Special Coverage: Election 2004

Election 2004

AlterNet's coverage of the 2004 election.

The Pink Republicans

Will Durst, AlterNet. August 31, 2004.
The GOP is parading a bunch of stunt Republicans on the convention podium.

The Submission of John McCain

David Corn, The Nation. August 31, 2004.
The good soldier pays the price of being a Republican.

Grand Old Attacks on Michael Moore

John Nichols, The Nation. August 31, 2004.
It's not that often that a film achieves the level of awareness that leads a politician to attack its maker in a primetime convention speech.

By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them

Mark Crispin Miller, AlterNet. August 31, 2004.
A powerful excerpt from Miller's book, "Cruel and Unusual," arguing that Bush is inching us toward a theocratic White House.

A New Age of Unreason

Jan Frel, AlterNet. August 31, 2004.
Mark Crispin Miller opens fire on the Bush administration in an interview with AlterNet.

Welcome to Bushville, USA

Rachel Neumann, AlterNet. August 31, 2004.
At the March for Our Lives, a thousand people attempt to move a mountain.

Terrorism as RNC Prop

Roberto Lovato, Pacific News Service. August 30, 2004.
Terrorists who live and work among Americans with impunity aren't the ones the GOP is warning about.

Even the Media Hates the Media

Joshuah Bearman, LA Weekly. August 30, 2004.
The underbelly of American media was exposed at the Time Warner media party in New York.

Scrabblin' in Lincoln's Log Cabin

David Corn, The Nation. August 30, 2004.
The hard right and the mushy right clash in New York over gay rights.

10,000 Ways of Saying No

Osha Neumann, Berkeley Daily Planet. August 30, 2004.
Sunday's protest is what the doctor ordered: a public message written in large numbers.

The Banner Seen 'Round the World

Don Hazen, AlterNet. August 30, 2004.
It was a banner day for a few hearty activists who happen to be crack climbers.

Not a Chip off the Old Bloc

John Nichols, The Nation. August 30, 2004.
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a tepid version of the New York Republicans of old.

Five Reasons Giuliani's No Hero

Jonathan Greenberg, AlterNet. August 30, 2004.
The GOP hopes that Giuliani's post-9/11 glow will impress, but there's a lot about his past that isn't so heroic.

Bush Agenda Is AWOL

Michael Cudahy, AlterNet. August 30, 2004.
A former staffer for Bush I says that the RNC isn't the best place to look for a clear sense of the GOP's agenda.

Public Thunder

Dan Frosch, AlterNet. August 29, 2004.
Sunday's protesters in Manhattan went shoulder-to-shoulder in a free-speech free for all.

Come Together

Rachel Neumann, AlterNet. August 29, 2004.
Earlier debates surrounding the RNC protests became irrelevant as the message of voter dissatisfaction carried the day.

Reproduce This March

Rachel Neumann, AlterNet. August 29, 2004.
Saturday's energetic and diverse reproductive rights march over the Brooklyn Bridge was as dangerous as a child's sippy cup.

Pundits and Pols without the Wasabi

David Corn, The Nation. August 29, 2004.
David Corn didn't get his sushi dinner, but at least he got to lock horns with a few conservatives.

The Daily News' Press Crimes Against Humanity

Don Hazen, AlterNet. August 28, 2004.
"New Yorkers, Full of Piss and Vinegar, Don't Fall for Media Scare Tactics"

Let the Races Begin

Deanna Zandt, AlterNet. August 28, 2004.
The first major protest in Manhattan this week was a wild bike ride that led to hundreds of arrests – and lots of media attention.

Senator Granny of New Hampshire

Adam Reilly, Boston Phoenix. August 28, 2004.
Pondering the improbable Senate campaign of Doris Haddock, aka Granny D.

Conservatives Betrayed

Jan Frel, AlterNet. August 28, 2004.
Jim Bovard, a critic with libertarian and conservative leanings, tells us that we won't see anything conservative at the Republican convention in New York.

