Special Coverage: Election 2004

Election 2004

AlterNet's coverage of the 2004 election.

Kerry Family Values

Lucy Komisar, AlterNet. September 13, 2004.
Peggy Kerry, John Kerry's sister, talks about her experience as a social activist and her deep shared value system with her family.

Julie Martinez Ortega, Erin Johansson, AlterNet. September 13, 2004.
A recent National Labor Relations Board decision has turned graduate students' "work" into "education," killing their right to unionize.

Where Are the Jobs in the Heartland?

Ursula White, AlterNet. September 12, 2004.
An Ohio resident writes about the economic struggles in her state brought on by the Bush administration, and why she joined a labor group to bring change.

Flat-Growth Battlegrounds

Thomas Schaller, Gadflyer. September 11, 2004.
Battleground states are among the U.S. economy's worst performers.

A March To Irrelevance

Matt Taibbi, New York Press. September 11, 2004.
What positive effect did the protests during the Republican convention really have?

Textual Healing

Jeremy Scahill, AlterNet. September 11, 2004.
Immediate communication, on the streets: Activists are using text messaging to organize. Can you hear me now?

Bush's Stumping Grounds

Howard Blume, LA Weekly. September 10, 2004.
George Bush outdid himself in a campaign visit to Ohio.

Asleep at the Wheel

Bill Moyers, NOW with Bill Moyers. September 10, 2004.
Much of the truth about 9/11 is now public, thanks to the Commission's report: Key government officials failed the system, and they failed the American people.

Media Culpa

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. September 10, 2004.
We got mea culpas from the media for shoddy reporting about Iraq, but the presidential election coverage from this summer shows that the same mistakes are being repeated.

Cheney's Insecure Past

David Sirota, Jonathan Baskin, The American Prospect. September 9, 2004.
The vice president desperately wants to hide his embarrassing national security record.

Barnestorming

Doug Ireland, AlterNet. September 9, 2004.
Ben Barnes' revelations on 60 Minutes have shaken the White House, but CBS' timidity has kept us from learning about the dirty politics Bush learned in Alabama.

A Bounce in Bush's Step?

Ruy Teixeira, The Center for American Progress and The Century Foundation. September 9, 2004.
Did the convention really deliver a bounce for Bush? This week's Public Opinion Watch analyzes how likely voter polling works.

Will the Hip Hop Generation Go Green?

Farai Chideya, AlterNet. September 9, 2004.
Will voters of color ever take to any of the smaller political parties out there? Farai Chideya explores this in her new book, "Trust: Reaching the 100 Million Missing Voters."

George Bush, This is Your Life

Evan Derkacz, AlterNet. September 9, 2004.
Will George Bush come clean about his youthful profligate ways?

Fahrenheit 9/11 is the Ultimate Republican Buzzsaw

Michael Moore, AlterNet. September 8, 2004.
A Republican pollster tells Moore: "Here's the bad news for Bush: Though 80% going in to your movie are Kerry voters, 100% of those coming out of your movie are Kerry voters."

Marijuana Reform to Tap Grassroots

Paul Armentano, AlterNet. September 8, 2004.
A bumper crop of initiatives addressing marijuana policy and enforcement will appear on various state and municipal ballots.

The Power of Framing

Don Hazen, AlterNet. September 8, 2004.
In this introduction to George Lakoff’s new book, we meet the master of the art and science of political framing.

A Man of His Words

George Lakoff, AlterNet. September 8, 2004.
In this excerpt from his new book, "Don't Think of an Elephant!" George Lakoff talks about how transforming the language of politics can help win the good fight.

Bush on Cocaine? Don't Believe It Yet

Baylen J. Linnekin, The D'Alliance. September 7, 2004.
A trashy new book resurfaces old allegations about Bush's substance abuse. But a closer look at the source reveals that the claims are less than reliable.

A Society of Owers

Robert B. Reich, TomPaine.com. September 7, 2004.
The Republicans are selling their vision of an "Ownership Society" to a nation of debtors.

Kerry Fires Back

Ian Williams, AlterNet. September 7, 2004.
John Kerry responded with strong words to the attacks from the RNC podium last week. But was anyone listening?

Republicans Among Us

Mark Engler, AlterNet. September 3, 2004.
A week in review from the Republican National Convention, inside and out.

First They Came for the Protesters

Rachel Neumann, AlterNet. September 3, 2004.
The demonstrations in New York offer lessons on future strategies to get protesters' messages across to the public.

Freedom, Liberty, Freedom

George Lakoff, AlterNet. September 3, 2004.
George W. Bush yet again used the crutches of "liberty" and "freedom" to frame his candidacy.

