Politics and campaigns

Few sharp exchanges in first GOP presidential debate, as candidates assail Obama

The candidates passed on opportunities to clash with one another in their first debate, choosing instead to attack President Obama’s economic policies.

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Are bad voters like drunk drivers? New book says they are, and that they should stay home on Election Day

Jason Brennan, author of the new book “The Ethics of Voting,” argues that irresponsible voting is morally wrong, and that misinformed voters should stay home on Election Day.

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Question of the day: Can a clown elected to Congress read?

Those unhappy with the outcome of the midterm elections here in the U.S. might do well to take a moment to contemplate Brazil, where not only was an actual clown elected to Congress, but that same clown is being quizzed to determine if he can read and write.

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On the campaign trail: The enemy hearts China!

There is a new trend in political ads: fear of China, complete with stereotypes from the days of Fu Manchu buffoonery.

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The shadow campaign: Big money in this year’s midterm elections

Need to Know examines changes in the campaign finance laws that are resulting in floods of corporate money flowing to campaigns — without knowing exactly where it’s coming from.

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In perspective: Jon Meacham on ‘Superlativism’

As the midterm elections near, Jon Meacham cautions us against the belief that everything that happens in our time is the “most” this or the “worst” that, as some pundits would have us believe.

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Need to Know, September 3, 2010

This week on Need to Know: Record spending on political campaigns. An experimental jobs program in Mississippi. And the true cost of the federal bank bailout.

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