Democrats Succeed in Charlotte
Thomas J. Spulak
Last week’s Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, was all that President Obama and the Democratic party could have wanted. The 4-day cheerleading session went off without a hitch apart from a few exceptions. More »
Conventions Post Mortem - A Choice or a Referendum?
George C. Crawford
Now that both conventions have wrapped up, attention will turn to the analysis of which nominee, Mr. Romney or Mr. Obama, benefited the most from their respective party's gathering. More »
Energy Policy at the Party Conventions
Allison F. Kassir
What a difference four years makes in energy policy. In 2008, the Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, had supported a cap and trade approach to reduce carbon emissions, and the party platform called for "technology-driven, market based solutions that will decrease emissions,….mitigate the impact of climate change" while delegates chanted "Drill baby, drill." More »
Both Party Platforms Emphasize the Importance of Trade - But Differ Significantly in Specifics and Tone
Bonnie B. Byers
The Democratic platform released last week emphasizes the need to promote international trade that is both free and fair. In particular, the platform touts Obama Administration efforts under the Trans-Pacific Partnership to create a regional free trade area in the Asia-Pacific region. The platform also highlights a desire to expand trade with Latin America, a region that accounts for three times the amount of trade as the U.S. has with China, and building on agreements that President Obama signed with Panama and Colombia. More »
Democrats and Taxes
George C. Crawford
While the major outlines of Democratic tax policy remain the same - letting the Bush tax cuts expire for income above $250,000 a year for married couples and above $200,000 for individuals, raising the top capital gains tax rate to 23.8 percent from 15 percent - the Democratic platform seemed to move the Party towards making permanent the tax cuts for the 98% of Americans earning less than $250,000 for married couples and individuals making less than $200,000. More »
Bill Clinton - The Maestro Returns
William C. Talmadge
All through the summer, the Obama campaign and its allies hammered Mitt Romney with a relentless series of negative ads, the intention apparently being to divert voters’ attention from the economy. But by all accounts, the message wasn’t taking - Romney held steady at 47%. More »
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