Election 2012

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Sunday Link-Off: Election Fallout

We’re almost done with the political links. There are just a few stories to clean up after the election and then we can resume normal service. For now, let’s start with Canadian model Rachelle Goulding. How is she not a superstar yet?

As a Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney was given Secret Service protection. When he lost the election, his detail almost instantly vanished. (GQ)

One theory inside the Republican Party for why they lost was that their new voter tracking system was an unmitigated failure. They were supposed to use a mobile website to track who voted and who they needed to get to the polls. The GOP were so prepared that the system was broken before the first vote was cast. (Ace of Spades)

Let’s do a little bit of Canadian politics. For Toronto mayor Rob Ford, all those unfulfilled promises from the campaign are coming back to haunt him. (The Grid)

After the jump, crazed election reactions, the best of Deep Space Nine and a cool NHL lockout parody song. Continue reading →

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Thursday Link-Off: Four More Years!

We’ve come in a day late with the mid-week links so we could bring you election coverage. Wednesday was a great morning for America. Republican supporters can complain about the outcome but they only have the Tea Party to blame. They force Romney off his moderate base to the neoconservative fringe. If he stuck to what was his core as the governor of Massachusetts  he’s have been in with a shot. Anyway, since America did the right thing on Tuesday, here’s Obama supporter Katy Perry. This campaign pretty much made her any sane man’s dream woman.

The results of the election aren’t indicative of a divide by race or gender or even political beliefs. It’s really illustrative of a divide along age. (Globe & Mail)

Over the course of the day, one of the more intriguing subplots was the embarrassing state of the actual voting process. If there’s one reason the world laughed at America, it’s because the country that invaded Iraq to impose democracy doesn’t have it right itself. (CNN)

Now that President Obama has been reelected, people are going to talk about his place in history. Perhaps, though, his place has already been cemented even without a cornerstone piece of legislation to be his legacy piece. (Esquire)

After the jump, more election coverage including Nate Silver winning election night, where the GOP went wrong, a media round-up from the big day and more. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: It All Comes Down To Tuesday

Before we get to the links, I have a quick programming note. The Wednesday Link-Off will be pushed back to Thursday so we can link to election analysis that isn’t written at 2 AM on November 7. Today, though, the show goes on as usual. So lets kick this off with Canadian model Danielle Knudson.

Rather than look at the usual polls or Nate Silver’s 538 summary, let’s look at a useful poll. Here’s a poll about polls and what voters think about other people’s votes. (Upworthy)

Can you make Mitt Romney’s tax plan add up? All you have to do is solve the $480 billion gap to make is all balance. (Washington Post)

Are you up to date on all the Obama conspiracy theories? Read through them, have a laugh and remember that voting Republican is a vote for people who think that these theories are true. (Mother Jones)

After the jump, election endorsements, a food critic’s take on Guy Fieri’s new restaurant and what Republican leaders really think about Mitt Romney. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: Happy Halloween

It’s the middle of the week and we’re less than a week from the Presidential Election. But today’s Halloween so we’ll get through that first. Let’s kick off with Candice Swanepoel dressed as a stewardess. If only all airline stewardesses looked like that… I mean, apart from the ones on Virgin Airlines.

The New York Times editorial board has endorsed Barack Obama as the best choice for President of the United States. If the biggest newspaper in America endorses him, that should tell you something. (New York Times)

Mitt Romney says he cancelled his campaign rallies to hold Hurricane Sandy fundraisers. It sure seems as though they’re treating them as campaign rallies. (Daily Kos)

The Romney campaign team is dispatching a team of poll watchers to Wisconsin. However, the voting info they gave them for Wisconsin is largely false and written to suppress voting. (Think Progress)

After the jump, Romney and Sandy, some special Halloween polling and the greatest horror movie quotes. Continue reading →

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The Politics of Failure: Of Memes, Misinformation and Mudslinging

This year’s US Presidential election has seldom been about what has been best for America and its people. This election isn’t about whether President Barack Obama or challenger Mitt Romney’s vision for America will be better for the country going forward. It’s largely been a referendum on whether people like President Obama or if they want any alternative that is provided.

As a result, very little of this election has been about the issues. The majority of campaigning is about why the opposing candidate is worse for the Presidency and America. Discourse in this election has come to a virtual standstill as neither side attempts to engage the other over issues. It’s all parroting talking points and slinging mud at anyone who does not agree with you. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: For Science!

