese nation
read more...»The importance of swinging
New series of articles starts this week in the Economist focusing on the states that may detrmine the outcome of this year’s race for the White House
read more...»Offensive? Possibly. Ludicras? Most definitely
One of the features of the US campaign this year is the massive spread of internet based material - and exposure to it by voters - produced by individuals and teams seemingly completely independent of the candidate or party teams. This song by rap artist Ludicras attacking McCain has kicked up a storm in America due to the extreme nature of the lyrics. Even Obama has denounced its contents as ‘outrageously offensive’
read more...»US election turns negative
As many pundits have predicted, the campaign has got personal as the two presidential candidates struggle to win support with their positions on the major issues
read more...»The importance of the vice-presidency
Essential reading in the Times newspaper on the running mate and the office
read more...»Democrat scandal: potential Obama VP nominee out of the running over alleged love child
Mainstream media organisations have picked up on a story the National Enquirer has been running for some months. It is alleged that John Edwards, whose wife is dying of cancer, has a mistress and has fathered a love child
read more...»Obama’s foreign mistake?
When one of my students told me that Barack Obama was planning a foreign tour during the summer of election year I thought I’d misheard him. American presidents rarely visit Europe, never mind presidential candidates. But the exercise designed to make him look more presidential may prove to be a tactical error
read more...»Running mate profiles
Further to my posting about the possibility that McCain will release news of who his running mate is going to be, I have come across a great guide in the New York Times to potential running mates
US elections update: McCain-Jindal 08?
Speculation mounts that John McCain will try to grab back some of the media attention that has been draped over Barack Obama’s foreign visits this week by announcing his running mate.
read more...»McCain’s Hispanic difficulty
Earlier this summer I wrote an article for tutor2u’s first past the post magazine entitled ‘Raw Hispanic Power?’ which spotlighted the potential role Hispanics could play in this year’s presidential contest. This week’s Economist contains a story which updates us on how John McCain and Barack Obama are doing in courting the Hispanic vote
read more...»USA: a nation divided by wealth
Whilst scanning the Guardian site for updates on the American election I came across a couple of fascinating reports that I think will be of interest to those who want to understand what America is
read more...»American politics update
Undoubtedly one of the best exercises to get into American politics is to watch the campaign for the election 2008 unfold
read more...»American Politics “homework”
Following the US elections closely over the summer should be an exercise that will bear fruit for students of US Politics
read more...»Exams “bore brightest and fail weakest”
A damning indictment on the English education system by a respected think tank. But it is not all doom and gloom
read more...»Obama’s number two
A brief look at the main contenders for the VP spot on this year’s Democratic ticket - including this writer’s prediction
read more...»Crush on Obama
With Hillary about to endorse the person who defeated her in this year’s primaries at the weekend, we thought we’d take another look at one of the features of Obama’s internet campaign
read more...»A2 exam update: American Politics
Whatever happened to the “Kennedy Court”?
read more...»McCain’s mating game
Speculation continues about who will join the presumptive Republican nominee on the ballot in November
read more...»Iraq: will America ever get out?
Thomas Powers writes an excellent long essay on this in the New York Review of Books
read more...»