Join Me in My Crusade

David Corn, The Nation. September 3, 2004.
W.'s speech attempts to define the election as a referendum on his war and his mission from God.

Life in Bush's "Ownership Society"

Greg Palast, AlterNet. September 3, 2004.
It starts with an invasion of our Social Security trust fund.

A Party for Some

Joshuah Bearman, LA Weekly. September 3, 2004.
If the GOP has a big tent, how come so many groups can't get inside?

The GOP Hijacks 9/11

The Editors, The Nation. September 3, 2004.
The Republicans have exploited 9/11 with the hope that voters will abandon rational thought and rally around a "war president."

The South Will Rise Again

Nina Burleigh, AlterNet. September 3, 2004.
The old conservative bulls in the Senate who have run the South for decades are giving way to a new kind of southern politics.

Kerry Was Framed

George Lakoff, AlterNet. September 2, 2004.
Wednesday's Republican convention speeches framed John Kerry using deceptive and dishonest language.

Zell Miller's 2001 Speech on John Kerry

Sen. Zell Miller, AlterNet. September 2, 2004.
"John has worked to strengthen our military, reform public education, boost the economy and protect the environment."

AIDS Protesters on the Convention Floor

John Nichols, The Nation. September 2, 2004.
Almost a dozen AIDS activists infiltrated the Republican convention while White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card was speaking.

Prom Night

David Corn, LA Weekly. September 2, 2004.
A few tips for George Bush's speechwriters.

Public Opinion Watch: August 2-29

Ruy Teixeira, The Center for American Progress and The Century Foundation. September 2, 2004.
Did the Swift Boat attacks really hurt Kerry? Do voters think the economy is in good shape? The mess and mystery of election polling for 2004 gets explained.

Fortune Cookie Policy

Barry Yeoman, Mother Jones Online. September 2, 2004.
The GOP's influential conservative activists are doing their best to move the platform to the right.

Immigrant Gap

Roberto Lovato, Pacific News Service. September 2, 2004.
Immigration policy has been liberal on the podium and xenophobic in the hallways at the RNC.

Environment? What Environment?

Sunny Lewis, Environment News Service. September 1, 2004.
There's been no mention at the Republican convention of natural resource conservation, or energy, forests, water, oil, oceans, chemical contamination or the environmental causes of disease.

The Devil in Zell

Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation. September 1, 2004.
Democratic Sen. Zell Miller's speech at the Republican convention is the final stage of his bizarre political transformation.

Evan's RNC Diary

Evan Derkacz, AlterNet. September 1, 2004.
The latest: Evan strikes out badly when he tries to get passes for the convention from the delegates.

Entering the Belief System

Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com. September 1, 2004.
Voices from the Convention floor.

Arnold and Laura: It's the War, Stupid

David Corn, The Nation. September 1, 2004.
The GOP's real message on Tuesday night was Safety First.

Republican Reality Check

Laurie Spivak, AlterNet. September 1, 2004.
With the death knell of small government pealing in the distance, will Republicans try to coopt progressivism?

Protesters Play Hardball

Evan Derkacz, AlterNet. September 1, 2004.
Arrests, agent provocateurs, and a wide mix of protesting hit New York's Herald Square.

Outgunned, Outmatched

Don Hazen, AlterNet. September 1, 2004.
The NYPD protester strategy on Tuesday was akin to the U.S. military's display of overwhelming and sometimes unnecessary force in Iraq.

A31 Unscripted

Rachel Neumann, AlterNet. August 31, 2004.
In their creativity, spontaneity, and the lack of clear structure and organization, the protests on Tuesday were a marked contrast from the scene within the Convention.

The Right Choice

Naeem Mohaiemen, AlterNet. August 31, 2004.
Where were the Republicans at the "bipartisan" Stand Up for Choice event?

All Arab Eyes on the Convention

Jamal Dajani, Pacific News Service. August 31, 2004.
For the media pundits in the Middle East, the American presidential election is nothing short of electing the next emperor.

The Marine at the Youth March

Ali Tonak, WireTap. August 31, 2004.
Ali went to the Youth March in New York expecting to chant and march with his peers. Instead he had his eyes opened to the important differences between young protestors and the soldiers their age who are serving in Iraq.

A Protest from the City

Steven Wishnia, AlterNet. August 31, 2004.
The Still We Rise march was about New York City, not the country.

Fighting a New War

Dan Frosch, AlterNet. August 31, 2004.
The veteran groups protesting in New York City may not all support John Kerry, but they are united in their opposition to the Bush administration's policies.

Sign up

Newsletter