Patchwork Nation blog
McCain takes united GOP forward promising change, offering few details
Posted by Dante Chinni | 09.05.2008 / 4:54 AM EDT
St. Paul, Minn. - When the confetti balloons were done falling, it seemed Sen. John McCain had gotten one very good thing out of the convention here - a united party. The faithful, many of whom were not enthused about Senator McCain when he secured the nomination, were energized.
Many delegates here said they are enthused […]
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Palin scores big on aggressive evening, but tone, specifics linger as questions
Posted by Dante Chinni | 09.04.2008 / 7:05 AM EDT
St. Paul, Minn. - There was little question about the feeling in the Xcel Energy Center last night at about quarter after 11: the delegates were cheering, the Palin clan was on stage waving, and the arena shook. The Republicans were on their game.
When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin approached the podium here Wednesday night, she […]
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As media criticism grows, will Palin’s speech turn the page in St. Paul?
Posted by Dante Chinni | 09.03.2008 / 2:26 PM EDT
St. Paul, Minn. – In political conventions, there are the story lines and themes that are mapped out for the week, and there are the real events that overshadow them.
For the Democrats last week, it was the question of uniting the party that dominated the first few nights of Denver – the question of whether […]
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GOP convention honors POW McCain, economy goes MIA
Posted by Dante Chinni | 09.03.2008 / 6:32 AM EDT
St. Paul, Minn. - If you wanted to know the difference between the Democratic and Republican conventions you saw it last night. Four nights last week of talk about the middle class gave way Tuesday night to an evening of talk about “service” - military and otherwise.
Military themes, always a strong suit for the GOP, […]
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Palin is topic No. 1 in Twin Cities, as polarization grows elsewhere
Posted by Dante Chinni | 09.02.2008 / 3:16 PM EDT
St. Paul, Minn. – The 2008 Republican National Convention gets fully under way a day late on Tuesday, and it does so with Sen. John McCain’s pick for vice president driving much of the conversation.
The past few days have brought a series of stories about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin – discussing her pregnant teenage daughter, […]
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Place and politics: how people judge by whereabouts
Posted by James Gimpel | 09.02.2008 / 8:16 AM EDT
The vigorous and highly partisan discussion over the past few days about Gov. Sarah Palin’s impending nomination as the Republican vice-presidential candidate stands as a reminder to Patchwork Nation readers that geography matters.
Geography matters in politics because candidates are evaluated not just according to who they are, but also on the basis of where they’re […]
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Palin helps unite GOP in Twin Cities as Gustav stalls show
Posted by Dante Chinni | 09.01.2008 / 9:32 AM EDT
Sometime Monday, or maybe even Tuesday, the Republican National Convention will get under way in Minnesota, and when it does, Sarah Palin will have a lot of people there smiling. The Alaska governor may be a risky choice for Sen. John McCain’s running mate, but she could serve one very important role: uniting the GOP.
While […]
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Obama’s speech scores with voters, as ‘celebrity’ critique doesn’t register
Posted by Dante Chinni | 08.29.2008 / 8:06 AM EDT
Denver – Amidst the fireworks and the confetti, Senator Barack Obama, the new Democratic presidential nominee, looked confident as he walked off stage. The speech he gave last night was not typical for him – soaring rhetoric was not the focus and it was heavier than usual on policy – but the crowd was roaring.
And […]
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A big night for the Dems and Clinton, but Biden shows his appeal
Posted by Dante Chinni | 08.28.2008 / 6:56 AM EDT
Denver – If you drew up a perfect script for an evening at a political convention, it would look a lot like Wednesday night for the Democrats.
The deal that the Clinton and Obama campaigns made on the actual nomination – though most people probably didn’t see it live because of its timing – came off […]
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Obama is nominee, but Bill Clinton’s speech crucial
Posted by Dante Chinni | 08.27.2008 / 8:56 PM EDT
Denver – Unity is in the air here – or at least the appearance of unity.
A deal was struck between the Obama and Clinton camps on the delegates here so everyone could save face. At about 7 p.m. the floor roll call vote was interrupted and, in a made for TV moment, Barack Obama was […]
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Clinton ties McCain to Bush and highlights the GOP’s tough task ahead
Posted by Dante Chinni | 08.27.2008 / 7:47 AM EDT
Denver – By the time Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton finished her speech Tuesday night, the Democratic faithful were on their feet, waving signs that read “Hillary” on one side and “unity” on the other. The first thought to come to mind upon looking out over that scene might have been, “That was easy.”
Time will tell […]
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Reactions to the convention’s first night from across Patchwork Nation
Posted by Dante Chinni | 08.26.2008 / 1:45 PM EDT
Denver – At any live event, from politics to sports, one’s vantage point is crucial to one’s experience. That’s doubly true at political conventions.
Journalists who come to the conventions to tell people what happens don’t get the same experience as the overwhelming majority of Americans for two reasons. First, if you are in the convention […]
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The Democrats’ Denver debut and a Pennsylvania poll of concern for Obama
Posted by Dante Chinni | 08.26.2008 / 6:29 AM EDT
Denver – Sen. Ted Kennedy was the man of the night and Michelle Obama did her star turn here, but the heavy presence hanging over the Democratic National Convention Monday was Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Senator Clinton’s followers have to warm fully to Sen. Barack Obama – a CNN poll showed 27 percent of her supporters […]
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Even in a ‘Boom Town,’ economic worries creep in
Posted by Dante Chinni | 08.25.2008 / 9:24 AM EDT
Eagle, Colo. – August is a nice month in this mountain town on the western side of Vail.
The days are warm, but the nights cool off. Fly fishermen decked out in waders dot the banks of the Eagle River, hooking rainbows and brownies. And the mountain bikers roll through the trails.
But behind the picture-perfect backdrop, […]
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How does Obama-Biden stack up?
Posted by Dante Chinni | 08.23.2008 / 6:20 PM EDT
It’s impossible to know exactly what Sen. Barack Obama’s selection of Sen. Joe Biden for his vice president will ultimately mean for the 2008 election barely four hours after the two had their official introduction together. We’ve barely seen them in action.
The speeches both men gave were short and to the point – Obama introducing […]
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