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Presidental Politics and the Promise of Change

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Every election is about change of some kind, but this year it's the buzzword of presidential candidates from Barack Obama to Mitt Romney.  Are they all saying the same thing or does the same word convey a range of political messages--depending on what an individual voter wants to hear? Also, the Federal Reserve avoids using the "R" word, and remembering Sir Edmund Hillary.

Photo: Michal Czerwonka/AFP/Getty Images

Making News

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Main Topic

Presidental Politics and the Promise of Change ()

Barack Obama has been talking about "change" since the outset of his presidential campaign.  After he won the Iowa caucuses, other candidates began using the word so often it's become a mantra—not just for Democrats, but Republicans too.  Are they all saying the same thing, or are they using the same word to convey different messages? Does "change" mean hope? Is it the opposite of experience? Does it mean seeing the last of George W. Bush or doing the same things, only better? Do voters want real change or a vague promise they can invest with their own expectations? We talk about the language and substance of politics.

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Reporter's Notebook

Sir Edmund Hillary, First to Reach Top of Everest, Dead at 88 ()

Since the first ascent of the world's highest mountain on May 29, 1953, more than 4000 people have climbed Mt. Everest. But the first two did it with equipment that would now be considered primitive. Tibetan guide Tenzing Norgay died in 1986. Sir Edmund Hillary died today in New Zealand at the age of 88. When he returned home after climbing Mt. Everest, Hillary was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. A 20th Century pioneer, along with Charles Lindbergh and Neil Armstrong, was Hillary the first man to stand at the crest of the Himalayas at 29,000 feet? Eric Simonson is co-owner of International Mountain Guides, which leads groups up Everest.

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