Special Coverage: Election 2004

Election 2004

AlterNet's coverage of the 2004 election.

The Smurf Has Claws

Will Durst, AlterNet. July 29, 2004.
There's something a little creepy about the Primary Wonder Boy John Edwards.

One America, Two Americas, Red America, Blue America

Molly Ivins, AlterNet. July 29, 2004.
Clinton, Obama, and Teresa lit up the crowd and burned up the airwaves; still, nobody's saying 'Iraq.'

Free Speech Through Fences

Margaret Doris, Boston Phoenix. July 29, 2004.
For all the Democratic organizers’ well-laid plans, protesters managed to engage delegates directly and even to escape their cage.

Dems Miss Out On Values

Michael Shellenberger, Ted Nordhaus, AlterNet. July 29, 2004.
Despite all the brave new talk about values, Democrats still frame their proposals around policies.

The Man Behind the Acceptance Speech

Jon Keller, Boston Magazine. July 29, 2004.
Bob Shrum has written Kerry's nomination speech for the convention. Considering Shrum's track record, the Republicans couldn't be happier.

Edwards' Two Americas Became One

David Corn, The Nation. July 29, 2004.
Edwards' keynote on Wednesday night lacked the spark of his speeches during the primaries.

The Scaife Strategy: Smother Teresa

Max Blumenthal, AlterNet. July 29, 2004.
Colin McNickle, the political wife-beater for billionnaire Richard Mellon-Scaife's right-wing attack machine, has set his sights on Teresa Heinz-Kerry – good thing she's willing to stand up to it.

Bounceity-bounce-bounce

Will Durst, AlterNet. July 28, 2004.
Report from Tuesday's round two: Obama-rama meets Reagan-palooza.

The Networks Missed Something Special

John Nichols, The Nation. July 28, 2004.
The networks' decision to give three hours of coverage to the conventions means that the public misses great speeches – Exhibit A: Barack Obama.

Michael Moore's Speech in Cambridge, Mass.

Michael Moore, AlterNet. July 28, 2004.
Michael Moore's July 27 speech, with an introduction by AlterNet's Executive Editor, Don Hazen.

The Life of the Party

Nancy Watzman, Micah L. Sifry, AlterNet. July 28, 2004.
Forget the speeches at the Fleet Center. The real fun for the politicians has been at the corporate-sponsored parties held in their honor.

Anger Management

Arianna Huffington, AlterNet. July 28, 2004.
Kerry's put the kibosh on bashing Bush, but can he do anything about the outbreak of hotel envy?

Searching for the Undecided

Ellen Goodman, WorkingForChange.com. July 28, 2004.
Can Dems reach the 'how-am-I-going-to-make-it-today-moms'?

The Heavyweights of 2008

David Corn, The Nation. July 28, 2004.
"Even when a decisive election is only three months away, there still is time and opportunity for politicians (and their handicappers in the media) to gaze further down the road."

Taking the Ultimate Penalty Off the Table

John Nichols, The Nation. July 28, 2004.
John Kerry's stand on the death penalty – that there shouldn't be one – is now the Democratic Party's platform.

The Biggest News Around

Bono, Boston Globe. July 27, 2004.
Activist and rock musician Bono says the conventions are a chance for both parties to make history. So shouldn't our biggest global challenge, AIDS and the poverty in which it thrives, be on the agendas?

Greetings from Lockdown City

Michael Blanding, AlterNet. July 27, 2004.
Police precautions in Boston have protesters behind chain-link fences and barbed wire – just like in prison.

Why the Drug War Isn't an Election Issue – But Should Be

Alan Heymann, AlterNet. July 27, 2004.
Drugs have been an easy target for politicians wanting to appear 'tough on crime,' even though many believe the drug war has failed.

This Isn't a Free Ride

Kristen Lombardi, Boston Phoenix. July 27, 2004.
Gay-rights protesters at the Democractic convention are concerned that the party is taking them for granted.

Follow That Mofo

Will Durst, AlterNet. July 27, 2004.
Kerry will let house cool after rousing night with Clintons; meanwhile, a new campaign slogan – "shove it!"

To Bash, or Not to Bash?

David Corn, The Nation. July 27, 2004.
Bush, that is. And that is not the question. For it has already been answered. And the answer is, no. But not exactly.

Dispatch from Boston – Updated Daily

Don Hazen, AlterNet. July 27, 2004.
Alternet's executive editor's ongoing coverage of news, anecdotes and gossip at the Democratic convention in Boston.

A Good Kind of Chaos

Roberto Lovato, AlterNet. July 27, 2004.
The consensus at the Boston Social Forum is that another world really is possible.

