To the Point
Midterm Elections: The Politics of Disappointment
September 11, a shaky economy, possible war with Iraq, failing schools, a collapsing health system and corporate corruption offer plenty of rhetoric for this midterm election, but politicos on the Left and the Right agree there-s not much interest. While that means several races could be decided by very few votes, it appears that partisan lineups in Washington will probably stay much the same. Have Democrats and Republicans moved so much to the center that their differences no longer matter? Are voters likely to stay home, thinking that there-s not much of a choice? We weigh the reasons for such low voter turnout and its implications for a continuation of divided government with political scientists, pollsters and pundits, including commentator and columnist David Brooks. Newsmaker: Mondale and Coleman Debate as Governor Appoints Interim Senator In what is the nation-s shortest US Senatorial campaign, Democrat and former Vice President Walter Mondale met Republican Norm Coleman, the former Mayor of St. Paul, in their only campaign debate this morning. Meantime, Governor Jesse Ventura named Dean Barkley to fill the seat of the late Paul Wellstone. Holly Heiser, politics editor for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, has more on the issues raised by the naming of the interim Senator. Reporter's Notebook: Florida Prepares for Tomorrow-s Election If the presidential election debacle of 2000 is only a faint memory, new voting machinery for Florida-s September primary brought new problems, ensuring that tomorrow-s general election will be the most-watched in state history. Buddy Nevins, who covers politics for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, reviews tomorrow-s 40-item ballot, the state-s new voting machines, election monitors, and observers from Russia and Albania.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readSeptember 11, a shaky economy, possible war with Iraq, failing schools, a collapsing health system and corporate corruption offer plenty of rhetoric for this midterm election, but politicos on the Left and the Right agree there-s not much interest. While that means several races could be decided by very few votes, it appears that partisan lineups in Washington will probably stay much the same. Have Democrats and Republicans moved so much to the center that their differences no longer matter? Are voters likely to stay home, thinking that there-s not much of a choice? We weigh the reasons for such low voter turnout and its implications for a continuation of divided government with political scientists, pollsters and pundits, including commentator and columnist David Brooks.
Mondale and Coleman Debate as Governor Appoints Interim Senator
In what is the nation-s shortest US Senatorial campaign, Democrat and former Vice President Walter Mondale met Republican Norm Coleman, the former Mayor of St. Paul, in their only campaign debate this morning. Meantime, Governor Jesse Ventura named Dean Barkley to fill the seat of the late Paul Wellstone. Holly Heiser, politics editor for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, has more on the issues raised by the naming of the interim Senator.
Florida Prepares for Tomorrow-s Election
If the presidential election debacle of 2000 is only a faint memory, new voting machinery for Florida-s September primary brought new problems, ensuring that tomorrow-s general election will be the most-watched in state history. Buddy Nevins, who covers politics for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, reviews tomorrow-s 40-item ballot, the state-s new voting machines, election monitors, and observers from Russia and Albania.