Republicans have long been successful at courting evangelical voters. Lisa Sharon Harper, evangelical leader and author, explains how politicians use language to appeal to evangelicals. History, race and language have all played a role in mobilizing one of the most influential voting groups in the country.
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On Sunday, the White House and Congressional leaders agreed to the fine print of a $700 billion government bailout. They even posted the bill online not long before it was voted on. Does this qualify as transparency?
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You might think that voting day is November 4th, but, for many, Americans voting day is tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after. It’s estimated that up to a third of voters this year will vote early. Paul Gronke of the Reed College Early Voting Information Center joins The Takeaway to tell us more about early voters as a growing demographic. Linda Howe, the head of the Lucas County, Ohio Board of Elections joins us to tell us how she’s preparing for the expected influx of early voters.
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Politicians are masters at spinning their words to boost their appeal. Which candidate in this year’s presidential election uses the most spin? The Takeaway talks to David Skillicorn, a computer science professor Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
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This Sunday, pastors across the country will stand before God and break the law. The crime? Delivering a sermon that either endorses or opposes a political candidate by name. Churches and other non-profit groups have tax exemptions that come with a price: They are not allowed to have any involvement in political campaigns. The Takeaway hears from two pastors with opposing views on politicizing the pulpit: Pastor Gus Booth, who will make an endorsement this Sunday, and Pastor Eric Williams, who will honor the separation of church and state.
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They're swing counties in swing states — and they may be the spots where this election is decided. In the third of a series on counties that count, The Takeaway's Political Director Andrea Bernstein visits Prince William County in northern Virginia to see how voters there are thinking about immigration and race.
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Tonight, presidential hopefuls John McCain, R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., are scheduled to kick off the first debate of the general election. Earlier this week, it looked like Obama would be shadowboxing when McCain made an unprecedented request to pull out of tonight's main event. For a look at other debate oddities, highs and lows, The Takeaway turns to Alan Schroeder. He’s a connoisseur of televised political debates.
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In our ongoing look at the economy, we turn to our friend Dante Chinni of the Christian Science Monitor's Patchwork Nation project. The project uses demographic information to look at America beyond blue-and-red state dichotomies. What does financial pain feel like on a local level? Chinni talks with The Takeaway about what he's found in two communities on the frontlines of economic downturn, "Emptying Nests” and "Service Worker Centers."
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Listeners and Web site partipants respond to Senator McCain's announcement that he'll temporarily suspend his campaign and his participation in the first presidential debate scheduled for Friday night.
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Guest: Andrea Bernstein, Takeaway Political Director
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Tucker Bounds is one of Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s top campaign representatives. The Takeaway speaks with Bounds about the suspension of the Senator's campaign, the call to call off the first presidential debate Friday, the congressional financial bailout, the latest polls, lobbying and Governor Sarah Palin.
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McCain is Optima. Obama is Gotham. We know what the candidates’ slogans say about their campaigns but what do their fonts mean? From POW to GQ, there may be more to design and typefaces than you’d think.
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President Bush addressed the nation last night. It was his first prime-time speech devoted exclusively to the economy. It's just one of many political firsts in Washington this September morning. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been meeting throughout the night to hash out a deal on the $700-billion rescue plan. It's not clear whether the presidential and vice-presidential debates will take place as scheduled, or at all — John McCain is saying he will not show up at tomorrow's presidential debate in Mississippi until there's a bailout plan.
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They're swing counties in swing states — and they may be the spots where this election is decided. In the second of a series on "counties that count," The Takeaway's Political Director Andrea Bernstein visits Prince William County in northern Virginia to see how voters there are reacting to the Wall Street bailout proposal and Senator McCain's intention to suspend his presidential campaign as Congress helps heal the economy.
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Economy troubles are reverberating across the globe and the United Kingdom is no exception. The political pressure there is being directed towards Prime Minister Gordon Brown as his Labour party threatens to split itself in two over America's finances.
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With the embrace of Sarah Palin, rising popularity of Katie Couric, and the success of Rachel Maddow, all things female are en vogue. But, this seems to be something that happens every 4 years, only to be forgotten and shelved until the next election.
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They're swing counties in swing states — and they may be the spots where this election is decided. In the first of a series on "counties that count," The Takeaway's Political Director Andrea Bernstein visits Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania's Luzerne County to see how voters there are reacting to the economic crisis and the candidates.
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Polls taken after John McCain tapped Sarah Palin as his running mate, the Republican National Convention, and the Wall Street meltdown say McCain is still seen as a "Typical Republican."
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The markets are in turmoil and what do our presidential candidates have to say about it? Both campaigns have released new campaign ads responding to the state of the economy.
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The Takeaway talks to former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich about what's next for Wall Street and the Federal Reserve Board, and how Wall Street woes could affect the presidential campaigns.
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While thousands of people lose their jobs as prestigious companies implode, presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain tossed charges.
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Presidential rivals McCain and Obama appeared on the same stage last night, saying they would be setting politics aside for the day. But it's back to the sparring today, with new ads from both campaigns. The Takeaway’s political director, Andrea Bernstein, talked about both candidates’ views.

Obama's "1982" ad

McCain's "Disrespectful"

Who is Sarah Palin? After weeks of keeping her away from the national news media, the McCain campaign granted an interview with Palin to Charlie Gibson and ABC. Last night, they aired the first part of their heavily promoted and unscripted interview with Palin. Palin is currently traveling with an entourage of McCain writers, policy assistants and handlers. David Mark, senior editor at Politico.com, spoke with The Takeaway what we heard and what we have yet to hear from the Republican nominee for VP.
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Presidential rivals McCain and Obama appeared on the same stage last night at the ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum at Columbia University. ServiceNation is a coalition of 110 state and national organizations looking to expand service opportunities. The Takeaway’s political director, Andrea Bernstein, talked about both candidates’ views.
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Hillary Clinton got cheers when referred to the people who voted for her in the primaries as "18 million cracks" in the glass ceiling for women in politics; now Sarah Palin has arrived on the national political scene with that image still in the air. Polls suggest that this young governor is energizing a wing of women voters who might otherwise stay home or vote Democratic this election. The Takeaway examines how Palin plays with women voters and how gender factors into campaign politics this year.
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While Sarah Palin gets the spotlight, she’s not the only big political story out of the northernmost state. Alaska’s Ted Stevens, the Senate’s longest serving Republican in office, faces prosecution for major corruption charges. His trial is moving ahead, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for this morning. He is also in a tight election fight for his Senate seat against Anchorage mayor Mark Begich. The Takeaway talks with Alaska Public Radio Network correspondent Libby Casey, who examined the case against Stevens and the Senate race.
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The BBC has surveyed people in 22 countries, asking who they would pick to be the American president.
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Republican presidential candidate John McCain has gained huge support and now leads Democrat Barack Obama among white women voters since naming Sarah Palin as his running mate, according to a survey published on Tuesday. The Washington Post/ABC News poll found that much of McCain's surge in the polls since the Republican National Convention is attributable to the shift in support among white women.
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