See How They Fund

David S. Bernstein, Boston Phoenix. July 27, 2004.
The top 12 VIPs in the fight to oust George W. Bush aren't on the Fleet Center stage at the Democratic Covention. They're the wealthy funders of progressive "527" groups.

DNC2RNC: Putting the "Move" Back in Movement

Marah Eakin, WireTap. July 26, 2004.
The message behind the Democracy Uprising! march is that real democracy doesn't just take place at conventions and in the voting booths, but rather through grassroots movements and individual communities.

An Affront to the First Amendment

Michael Avery, TruthOut.org. July 26, 2004.
The "Demonstration Zone" at the Democratic National Convention makes a mockery of free speech.

Breakfast at Kucinich's

Joshuah Bearman, LA Weekly. July 26, 2004.
Dennis Kucinich does more to correct the record before 9 a.m. – on his loyalty to progressive politics, his commitment to party unity, and Ralph Nader – than most people do all day.

Chelsea Awaits the RNC: Angry, Apathetic, Apprehensive

Steven Wishnia, AlterNet. July 26, 2004.
Chelsea, the neighborhood closest to the Republican Convention in New York, is decidedly not Bush country.

Razor Wire & PR

Joshuah Bearman, LA Weekly. July 26, 2004.
As protesters are deterred by razor wire and 'free speech zones,' your dogged journalist is put off, not by sharpened metal barbs, but by bubbly PR experts.

Shining, Happy People: The Dems Hit Boston

David Corn, The Nation. July 26, 2004.
The Democrats enter Boston on-message: unity and energy. The funny thing is, it seems to be true.

Rainbow's Gravity

JoAnn Wypijewski, The Nation. July 26, 2004.
Jesse Jackson's campaigns for the presidency in '84 and '88 changed the Democratic party in ways we can still see today.

Arriving at the DNC

Joshuah Bearman, LA Weekly. July 25, 2004.
Boston's shortage of rooms and the skyrocketing cost of those that remain, force a reporter into a cost-cutting, and decidedly unhygienic, situation.

A Small Victory for Progressives

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. July 23, 2004.
The way to get a progressive platform for the Democratic party is not through negotation or coalition building. It's about winning.

Tip-Toeing on the Platform

John Nichols, The Nation. July 23, 2004.
The platform that delegates to the Democratic convention are expected to approve is a tepid document largely defined by Kerry's fear of being identified as a liberal.

The Great EPA Crackdown Fantasy

Amanda Griscom Little, Grist.org. July 22, 2004.
All the talk of pending EPA enforcement actions is just that – election-year talk. It may fool voters, but Bush's big campaign contributors won't lose any sleep.

Sales Clerk, Ph.D

Jim Hightower, AlterNet. July 22, 2004.
The number one job-creator for America's future? Restaurant workers, including fast food. You don't need a high-tech degree, you need a hair net!

Immigration Reform Sabotage

Elena Shore, Pacific News Service. July 22, 2004.
If the Republican leadership thinks they can gain Latino votes by praising immigrants publicly, even as they work privately to pull the plug on any immigration reforms, they are underestimating the savviness of Latino voters.

Redeeming the Youth Vote

Brian Fanelli, WireTap. July 21, 2004.
Conservative and Christian groups in America are cranking up their efforts to get conservative youth voting. This year, many of them are using the same tactics as the non-partisan and openly left-leaning groups doing voter registration and mobilization.

How to Handle Nader

Steven Hill, Rob Richie, The Nation. July 21, 2004.
Democrats have an alternative to attacking Ralph Nader – advocate instant runoff voting systems.

Fortress Big Apple

Nicholas Turse, Tomdispatch.com. July 21, 2004.
From August 30 through September 2, when the Republican National Convention invades New York, the GOP wants to see a Manhattan emptied of life and the entire event 'bubble-ized.'

Nader's "Grassroots" Campaign... Courtesy of the GOP

Jeff Cohen, AlterNet. July 20, 2004.
Ralph Nader's campaign now depends on folks like Dick Armey and the Reform Party to get on state ballots.

Drilling For Influence

J.R. Pegg, Environment News Service. July 20, 2004.
A new report gives added fuel to critics who believe the oil and gas industry has bought undue influence with Bush administration officials.

How Green Is Edwards?

Amanda Griscom Little, Grist.org. July 20, 2004.
Critics who faulted Gore for putting his lifelong environmental leadership on the back burner during his tenure as veep wonder whether John Edwards will abandon his green advocacy as quickly as he adopted it.

Assessing Kerry's Civil Rights Commitment

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Pacific News Service. July 20, 2004.
In front of the annual NAACP convention, all candidates sound like the second coming of Martin Luther King. It's what happens after the convention that matters – and usually candidates quietly shove civil rights issues to the back burner.

Sign up

Newsletter