To win over the working class, Obama should study the acceptance speech of George H. W. Bush
Right now, everyone is focused on Barack Obama’s vice-presidential choice. But historically, convention acceptance speeches matter even more.
By STEVEN STARK | August 20, 2008

War stories

Mailer on the ’68 conventions
“We will be fighting for forty years.” Reading those words at the end of Norman Mailer’s 1968 Miami and the Siege of Chicago , you can’t help but feel a chill.
By CHARLES TAYLOR | August 19, 2008

McCain has a double standard on Viagra and birth control

Sexual politics
McCain backed legislation allowing Medicaid to cover Viagra for men, while forbidding the federal health-insurance program for the poor from covering birth control pills for women.
By MARY ANN SORRENTINO | August 13, 2008

The Quiet Power of Jack Reed

Without seeking the spotlight, the senator and his star continue to rise
As he closes out his second six-year term in the Senate, perhaps the most elite club in politics, Reed is the subject of ongoing speculation about his future.
By IAN DONNIS | August 13, 2008

The underdog

Sara Orozco thinks she can beat all-American GOP superstar Scott Brown. Can she convince anyone else?
Sara Orozco and Scott Brown, total opposites, are perfect candidates for a State Senate district with political bipolar disorder.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | August 13, 2008

Breaking the press

Democrats need to look past the media's feel-good coverage of Obama and deal with the realities of the campaign
The narrative of this campaign was supposed to be how a triumphant Obama rode discontent against the Bush administration to an overwhelming victory.
By STEVEN STARK | August 13, 2008

Too scared to win?

Barack Obama must fight for his principles, or he’ll give away the keys to the White House
What people want is someone who knows what he believes, says so, and stands up for it even in the face of criticism.
By JEFF INGLIS | August 13, 2008

It ain’t over yet

The press has already started inaugurating President Obama, but there are still quite a few hurdles left for the Democrat — including John McCain
In the wake of Barack Obama’s triumphant European tour, the political press continues, by and large, to declare the election all but over.
By STEVEN STARK | July 30, 2008

Leggo my ego!

The GOP is smearing Obama as a narcissist. So why is the press playing along?
If Barack Obama loses the presidency this November, it won’t be because of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, or “Bitter-gate,” or sundry other vulnerabilities.
By ADAM REILLY | July 30, 2008

Bigger! Better!!

The 12th Annual Rhode Island International Film Festival
This year the festival will host 58 world premieres and 41 North American premieres.
By BILL RODRIGUEZ | July 30, 2008

Tricky Dick

Philip K. Dick's second Library of America volume
The Philip K. Dick phenomenon might be petering out.
By PETER KEOUGH | July 28, 2008

Eyes on the (yawn) prize

The biggest story coming from the campaign trail lately seems to be: Which candidate is more lackluster?
A remarkable thing has happened: neither John McCain nor Barack Obama has done virtually anything to bolster his candidacy.
By STEVEN STARK | July 23, 2008

Is this thing on?

Rather than get a bounce from his convention, Obama might actually be hurt by the Democratic nominating event
In the modern age, America’s major-party conventions are love fests, feting their preselected nominees. But that may not be the case this year for Barack Obama.
By STEVEN STARK | July 09, 2008

Radical tweak

Conservatives are missing the mark on Obama’s vulnerability
Every candidate has vulnerable blind spots, especially one new to the national scene, so there are ways to run against Obama. But the current approach has a particularly fatal flaw: it’s untrue.
By STEVEN STARK | July 02, 2008

Crackpot court

Taking a shot at the Supreme Court’s recent gunplay
This past week’s Supreme Court ruling, invalidating Washington, DC’s handgun ban, demonstrates just how far afield “movement conservatism” has taken our country.
By EDITORIAL | July 02, 2008

Flavors of entanglement

Politics and other mistakes
Dear S. Donald Sussman: Please send me a million bucks.
By AL DIAMON | June 25, 2008

The Obama two-step

Now that we know for sure Obama is going to the dance, who’s he gonna bring as his partner?
Barack Obama lost his best vice-president option when Ohio governor Ted Strickland removed himself from consideration for the number-two spot.
By STEVEN STARK | June 18, 2008

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