Special Coverage: Election 2004

Election 2004

AlterNet's coverage of the 2004 election.

McGreevey Was Out Before He Came Out

Doug Ireland, LA Weekly. August 20, 2004.
There's more to New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey's resignation than the shame of an affair.

Ahead of His Time

David Sirota, Jonathan Baskin, Washington Monthly. August 19, 2004.
John Kerry understood before most in Washington the important links between illegal banking and terrorism.

Nader Looms Large

John Pearce, AlterNet. August 18, 2004.
Ralph Nader's polling numbers show that he could tip a number of closely contested states – and possibly the election – to George Bush.

McCain's Bipartisan Mirage

Mary Lynn F. Jones, The American Prospect. August 17, 2004.
Democrats tout their friendships with McCain, but they need to recognize that he's working against them for the election.

Out To Punch

Salim Muwakkil, AlterNet. August 17, 2004.
From manslaughter convictions to boxing promotions, spiky-haired Don King has always been a hustler. His latest hustle: Republican pitchman.

Ruth Conniff, The Progressive. August 16, 2004.
"The Democrats are not poised to address long-term problems like the War Powers Act, or the drift from democracy to empire. For almost everyone under their big tent, beating Bush is the only issue."

The Morning After

Kim Haddow, Holly Minch, AlterNet. August 16, 2004.
John Kerry or George Bush? No matter who wins on Election Day, we will promote progressive causes in a very different America on November 3, 2004.

Jim Crow is Alive and Well

Ralph G. Neas, AlterNet. August 16, 2004.
It would be nice if voter suppression and intimidation had truly been swept away in the '60s with the Voting Rights Act – recent events show it ain't so.

Still Crazy After All These Years

John K. Wilson, AlterNet. August 16, 2004.
Republican Alan Keyes has lowered his sights from the presidency to the senate. But his extremist views remain the same.

God and the Blue States

Eyal Press, The Nation. August 13, 2004.
Democrats are determined to narrow the so-called "religion gap," if not to close it, in the coming election. Yet they are well aware that the challenge they face is at once daunting and complex.

Harnessing the Youth Vote

Deirdre Fulton, Boston Phoenix. August 12, 2004.
After years of neglect, the Democratic Party is finally reaching out to young voters.

Keyes No Laughing Matter

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Pacific News Service. August 12, 2004.
Keyes' Illinois run is the earnest comeback of a hard-line conservative – Dems should take that seriously.

Anarchy at the RNC

Paul Schmelzer, AlterNet. August 12, 2004.
Protestors at the Republican National Convention may be trading black masks for tech-savvy tools.

September Surprise

Bob Harris, AlterNet. August 12, 2004.
Tom Ridge has announced that September is National Preparedness Month – and it's not political?

Locking Up New Voters

Dan Frosch, In These Times. August 12, 2004.
Prison reform groups along with voting rights organizations are working in unprecedented numbers across the country to register ex-felons for 2004.

Meet the BALM Squad

Eoin O'Carroll, AlterNet. August 11, 2004.
Volunteer medical aid groups have sprung up across the country providing care to protesters in volatile situations.

The 11th Most Liberal Senator

Paul Waldman, Gadflyer. August 11, 2004.
John Kerry isn't as liberal as his opponents make him out to be.

Interview with George Lakoff

David Brancaccio, NOW. August 10, 2004.
A message is only as effective as the frame in which it is delivered. Linguist George Lakoff explains what this means in terms of current political discourse.

Oh Dear!

Molly Ivins, AlterNet. August 10, 2004.
Our 'most important neighbors to the north' – the patient Canadians – weather our little psychodramas and suffer our abuse. Polite, calm, chock full of common sense and living next to us. What a fate.

What October Surprise?

Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com. August 10, 2004.
While the Bush administration would consider almost any scenario that might advance their candidate's second-term fortunes, an October surprise is doubtful, considering these ten surprises they proved remarkably unprepared for.

Let's Not Devalue Ourselves

Katha Pollitt, The Nation. August 10, 2004.
Kerry stakes his claim to 'conservative values' – but it's a mistake to give the right a monopoly on values by agreeing with them in a half-baked, yes-but, wishy-washy way.

Kerry Promotes Energy Independence Plan

J.R. Pegg, Environment News Service. August 9, 2004.
John Kerry's 10-year, $30 billion energy plan calls for increased support for renewable energy, incentives for clean coal technology, and for more fuel-efficient cars and trucks.

