Ron Elving

Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye Dies At 88 Of Respiratory Complications

Ron Elving — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 23:17:00 +0000

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Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii has died. He was 88. He was the president pro tempore of the Senate, an honor held by the most senior member of the majority party and a position that stands third in the presidential line of succession. Inouye died today at Walter Reed hospital outside Washington, D.C., from complications of respiratory disease.

All Eyes On The Battleground States As Polls Close

Ron Elving — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:50:00 +0000

Robert Siegel talks with Ron Elving about the big picture of Tuesday's elections.

NPR Poll Finds Presidential Race Too Close To Call

Ron Elving — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:36:00 +0000

The latest and last NPR Battleground Poll for 2012 shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holding the narrowest of leads in the national sample, but trailing President Obama in the dozen states that will decide the election.

The poll adds evidence that the Oct. 3 debate between the two men redefined the race.

Could There Be A Tie In The Electoral College?

Ron Elving — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:16:00 +0000

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Most polls in the presidential race show the national popular vote to be a virtual tie. But as we know, the popular does not pick the president. That's the job of the Electoral College. And some election number crunchers are starting to explore the nightmare scenario of an Electoral College tie.

Analysis: Romney Debate Strategy Shows He Thinks He's In the Driver's Seat

Ron Elving — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:47:00 +0000

In his third debate with President Obama, Mitt Romney dialed up "cool and cautious" on his mood meter. And that tells you a great deal about where this presidential race stands with two weeks to go.

Romney had to know the president would be coming after him in Boca Raton, Fla., but he decided to avoid the aggressive and even angry notes he had struck in the first two debates. He had achieved what he could with this approach in the initial clash in Denver on Oct. 3, when he seemed the more decisive and strong-willed candidate on stage.

George McGovern, An Improbable Icon Of Anti-War Movement

Ron Elving — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:36:00 +0000

If George McGovern often seemed miscast as a presidential candidate, he was at least as improbable as an icon of the anti-war movement.

The Vietnam War gave birth to an opposition movement unlike any America had seen in its previous wars. It was young, unconventional and countercultural, defiant of authority and deeply suspicious of government.

McGovern himself was none of these things.

He was, at the time of his presidential nomination, a 50-year-old two-term senator from South Dakota, a family man and the son of a small-town Methodist minister.

A Stronger Showing At Hofstra, But Ghost Of Denver Still Haunts Obama

Ron Elving — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:49:00 +0000

President Obama beat at least one of his adversaries on the stage at Hofstra University last night. He easily outperformed that guy — whoever he was — who debated against former Gov. Mitt Romney two weeks ago in Denver.

That much was obvious — and necessary for the president. The question now is whether it will be sufficient to restore his momentum in the race itself.

Some "instant polls" and other quickie measures were heartening to the Obama camp. But no matter how much Obama's showing at Hofstra surpassed his Denver no-show, it will not eradicate the damage or make up for lost time.

7 Signals Stolen From The Running Mates' One-Game Playoff

Ron Elving — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:44:00 +0000

You may have noticed that the vice presidential debate took place on the same day as four crucial games in this year's baseball playoffs. In case you were distracted at all by the latter, here's some of what you may have missed:

1) Joe Biden still has his fastball.

That's Why Incumbents Used To Say No

Ron Elving — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:50:00 +0000

In case anyone was wondering, this week's presidential debate demonstrated why incumbent presidents and others leading in the polls used to refuse to debate their challengers.

After John F. Kennedy used the first TV debates to boost his campaign against incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon in 1960, there simply were no debates until 1976. Running again with a big lead in 1968 and 1972, Nixon declined to debate and won both times. Lyndon B.

Republicans Or Democrats: The Choice Comes Down To Competing Myths

Ron Elving — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:07:00 +0000

Early in his acceptance speech last night, President Obama laid out the voters' task in these words:

"On every issue, the choice you face won't be just between two candidates or two parties. It will be a choice ... between two fundamentally different visions for the future."

It's a thought that emerges often in the Obama campaign, the idea of 2012 as a watershed election — "a hinge of history," as Vice President Biden called it at the convention in Charlotte, N.C. Some might see this as a device to drive Democratic turnout in the midst of a tepid economic recovery.

What The Democrats' Do-Over Really Says About Party Platforms

Ron Elving — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:28:00 +0000

Party platforms are like contracts: No one bothers to read them until something bad happens.

We all know that parties to any agreement should study the fine print in advance, and surely that applies to the national political parties. The delegates really ought to spend some of their time in the host city studying the document they are voting to adopt.

But hey, it's a convention. It's a party. Who wants to sit in their hotel room and read?

Platforms can lead to awkward moments, and worse.

Bill Clinton, Politics' Comeback Kid, Rides Again At The DNC

Ron Elving — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:14:00 +0000

Bill Clinton will add yet another chapter to his storied career tonight when the former president places in nomination the name of the current president, Barack Obama.

It will be the focal point of the evening and for some, perhaps, the most newsworthy moment of the entire convention. The old Clinton-Obama feud remains an endless source of political gossip, and the convention planners are happy to have the former president's supposedly unedited and unvetted remarks as a rare source of suspense.

GOP's 'We Built It' Refrain Is Both Puzzling and Telling

Ron Elving — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:41:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DkINRPpXf8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBOqLxzGTx8

Ryan's Speech Revives The Spirit Of Jack Kemp, War Over Reaganomics

Ron Elving — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:32:00 +0000

The second night of the Republican convention was an orchestrated buildup for Mitt Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan.

Ryan emerged at the evening's end to deliver the payoff speech and introduce himself to a national audience.

Republicans Reach Out To Women More In Convention Programming Than Platform Writing

Ron Elving — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:03:00 +0000

In case you missed it, the theme here in Tampa at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday was: "We Built It." Intended as a reference to building a business, the three words also suggested another construction project under way — a bridge to female voters.

Ann Romney, the wife of presidential nominee Mitt Romney, was obviously the focal point for the strategy.