Palin’s greatest hits

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

‘Free’ poster

A quick heads up for students and teachers.  This weekend watch out for a US elections 2008 poster in the Independent on Sunday.  If recent graphics in the sister paper are anything to go by, the elections outcome map may contain a few statistical errors, but at least they are promising a picture portrait of the president elect on the other side.

Independent resources

The Independent today contains a feast of politics for students and teachers.

First off is their Great American Quiz The same links takes you to the answers.  Teachers should be able to plunder this for many end of terms to come!

Some entertaining presidential trivia here

Why The Economist came out for Obama

Away from the US elections, here’s a good feature for UK issues coverage on the allegedly increasingly fluid nature of social mobility in the UK in the Big Question

Are you staying up for Obama?

If you are planning on staying up till the wee hours on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning here is a guide to what to expect.

For what it’s worth, I suspect it will be a lot closer than many polls are predicting and that we won’t be confident of the final result until sunrise on Wednesday.

See the guide from The Times here

US elections programming: heads up

Saturday More 4 at 7.05pm The story of Barack Obama and John McCain

As America prepares to go to the polls this Tuesday in what many consider to one of the most historical presidential elections in decades, Jon Snow narrates The Choice , a one-off documentary special which presents the story of Barack Obama and John McCain, and asks what do these two very unlikely presidential contenders say about the state of America at this crux moment in time?

Then at 11:20 pm on the same channel, Dispatches: Jon Snow’s American Journey

As Obama and McCain’s gladiatorial showdown enters its final week, Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow goes in search of the new America. Starting at the border with Mexico, Snow takes a road trip up the Pacific highway linking San Diego to Seattle, travelling though areas of great affluence, deprivation, innovation and tradition to find out about the new Americans, new economy and new directions that are shaping the next America.

On Channel 4 at 9.05 pm: Recount

Austin Powers director Jay Roach investigates the Florida voting scandal of 2000. Made-for-TV drama starring Kevin Spacey, Denis Leary, Laura Dern and Tom Wilkinson

The TV debates

A quick discussion about the presidential debates this morning revealed that students (a hat tip to Ben Winders here) thought that McCain seemed to spend more time attacking Obama rather than saying what he would do himself.  Now it turns out that “Joe the plumber” doesn’t even exist

Colin Powell dancing to hip hop speculation

The former Secretary of State danced with Olu Maintain, a Nigerian hip hop outfit and the news has been picked up by Fox News in the US that this signifies his intention to endorse Obama

The Young Turks show tackle this surreal notion

Panorama: US elections

A heads up on the Panorama programme covering the American presidential election on BBC1, Monday 13th October at 8.30pm.  From the BBC website:

‘Our reporter travels to two very different Americas - Obama’s political home in South Chicago, and the crucial battleground state of Ohio - to see how the different versions of America offered by the Obama-Biden team and the McCain-Palin team are playing out.

He examines the astonishing trajectory of Mr Obama’s political career, which has seen him go from his first public office to presidential candidate in just 12 years.

And he tries to find out who the real Barack Obama is:

Is he, as some in the programme say, a neophyte, with nothing on his CV which qualifies him for the role as president?

Is he a scheming careerist, whose choices of friends, mentors and even which church to attend all come down to climbing the political ladder?

Or is he the real deal and America’s best hope in a troubled time?

The programme also examines the way in which Mr Obama and his supporters have broken the political mould, recruiting new voters from parts of the electorate previously thought unreachable and smashing all fund-raising records.’

US elections: classic campaign ads

The current US presidential campaign is getting nastier by the minute, largely as a result of John McCain’s desperation.  He has been reported as being behind by double digits nationwide and also lagging in some key states.  His camp have flirted with linking Barack Obama to a radical soialist who committed bombings in the 1970s but haven’t made much of it.  This reminded me of the 1988 campaign when George Bush Sr launched an attack ad on his Democrat opponent, Michael Dukakis. 

Nader and Obama girl

A question students often ask is why there are no third parties in the US elections.  There are!  It’s just that a whole series of instutitional, political and historical factors act against them when it comes to making an impact. 

Here Obama girl meets consumer advocate, Ralph Nader.

Read more to view the YouTube video