Oct 19 Gwen's Take: Why Binders and Big Bird Don't Matter By Gwen Ifill President Obama and Gov. Romney at Tuesday's debate. Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images It's all personal. Watching the candidates for president circle each other in their town hall cage match this week, I was reminded that this is all that… Continue reading
Oct 12 Gwen's Take: Why Is Anybody Still Undecided? By Gwen Ifill Watching FRONTLINE'S "The Choice 2012" this week, I was reminded how drastically different the 2012 candidates for president are. One is the well-heeled scion of a prosperous and deeply religious family. The other is the son of a fleetingly… Continue reading
Oct 05 Gwen's Take: How Do You Solve A Problem Like Todd Akin? By Gwen Ifill Rep. Todd Akin speaks to supporters during a fundraiser September 24 in Kirkwood, Missouri. Photo by Whitney Curtis/Getty Images One of the most enduring tropes in political language is the use of the term "trickle-down." It was widely used to… Continue reading
Oct 02 Gwen's Take: Debunking Five Myths About Presidential Debates By Gwen Ifill Gwen Ifill moderating the 2008 vice presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden in St. Louis, Mo. Photo by Don Emmert/Getty Images. Myth No. 1: "Voters use debates to decide." For many voters, televised presidential debates serve to focus… Continue reading
Sep 28 Gwen's Take: Political High Wire Acts Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, right, rallies with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin on the campaign trail Sept. 24 in Kirkwood, Mo. Photo by Whitney Curtis/Getty Images ST LOUIS -- I haven't been to the circus in… Continue reading
Sep 21 Gwen's Take: When the Horse Race Matters (Kinda) By Gwen Ifill In the past twelve days, there have been 82 published election polls. Eighty-two. National, state-by-state and some partisan polls. And that's just the presidential surveys. And we stopped counting on Thursday. Taken together, they tell of a good week for… Continue reading
Sep 14 Gwen's Take: Teetering at the Water's Edge By Gwen Ifill It is always perilous for anyone running for commander in chief to get out in front of the man who already has the job. For Mitt Romney, this week has been a special test. Fresh off a pair of political… Continue reading
Sep 07 Gwen's Take: Lessons Learned in Tampa and Charlotte By Gwen Ifill Delegates from North Carolina react to Vice President Joe Biden's speech during the closing night of the 2012 Democratic National Convention held at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Jared Soares for the PBS NewsHour. Continue reading
Aug 31 Gwen's Take: Five Things to Watch for in Charlotte By Gwen Ifill Photo of Charlotte, N.C., by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images. Charlotte, N.C. | We dodged a hurricane, survived the gripping humidity and thrived for a week in the belly of the beast -- a national political convention that one first-time attendee… Continue reading
Aug 24 Gwen's Take: Five Things to Watch For in Tampa By Gwen Ifill Workers put the finishing touches on the inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention Monday in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images Tampa | Florida politics has always been its own special… Continue reading