Special Coverage: Democracy and Elections

Now Let's Talk About Populism for Real

Ruth Rosen, Truthdig. July 5, 2008.
A new book explores the real populist vision that lies behind the shallow rhetoric to which we've been subjected during this election year.

From the blogs

Race-Baiting Former Senator Jesse Helms Has Died

by Lindsay Beyerstein, AlterNet

Conservative Republican railed against "Negro hoodlums", opposed the Voting Rights Act, backed terrorists, and died an unrepentant segregationist.

Connecticut Fights Veterans Affairs on Voter Registration

by Steven Rosenfeld

VA policy banning registration drives defied by secretary of state, attorney general.

The Money-Laundering Operation at the Heart of the Democratic Party

by Matt Stoller, Open Left

Hoyer and the Blue Dogs hold the purse strings of the party.

He Said It First

by John Sellers, Agit-Pop

A "PSA" raises awareness on John McCain's c-word gaffe.

Karl Rove advising McCain campaign

by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report

Bush's Brain transplanted to McSame.

Bush Makes Belated Bid to Capture Bin Laden

by Jon Ponder

Eighty-one months after 9/11, POTUS vies for October Surprise.

Democrats Have Their Nominee. Will the Machines Let Him Win?

by Jill Hussein C., Brilliant at Breakfast

America must still come to terms with problems in its voting system.

What Happened to Scott McClellen?

by Mark Ristaino, AlterNet

Former White House Press Secretary reinvents himself with interviews on "Daily Show", ""Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and "Meet the Press".

Clinton Supporter explodes after RBC meeting: "God damn the Democrats!"

by Mark Ristaino, AlterNet

Saturday's committee ruling on the Florida and Michigan primaries leaves Clinton supporters fuming.

Helping Republicans win re-erection... i mean re-election!

by Mark Ristaino, AlterNet

Faux pharmaceutical commercial lampoons the errant War on Drugs.

Looking Back at Tom Paine's Radical Legacy

Nick Penniman, American News Project. July 4, 2008.
An Independence Day look back at the radical influence of Thomas Paine, whose words helped spark the American Revolution.

Republican Campaign Against Likely Democratic Voters Begins

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. July 2, 2008.
The GOP’s latest accusations are long on rhetoric but short on facts.

Ignorant America: Just How Stupid Are We?

Rick Shenkman, Tomdispatch.com. July 2, 2008.
Millions of Americans are embarrassingly ill-informed and they do not care that they are.

Florida’s 2008 Election Landscape Looking More Like 2000

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. June 28, 2008.
A court ruling means processing errors by local election officials can be cause to reject new voters.

Supreme Court Casts a Vote for Millionaires

Lindsay Renick Mayer, Capital Eye. June 27, 2008.
Millionaires running for Congress will no longer have to worry if spending their own money in a race will give their opponents an advantage.

The Big Outcome of the '60s: The Triumph of Capitalism

Slavoj Zizek, In These Times. June 27, 2008.
After the social tumult of the '60s capitalism usurped resistance itself, turning attempts at subversion into commodities.

The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America

Robert Scheer, Twelve. June 27, 2008.
The huge "defense" spending going on in our name is irrational and costly, but there are powerful vested interests that want to keep it that way.

McCain Camp Says It Will Scale Back GOP Voter Suppression Tactics

Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic. June 26, 2008.
But Obama’s top campaign lawyer is skeptical the GOP can break with its past.

Abuse of the Filibuster: Republicans Play Dirty 'Block and Blame' Game

Christopher Moraff, The Philadelphia Tribune. June 23, 2008.
It works like this: Republicans hijack the Senate, block important legislation, then complain nothing is getting done.

Americans Disenfranchised Again

Tad Daley, AlterNet. June 23, 2008.
No instant run-off voting? No national popular vote? And this is democracy?

Religious Right Groups Want Pastors to Cross the Partisan Line and Spark Court Showdown

Rob Boston, Church & State Magazine. June 23, 2008.
The nation's most prominent Religious Right legal group is looking for a pastor who will knowingly break the law and spark an IRS penalty.

