By MARSHA MERCER, Media General News Service
No country for liberals
TAZEWELL, Va. -- Appalachia can be a cold country for liberals, so when word came that the Obama campaign was opening an office in town, Dee Crescitelli started driving by, just to see if it was open yet.When the storefront opened late last month, Dee, a teacher, and her husband, Todd, a lawyer, stopped to get campaign bumper stickers and yard signs.
Never mind Washington, Main Street has its own problems
CULPEPER, Va. -- As a lipstick sunset painted the hills of the Piedmont, Joyce Tyree sold tickets to the junior varsity football game at Eastern View High School.
McCain should have stood by his words
WASHINGTON -- The problem wasn't that John McCain said, "The fundamentals of our economy are strong," as Wall Street was imploding last week.The problem was that he didn't stand by his own words.
The question voters will ask themselves
WASHINGTON -- During the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan, in a debate with President Jimmy Carter, famously suggested that voters answer a simple, but potent, question:"Are you better off than you were four years ago?"That's the way everybody remembers it, but when I went back to check, I found that Reagan didn't stop there.
The serene presence of Cindy McCain
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Cindy McCain looks like fear never dares enter her mind, but there she was telling about a hundred people that she had been scared to death.
Later conventions make for a strange election season
Happy Labor Day! As many Americans enjoy a last weekend at the beach, the Republican National Convention opens Monday in St. Paul, Minn., and the GOP begins making the case for John McCain for president.
American Indians at Denver powwow reflect political disconnect
DENVER -- Democratic National Convention organizers proudly tout the diversity of the 4,438 delegates at the Pepsi Center.Blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, American Indians and members of other groups are represented in greater strength than at previous conventions.
The quadrennial whine is wrong
Here come the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions -- and the quadrennial whine.You've heard it: The conventions are a big waste of time and money. They don't pick the presidential nominees, and platform battles are rare. They're orchestrated shows or, worse, infomercials.
Obama has a Clinton problem
WASHINGTON -- It was inevitable. Hillary Clinton is back, and she's John McCain's new, not-so-secret weapon. The McCain campaign unveiled Thursday the first and, his aides promised, not the last campaign ad touting Clinton's own words against Barack Obama during the bitter primary season.
Personal responsibility central to Obama's campaign
WASHINGTON -- Never underestimate the power of the nasty, overheard remark.Two decades ago, Jesse Jackson twice strode the national stage as a presidential contender from Chicago. He won a few primaries and was a force to be reckoned with.
