U.S. Elections 2008: Newsletter #3
- Democrat Barack Obama Opts Out of Public Financing
20 June 2008
Presumed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will not use public financing to pay for his general election campaign, making him the first major party nominee to opt out of the system since it was created in 1976. More - Clinton Concedes, Encourages Supporters to Back Obama
09 June 2008
Hillary Clinton ends her presidential campaign with a pledge to support Barack Obama, who has enough support to assure him the Democratic nomination. More - The Path to the 2008 Presidential Nomination
04 June 2008
To become a party's nominee for president, a candidate must win the support of a majority of delegates to the party's national convention in the summer of 2008. More - How Will Candidates Explain Stances on Meeting Hostile Leaders?
04 June 2008
As presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama continue to criticize each other’s foreign policy positions, political analysts outline for America.gov the campaign strategies beneath the war of words and predict the political battle plan for foreign policy issues as the race for the White House continues. More - Presidential Campaign Enters New Phase as Primaries End
04 June 2008
As the final Democratic primary voters cast ballots in South Dakota and Montana June 3, Illinois Senator Barack Obama told his supporters that, “because of you,” he is expected to become the first African-American presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party. More
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(click each picture to read the candidates' stories)
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| Barack Obama campaigns for a U.S. Senate seat at the Illinois state fair, August, 2004. | John McCain, front right, poses with his squadron in 1965. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, McCain was captured by the North Vietnamese during a bombing mission in October 1967. |
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| Barack Obama, middle right, poses with a group of classmates in Punahou School's 1979 yearbook in Honolulu, Hawaii. |
John McCain and his wife Cindy celebrate the Arizona senator's victory in the New Hampshire primary in January 2008. |
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| John McCain and his wife Cindy attend a rally in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, September 1999. | Barack Obama and his wife Michelle stand before an audience of thousands following the Illinois senatorial candidate's speech at the Democratic National Convention, July 2004. |
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| Barack Obama and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai plant a tree in Nairobi, Kenya, in August 2006. |
Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin talks with Republican Senator John McCain in March 2002. |
(http://www.america.gov/multimedia.html)
• Audio |
Immigration Policy (mp3) This podcast examines America's policies immigration and U.S. presidential candidates' proposals for dealing with illegal immigration. |
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U.S. Security Policy |
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| Political House Parties (1:57) | Young Politicians Get Involved (3:01) | Obama Volunteers (3:51) |
Volunteers Energize McCain Campaign (2:58) |
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Paul’s Campaign Inspires |
Iowa Voters (4:02) |
The History of Presidential Campaigns (4:23) |
The Iowa Straw Poll (3:22) |
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| Immigrant Embraces U.S. Politics (3:51) |
YouTube Democratic Debate (2:57) |
Fighting for the Right to Vote (1:57) |
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• Photo Gallery
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| The Candidates' Stories | U.S. Elections in Brief |
U.S. presidential campaigns
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CONTENTS
- Introduction
- Elections in the United States
- The Role of Political Parties
- Presidential Nominations
- Congressional Elections
- Polls and Pundits
- Financing Campaigns
- U.S. Election Procedures
Download PDF (966 KB)
• The Long Campaign: U.S. Elections 2008 (eJournal)
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This edition of eJournal USA presents an introduction to the upcoming 2008 U.S. elections. In these elections, U.S. voters will have the opportunity to vote for president and vice president, congressional representatives, state and local officials, and ballot initiatives. The journal describes aspects of this election which make it different from most recent elections and includes a pro-con debate of the Electoral College.
- Download Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version
• Democracy in Brief
- Introduction
- What Is Democracy?
- Characteristics of Democracy
- Rights and Responsibilities
- Democratic Elections
- Rule of Law
- Constitutionalism
- Three Pillars of Government
- Free and Independent Media
- Political Parties, Interest Groups, NGOs
- Civil-Military Relations
- The Culture of Democracy
Download PDF
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Election Blog <Campaign Trail Talk>
Campaign Trail Talk is your best source of information on the 2008 U.S. elections. We'll keep you posted on news, rumors and political chatter surrounding thousands of political races. Do you have questions about the electoral process? Or comments about the candidates? Send them in. You decide what we talk about here. Send a Question or Comment
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Ask America (Webchat) >> July 1, 2008, 09:00 a.m. EST (1300 GMT)
Wondering about how delegates are counted or how the Electoral College works? Curious where the presidential candidates stand on issues that impact your country?
Join America.gov's elections experts Michelle Austein and George Burkes on the first Tuesday of every month to discuss the people, processes and issues that shape the U.S. presidential race.