Politics

Here is the nightmare scenario: Nov. 1, 2008, Barack Obama is leading in the national polls by a comfortable margin. Nov. 4, 2008, he loses the election, either by a whisker or by a margin large enough to suggest that it was never really close. All indications are that the loss will be blamed on…

During his first term, his nicknames in the local media ran the gamut: “Big Diamond,” “thug,” “pimp,” “player,” “Kwame Soprano,” “Swami,” “his thugness,” “ghetto,” “gangsta,” “inept club crawler,” “hustler,” “Puffy Kilpatrick.” Often it was just plain ole Kwame—the reverent title of “Mayor,” “Mr. Mayor” or “Mr. Kilpatrick” chucked aside. Back then, stereotypical characterizations like that…

Fundamental to the marketing of any brand is the establishment of trust: A brand builds trust when promises are met and destroys that trust when promises are broken. It’s a fact of life in retail and true in the world of retail politics. Barack Obama has been busy trying to improve the Democratic Party brand.…

In a moment of unusual candor for a political professional, John McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis admitted earlier this week, “This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates.” Cynical as the sentiment may sound, he may well be right. Now that the…

Sen. McCain’s vice presidential pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has injected some much-needed energy into the Republican campaign. The risky but potentially game-changing selection provides a choice to the white and Hispanic female swing voters who may be decisive in this year’s election. Will they make Sen. Barack Obama the first black president? Or…

She wasn’t Hillary Clinton. Sarah Palin did many of the things she needed to do last night. She established herself as a politician with gumption, a candidate who would not shy away from battle, a conservative who would carry her small-town ideals to the corridors of Washington. She billed herself as an advocate: for special-needs…

The story of Piyush “Bobby” Jindal reads like an assimilation fairytale: A son of immigrants rises through the ranks to become the first Indian-American governor at 36, overcoming racial boundaries in his home state of Louisiana. As Hurricane Gustav threatened his state, Jindal took center stage to preside over what was shaping up to be…

John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as the GOP vice presidential nominee has re-inserted the “woman” question into the presidential debate. By choosing the second white female vice presidential candidate, McCain is trying to fashion himself, Sarah Palin, and, by extension, the entire Republican Party as more committed feminists than the Democrats. But what is…

During the Democratic National Convention in Denver, I sat on a panel about hip-hop and politics with a number of well-read and highly regarded thinkers in the black community. At one point a fellow panelist commented that it was impossible to criticize Barack without being considered a sellout. That statement inspired a thread of commentary…

The Internet was buzzing with rumors that Gov. Sarah Palin’s 4-month-old son is actually the child of her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol. To silence these rumors, Camp McCain-Palin released this bombshell: Bristol couldn’t have had the infant because she is five months pregnant. Whew! This is the stuff of Access Hollywood. McCain claimed he knew about…