Blank Palin

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s (ghostwritten) autobiography is due for release next month, and has already shot to the top of the bestseller charts.

Say the Guardian:
“News of the autobiography’s release has already prompted a string of jokes by the late night talkshow hosts reminding the wider public about Palin’s shortcomings.

“Critics say that it starts out okay, it gets really exciting and then confusing, and then the last 100 pages are blank,” said comedian Jimmy Fallon.”

USA: who runs government?

I’ve been like a child with a new toy today, spending hours browsing on the Washington Post’s “Who runs gov?” pages.

The site contains up to date and interesting to read profiles of the people pulling the strings of American government.  A great resource for students and teachers of American Politics.

I’ve come up with a list of 10 of the most influential politicians in the USA, some of which you will have heard of and some you won’t. 

Obama health care speech reaction

An energised and passionate President Obama delivered his speech to a joint session of Congress.  Will it be enough?

Can Obama meet the health care challenge?

I know there seems to be a lot of emphasis on the blog at the moment on the Obama Presidency, but a new White House incumbent gives us the chance to analyse the intricate workings of politics inside the beltway. 

Who’s Roe in Roe v Wade?

There’s a great feature on the woman who was at the centre in one of the most famous and controversial Supreme Court judgments in American history.  Quite how did this woman switch from being the poster girl of the pro-choice movement to fulfilling the same role for the anti-abortionists?  Those readers possessing the vaguest familiarity with American politics and society will not be shocked when they discover the answer.

Read the article here.

Palin’s greatest hits

Why some people were concerned back in the autumn that this individual would be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Paris, parties and partisanship

Many students write that American parties are catch-all or umbrella organisations

Where now for the Republicans?

There was an excellent documentary at the weekend on the possibly declining influence of the religious right.  You can access for the next 29 days on Channel 4’s catch up site

I can’t find any way to download it permanently, so if there are any technophiles out there who know how...!

I have also included the first part here from YouTube