Story Archives of '2008 elections'

In his New York Times column this weekend, Frank Rich quoted Andrew Rasiej, founder of the Personal Democracy Forum. Rasiej was explaining how television networks measure their success while covering the national party conventions; When they point to the biggest share of the television audience, he says “they are still counting horses while the world has moved on to counting locomotives.”

The internet is the steam engine that is eroding the audience of television, print, and radio, and it’s changing the way voters find information. New Hampshire Public Radio’s director of new media, Brady Carlson, keeps a close watch on these trends and joins us on Word of Mouth for a look at some of the web-based tools that are changing the political arena.

Here are links to some of the tools and websites Brady discussed on the show:

New Hampshire Public Radio Election Coverage

Congressional Quarterly Map

KQED's "You Decide"

Perspctv

Four days of planning meetings, strategy sessions and troop-rallying addresses from a who’s who of the most influential, loyal and up and coming Democrats. We’ll look back at the four days of the Democratic National Convention, what was said and the splash it made.

Guests

• Allan Bonner, political journalist for several international publications and author of Media Relations
• Dante Scala, associate professor of Political Science at the University of New Hampshire, author of the GraniteProf political blog and contributor to PolitickerNH.com
• Dean Spiliotes, New Hampshire-based political analyst who's taught at Dartmouth College and St. Anselm College; he's the author of NHPoliticalCapital.com

We'll also hear from

• Peter Burling, Democratic state senator from Cornish and delegate to the Democratic National Convention
• Chuck Douglas, vice chair of John McCain's presidential campaign in New Hampshire, former New Hampshire Congressman and State Supreme Court Justice

For the next few weeks, the news cycle will be circling around the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Presumed presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain will stand in the national spotlight to trumpet their experience, patriotism, courage and judgement.

But how did the respective candidates do in science class? That may not your first question, but University of California-Berkeley physics professor Richard Muller says that the man who takes the oath of office in January 2009 should know the difference between a uranium bomb and a plutonium bomb. How can you lead a country away from fossil fuel dependence if you don’t understand solar power, after all?

Dr. Richard Muller’s new book, Physics for Future Presidents, is a guide for the candidates, and interesting reading for those of us more suited to armchair politics.

Read excerpts from Physics for Future Presidents

Watch/listen to Dr. Muller's class lectures

(Photo by Tonyç)

The Republican National Convention will take place September 1st-4th in Minnesota. Party officials will meet and hear from speakers including President Bush, Vice President Cheney and John McCain. We’ll speak with three of New Hampshire’s Republican Delegates as they prepare to leave for Minnesota.

Guests

• Fergus Cullen, Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee
• Jayne Millerick, former Republican State party chair and current President of Marcucci Consulting
• Nancy Dwight, partner at Dwight Partners Inc and lifelong Republican currently living in Lyme

Republican Congressional Candidates Jeb Bradley and John Stephen have been battling each other over veterans benefits, tax cuts, and finding a way to lower gas prices.

But one of the battles the First District candidates have consistently had this summer involves Stephen’s record as Commissioner of Health and Human Services.

That issue was a major part of the latest debate Monday in Ossipee.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman has more.