Kerry Stumps in my Hometown

Brian Fanelli, WireTap. August 9, 2004.
Last week, John Kerry stopped in my small, blue-collar hometown, where he was met by supporters, protestors and a number of potential young voters – all hoping to hear from the presidential hopeful, himself.

Bringin' Da Funk

Erin Aubry Kaplan, LA Weekly. August 9, 2004.
"In yet another American political performance, black people yet again dutifully did their part."

Turning a Phrase, Not a Corner

David Kusnet, AlterNet. August 9, 2004.
Clinton's former speechwriter asks what, exactly we're turning the corner on – the federal deficit made worse by his tax cuts for the rich? The preemptive war he started? The problem isn't Bush's rhetoric, it's his policies.

Sharpton, Obama and the Promise of America

Dedrick Muhammad, AlterNet. August 9, 2004.
When it comes to the racial divide in this country and de-facto white supremacy, the primary cause is not the moral behavior of blacks, or the types of music we listen to, it's institutionalized racism.

The Complex Latino Voter

Nonna Gorilovskaya, MotherJones.com. August 6, 2004.
When it comes to voting, Latinos are not as predictable as most people think.

At the Center of a Storm

Bill Berkowitz, AlterNet. August 6, 2004.
Katherine Harris, the controversial figure from Florida's Election 2000, either leaked classified information or came up with a huge whopping lie.

Raise the Economy Threat to "High"

Stephen Pizzo, News for Real. August 6, 2004.
The U.S. economy added 32,000 workers in July – a far cry from the Bush administration's prediction of over 200,000.

Sore Winners

John Powers, AlterNet. August 6, 2004.
"Today's Winners don't simply win, they win badly: bragging, sneering, lording it over the Losers, and promoting themselves with a crassness that would leave Duddy Kravitz blushing."

Praying for Good Politics

Brian McLaren, Sojourners. August 5, 2004.
Faith and politics can be discussed in church without being partisan.

Psst, We Like You Better Now

Poll Miner, Gadflyer. August 5, 2004.
The public responded well to John Kerry's speech at the Democratic convention – even if the press didn't say so.

Dirty Tricks

David Corn, TomPaine.com. August 5, 2004.
When Republicans fret, they tend to lash out. Desperate times call for desperate negative ads.

Banding Together

Davina Baum, AlterNet. August 4, 2004.
Death Cab for Cutie, Springsteen, Dixie Chicks, Keb' Mo, Jurassic 5, Bonnie Raitt. They all want you to vote. And if you live in a battleground state, they're coming to your town.

Silent Power, Loud Wallets

Thomas Schaller, Gadflyer. August 4, 2004.
The gay community is using its deep pockets for 2004 instead of an electoral roar.

Rage against the Machines

Ronnie Dugger, The Nation. August 4, 2004.
Computerized voting systems have been proven insecure; is enough being done to assure that the 2004 election will not be stolen?

Will the Real John Kerry Please Stand Up

Robert Scheer, AlterNet. August 4, 2004.
John Kerry showed true patriotism, integrity and prescience in his opposition to the Vietnam War. He should draw on that background now rather than echoing Bush's militarism.

Swinging in Seattle's Suburbs

George Howland Jr., Seattle Weekly. August 3, 2004.
The real fight for Washington state in 2004 will be in Seattle's Suburbs, including Issaquah, bellwether for all major elections since 1992.

It's about the Teachers

Jonathan Schorr, Washington Monthly. August 3, 2004.
John Kerry has quietly assembled a radical school reform plan.

Political Barbies

Sheila Gibbons, Women's eNews. August 3, 2004.
The wives of modern presidential candidates are smart, independent women – but no one in the media seems to notice.

Can Obama and Black Democrats Deliver The Black Vote?

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, AlterNet. August 2, 2004.
Barack Obama is hailed as the shining knight who will energize black voters – a group quick to express disappointment in the Democrats.

Slicing Up The Pie

Lee Nichols, Austin Chronicle. August 2, 2004.
Tom DeLay's redistricting of central Texas is making it harder for Democrats to win, but they're still trying.

Painting Happy Faces on Black Boxes

Diane Farsetta, AlterNet. August 2, 2004.
Faced with massive public concern and bad performances in recent elections, the electronic voting industry opted for a PR blitz instead of addressing its problems.

The Church of Bush

Rick Perlstein, Village Voice. August 2, 2004.
These are the people who, even in the face of evidence of his casual cruelty, of his unchristian contempt for weakness, of his lying ways, see something angelic in George W. Bush and love him unconditionally.

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