When Did the Vice Presidency Become Such a Prize?

Stanley Kutler, Truthdig. June 20, 2008.
In the past, being second-in-command conferred far less power and prestige than now. Has Cheney imposed a new standard for the vice presidency?

Donors to Party Conventions Spent Over $800 Million on Federal Campaign Contributions and Lobbying Since 2005

Steve Weissman, Jennifer Sykes, The Campaign Finance Institute. June 19, 2008.
Obama and McCain will star at party nominating conventions that are largely financed by unlimited contributions from corporate treasuries.

Veterans Affairs Tells Court It Can't Imagine Voter Registration Drives for Its Wounded Veterans and the Homeless

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. June 12, 2008.
The VA's attorney tells a federal appeals court that voters registration drives are a partisan distraction.

Flunk the Electoral College: Getting Rid of the Exploding Cigar of American Politics

Michael Waldman, Brennan Center for Justice. June 12, 2008.
The Electoral College is an affront to basic democracy, warping competition and subverting political equality -- even when it works.

Young Minorities Make Up the Bulk of Unregistered Voters

Project Vote. June 11, 2008.
Project Vote aims to get young, non-college-educated minorities involved in the political process.

Lessons from Voting Rights Activists' Big Win in Missouri

Art Levine, AlterNet. June 10, 2008.
How the good guys finally won and what it means for 2008.

How Important Is a Fair Election in November? How Important Is AlterNet to You?

Don Hazen, AlterNet. June 9, 2008.
AlterNet is stepping up to help make sure elections are fair and all votes are counted in November. But we need your help.

Why the Antiwar Movement Can't Budge the Dems to Leave Iraq

David Sirota, Crown Publishing. June 5, 2008.
If the anti-war movement can't find a way to hold Dem politicians accountable, then don't expect anything more than the status quo.

Will Ohio Have Another Problematic Presidential Election?

Dan Tokaji, Election Law @ Moritz. June 4, 2008.
The state's 2008 fall election may pose new hurdles for voters.

America's Democratic Collapse

Chris Hedges, Truthdig. June 3, 2008.
In a dramatic speech, Chris Hedges warns that the nation is on the verge of becoming a full-blown corporate state.

Voting Rights Lawyers Defeat Texas' Bogus Voter Fraud Prosecutions

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. May 29, 2008.
Texas Attorney General agrees to settlement that would have blocked his prior prosecutions.

New York Times Perpetuates the Myth that George Bush Won the 2000 Election

Larry Beinhart, AlterNet. May 29, 2008.
They buried the truth about the 2000 election, and they're still burying it today.

Campaign Finance Lessons from the 2008 Campaign, So Far

Democracy 21. May 22, 2008.
Small and big donors increase as federal oversight creates loopholes.

Voting Machine CEO Reportedly Lies About Foreign Ownership of Firm

Brad Friedman, Brad Blog. May 21, 2008.
Questions remain about foreign ownership of one of the U.S.'s big voting machine manufacturers.

Inverted Totalitarianism: A New Way of Understanding How the U.S. Is Controlled

Chalmers Johnson, Truthdig. May 19, 2008.
A new book offers a controversial but ultimately convincing diagnosis of how the U.S. has succumbed to an unacknowledged totalitarian temptation.

Howard Zinn: Anarchism Shouldn't Be a Dirty Word

Ziga Vodovnik, CounterPunch. May 17, 2008.
In this interview, Zinn explains why anarchism is often ridiculed as violent and chaotic.

Moyers: 'Democracy in America Is a Series of Narrow Escapes, and We May Be Running Out of Luck'

Bill Moyers, Doubleday. May 17, 2008.
For all of America's shortcomings, we keep telling ourselves, "The system works." Now all bets are off.

Will the Supreme Court's Conservatives Undermine the Voting Rights Act?

Rick Hasen, Election Law Blog. May 16, 2008.
A potentially huge decision on Voting Rights Act decision looms in a very obscure Supreme Court case.

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