John Stauber, Sheldon Rampton, AlterNet. August 28, 2004.
Bush & Co. used the old "third party technique" with their Swift Boat attacks on Kerry. The technique is simple: "Put your message in someone else's mouth that the public will listen to."

Deserter's Delight

Michael Moore, AlterNet. August 28, 2004.
Dear Mr. Bush: It takes real courage to desert your post and then attack a wounded vet.

New Yorkers to GOP: Don't Breathe the Air

Sunny Lewis, Environment News Service. August 27, 2004.
As conventioneers arrive, demonstrators at the World Trade Center site are holding a daily vigil to inform the nation that the area is still contaminated with toxics spread when the buildings collapsed.

Enviros Quiet In New York

Amanda Griscom Little, Grist.org. August 27, 2004.
Most mainstream green groups are opting out of GOP convention protests in New York. Instead, they'll be pounding the pavement in swing states.

To Protest or Not to Protest?

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. August 27, 2004.
Naomi Klein debates Todd Gitlin on the matter.

A Splintered Unity Platform

Joshuah Bearman, LA Weekly. August 27, 2004.
The GOP is having problems pitching its big tent high enough to get everyone under it.

Red and Blue Weren't Always True

Jan Frel, AlterNet. August 27, 2004.
The time spent writing and discussing fictitious voter blocs like NASCAR dads, the redness or blueness of states, or the electoral scoreboard has turned our national elections into horse races.

Bring Najaf to New York

Naomi Klein, The Nation. August 27, 2004.
There is only one chance for Americans to express their wholehearted rejection of the ongoing war on Iraq: in the streets outside the Republican National Convention.

You Don't Know Dick

Jason Leopold, AlterNet. August 27, 2004.
Vice-President Dick Cheney has said he didn't know about Halliburton's dubious accounting practices or its dealings with Iraq in the 90s. There's plenty to counter those assertions.

Bloomberg's Carnival

Meredith O'Brien, The Center for Public Integrity. August 27, 2004.
The Republicans have a special interest in partying during the convention.

Scapegoating the Protests

Tom Hayden, AlterNet. August 26, 2004.
The belief that the Chicago '68 protests were the reason that Humphrey lost is unfounded. So too is the idea that John Kerry's prospects will be hurt by the demonstrations at the Republican convention in New York.

A Spoiler on the Right?

Knute Berger, Seattle Weekly. August 26, 2004.
Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik wants his party to be a player in 2004.

The Myth of Protest Violence

David Graeber, The Nation. August 26, 2004.
Every time there is a major mobilization, police and government officials begin warning the public that they should expect violence. But where is the evidence for it?

Protesting While Immigrant

Naeem Mohaiemen, AlterNet. August 26, 2004.
If immigrants protest anti-immigrant policies at the Republican National Convention, they risk being deported.

The Voting Machine Jackpot

Max Blumenthal, AlterNet. August 26, 2004.
While the rest of us are concerned about votes being stolen, the voting machine industry is squeezing millions from the public treasury.

Protester Scare Stories

Laura Flanders, Air America Media. August 26, 2004.
The story we have been hearing for years about demonstrators performing acts of violence at demonstrations doesn't fit with the facts.

The Tribal Vote

Daniel Kraker, High Country News. August 25, 2004.
Native Americans could decide tight races in key Western states.

Getting Kicks Out of Iraq

Matthew Yglesias, The American Prospect. August 25, 2004.
Bush tried to take credit for bringing Iraq to the Olympics; their soccer team gave him what he deserved.

Taking It to the Streets

Don Hazen, AlterNet. August 25, 2004.
New York City is abuzz with talk of the Republican convention – not about what will happen inside with the delegates, but what might happen outside with the protestors.

Studying the Undecideds

Arianna Huffington, AlterNet. August 25, 2004.
Thanks to a tidal wave of polls, focus groups, Powerpoint presentations, slideshows, studies, and laboratory dissections, we now know more about undecided voters than we do about almost anyone else involved in the 2004 campaign – including the candidates.

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