crosscut.com : 2008 Election

Alaska blogger Celtic Diva's identity is revealed

Crosscut — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:01 PDT

I got in touch by e-mail with Celtic Diva, who found out this week that she's been selected by the Democratic National Convention Committee for a press credential at the August convention. She'll join a corps of bloggers representing the 50 states, three territories, and interestingly enough, U.S. ex-pats in Argentina.

Guess which Northwest blogs will cover the Democratic National Convention

Crosscut — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:01 PDT

The Associated Press reported today on the list of bloggers selected to cover the Democratic National Convention. One from each state will form a "state blogging corps" who will be seated with state delegations during the convention in Denver this August. The group blog HorsesAss, led by "accidental activist" David Goldstein, was chosen from Washington state, and the choice for Oregon was BlueOregon, "the water cooler around which Oregon progressives will gather," another group blog.

Why Hillary Clinton should stay in the race

Crosscut — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:00:01 PDT

There's no real reason for her to step aside until the convention, argues Crosscut's national political writer. Let her finish the last five primaries. But if she fails to get the nomination, she then must embrace Barack Obama and go to work for him during the fall campaign.

Barack Obama's big Oregon lead

Crosscut — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:00:01 PDT

A look at the polls suggests the Illinois senator's victory dance is warranted.

Hillary Clinton, will you please go now!

Crosscut — Sun, 11 May 2008 18:00:01 PDT

Flip Side: With apologies to Dr. Seuss and Maureen Dowd.

57 states — and the Soviet of Washington?

Crosscut — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:43:01 PDT

Sen. Barack Obama must be drinking some of the same Seattle water as secessionist Mayor Greg Nickels. In Beaverton, Ore., he told the crowd that he'd visited "57 states" with "one left to go." He goes on to say that the only states he hasn't been to during his presidential bid are Alaska and Hawaii, which means Obama thinks the U.S. has 58 states, though by his own count there should be 59.

Gregoire and Rossi, together again

Crosscut — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:10:01 PDT

For the first time in nearly four years, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and her Republican re-challenger, Dino Rossi, found themselves in the same room Friday night, May 9. The occasion was a retirement party at the Washington Supreme Court for veteran Associated Press reporter Dave Ammons, who has gone to work for Secretary of State Sam Reed.

It's not over until Hillary Clinton's cash runs out

Crosscut — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:00:01 PDT

As Barack Obama takes North Carolina and Clinton narrowly wins in Indiana, it's time not for celebration or a victory concession but a look ahead at months of stalemate.

Clinton's gas tax holiday is no vacation

Crosscut — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:42:01 PDT

Let’s see if primary voters buy Hillary Clinton’s line that respect equals pandering, that if you really feel people’s pain, you appeal to their ignorance. The recent to-do over Clinton’s — and McCain’s — proposal for a federal gas tax holiday marked a new low in this already-rock-bottom campaign. George Bush’s suggestion that high gas prices mean we should drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was merely business as usual. Even before the end of Bush’s first term, it had become a kind of running joke: Ask this administration a question, any question, about domestic policy and if the answer isn’t "cut taxes," it’s "open ANWR." Never mind that ANWR oil wouldn’t be available until some time after 2015; Bush is just being Bush.

Who loves our presidential election marathon? Norwegians

Crosscut — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:45:01 PDT

"I never thought I could get the Norwegian government interested in the Mississippi primary," quips Wegger Chr. Strommen, Norway's Ambassador to the U.S. "There isn't one Norwegian in Mississippi."

GOP journal: Report from a county convention

Crosscut — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:01 PDT

Fair-weather Republicans drifted off as the day unfolded, and rules are rules: Without a quorum, King County's party didn't finish the business at hand.

Which presidential candidate has a recipe for disaster?

Crosscut — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:00:01 PDT

When the election starts to resemble a bake sale, it's time to look at the recipes.

John Anderson's Pennsylvania postmortem

Crosscut — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Consecrate a Scandinavian-American in the spirit of Obama-mania and footlight a contradiction: the Audacity of Pessimism.

After Pennsylvania, still a close race

Crosscut — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:00:01 PDT

Sen. Hillary Clinton won decisively, but she's still trailing Sen. Barack Obama in delegates. Next: North Carolina and Indiana.

The youth vote could tip the scales in Pennsylvania

Crosscut — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:57:01 PDT

His face and arms were dotted with red paint, and his fingers were dipped in blue — something I realized after I shook his hand.

Mr. Ruckelshaus goes to Washington

Crosscut — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:00:01 PDT

Bill Ruckelshaus, well known in these parts for his leadership in efforts to save salmon and Puget Sound, is having his 15 minutes of national fame. The lifelong Republican has endorsed Barack Obama, with the timing meant to be helpful to Obama's primary efforts in Indiana, where Ruckelshaus is a still-revered native son.

Ruckelshaus has had his earlier moments of fame, notably when he joined Elliot Richardson in defying President Nixon by refusing to fire Archibald Cox. It was a moment of great integrity, typical of Ruckelshaus's principled character, and it may have cost him the White House. I can explain.

In Pennsylvania, a UW student blogger wonders how Obama will fare

Crosscut — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:00:01 PDT

I'm sitting in a hotel room here in Pittsburgh, and the local news tells me that Wednesday night's debate has Sen. Barack Obama rattled.

Remembering Ellen Craswell: She could have been a contender

Crosscut — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Tracing her history is a path through the drift of the local Republican Party, from Reaganite cost-cutting to Robertson Christian conservatism — a formula for defeat. Here's the little-known story of Craswell's personal pilgrimmage.

Is Dino Rossi a moderate?

Crosscut — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

I wouldn't call him that, but the Republican candidate for governor has no need to run to the right to beat Christine Gregoire. Just as he did in the election cliffhanger of 2004, he can present himself as a comparatively moderate candidate, one in touch with the state's mainstream aspirations. He's starting to do that.

Pennsylvania could be a bellwether primary

Crosscut — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:00:01 PDT

With significant percentages of both Democratic candidates' supporters considering a shift to John McCain if their choice doesn't make it, the Pennsylvania contest's import couldn't be clearer. Whether or not McCain can overcome his obstacles, however, remains to be seen.