Politics Aug 14 The joys of Iowa: Part 1 It has become something of a cliché (as are butter cows), but the Iowa State Fair gives us an opportunity to see most of the 2016 candidates in one location with actual people. How they work a crowd, answer an…
Politics Aug 07 Gwen’s Take: Candidates debates, and why we should love them Ninety minutes in, Jeb Bush found his voice, speaking out for civility. Shortly after, John Kasich admitted he went to a gay friend’s wedding. About an hour before, Ben Carson thanked the moderator for remembering to call on him. And…
Politics Jul 31 Gwen’s Take: The third term myth In his final speech to the African Union this week, President Obama addressed corruption on the continent. And then he mentioned, in what seemed an offhand fashion, the one thing that he had to know would rankle his critics back…
Politics Jul 24 2016 politics: The need for unwelcome intrusions For voters, the unexpected should be seen as welcome. Any presidential hopeful has to be aware that no path is smooth; no ambition easily attained.
Politics Jul 17 Gwen’s Take: Who do these candidates think they are? For me, by far the most eye-opening revelation in the early stages of this 2016 campaign is the sheer breadth of diversity in the field. Count it up. Two women. Two Cuban Americans. One African American. Candidates hailing from California…
Politics Jul 03 Gwen’s Take: How we see each other … and how we don’t The U.S. Census has officially concluded that the majority of Americans under the age of 5 are children of color. Yet we still live in a world where our continuing tugs of war over identity periodically explode into incomprehensible violence…
Politics Jun 26 On flags, forgiveness and fairness: Charleston lessons If there is one question I get every time I speak to young, aspiring journalists, it is this: How do you keep your opinion/bias/emotion out of the story you’re covering? My answer has been pretty straightforward: Keep an open mind,…
Politics Jun 05 Gwen’s Take: A blacksmith and a gamer walk into a bar … What you didn’t know about the 2016 candidates In my business we’re often criticized for focusing too heavily on the horse race nature of a political campaign. This is often a fair and just criticism. We do it because it’s easy, and because sometimes it’s fun. Here’s the…
Politics May 29 Why polls are ridiculous … until they’re not The Republican race is taking shape! The latest poll conducted by Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University says so. But with so many numbers to digest, here’s why it’s all so ridiculous.
Politics May 15 Gwen’s Take: Politics through a glass, darkly — trade edition Is Washington transparent? Certainly not. Are all lawmakers friends, even within their own parties? No way. So it helps to have a glossary when you listen to them speak.