It’s a politics light edition of the links this Sunday. The candidates’ positions are set and no big events happened over the last week that seem to have changed the balance (despite another boneheaded rape comments by a Republican candidate) so now it’s down to getting people out to vote. Anyway, this week’s linkdumps will lead off with a woman in costume since Halloween is on Wednesday. Today, it’s Sara Jean Underwood.

While this election seems to be a war between the Democrats and Tea Party, there’s another war breaking out between voters and candidates who believe in science and those who take positions with no basis in science. (Scientific American)

While the national polls say that the race is close, if you break it down state by state, President Obama still has a good shot at re-election. (FiveThirtyEight)

You’d think that Canada is a pretty advanced nation when it comes to technology but that isn’t entirely accurate. Canada is behind most of the rest of the world when it comes to cloud computing and internet bandwidth. (Forbes)

After the jump, David Stern’s retirement victory tour, music videos that justify the existence of the internet and Portal 2 meets Halo. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: The Home Stretch

All three US Presidential debates are done and now we wait for people to vote. With any luck, they won’t all vote for tax cuts for the 1% and tax hikes for the middle class (i.e. voting Romney). Anyway, let’s kick off with Canadian actress Emily VanCamp.

The third Presidential election debate was on Monday. The pundits are in agreement that President Obama took home a solid win. (Daily Kos)

Now that the debates are behind us, what did we learn from them? (Washington Post)

Some reporters make their names during elections. Here’s a look at some of the young journalists who have come to prominence during this election cycle. (iPolitics)

After the jump, debate fact checking, Chevy Chase blows up again on the set of Community and the James Bond mega mix. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: Millions of Dollars, Millions of Lies

Just to show how up-to-date we are, we have links about the last debate the day before the next Presidential election debate. But before we get to the links, making an all too rare appearance on the blog, here’s Alessandra Ambrosio who was selected to model this year’s multi-million dollar Victoria’s Secret bra. I wonder if Ann Romney owns any of those?

Like I said in my last linkdump, we’d have to wait for proper debate breakdowns. So let’s start with this analysis of Obama’s bounce-back performance in the second debate. (The Daily Beast)

Fact check time! In 41 minutes of talking, Mitt Romney lied 31 times which outpaced his lies per minute rate from the first debate. (Think Progress)

One of the big memes to come from the debate was Mitt Romney’s binders full of women. However, rather than becoming a meme, that statement should be used as a jumping off point for Romney’s apparent lack of interest in women’s issues like pay equity and women’s rights. (The Guardian)

After the jump, Romney’s profit from the auto bailout, photos from the Red Bull space jump and US presidential debates are a broken system. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: Debate This

I know there was a presidential debate last night but the thorough analysis wasn’t out in time to make this post. I’m not staying up until the early hours of Eastern time to add the one or two links that isn’t just biased spin. If I wanted that, I’d watch Fox News. They’re so “fair and balanced” that they almost weren’t allowed the broadcast in Canada as a news channel. Anyway, we still have some news and politics links. But first, here’s Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui.

Good news if you plan to rely on Medicare at some point during the next 20 years: Both candidates for President will spend about the same on it. Bad news if you plan to rely on Medicaid at some point over the next 20 years: The Romney/Ryan plan will pretty much bankrupt it. (Mother Jones)

Mitt Romney tries to come off as the business man who knows how to turn around the economy. There’s one problem. He’s never actually built a proper business from scratch, just bought, sold and stripped for parts. (Washington Post)

If you’re cynical about the whole political process, you might not be entirely in the wrong. Things might not change after this election and Congress would still accomplish nothing. (BuzzFeed)

After the jump, who is better at creating jobs, the NHL’s failed PR attempt and a Ghostbusters mashup. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: The Dangers of Stardom

By our standards from the last couple of months, today’s linkdump is fairly light on politics. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have some interesting links for you to peruse. In keeping with changing things up a bit, let’s start with Romanian model Andreea Mantea who makes her first appearance on the blog.

Last week saw the American Vice Presidential candidate debate. The pundits, at least the unbiased ones, all give the win to Joe Biden. (Daily Kos)

If you didn’t pick Joe Biden as the winner of the debate, chances are you picked moderator Martha Raddatz who laid down the law during the debate. (NPR)

Ahead of next week’s presidential debate, David Maraniss examines Barack Obama’s debate tactics and what was different about his first debate against Mitt Romney. (Washington Post)

After the jump, Mitt Romney vs. the truth, Liverpool FC blackmails a fan and how to break an electoral college tie. Continue reading →