The New Republic

COLUMBUS, OHIO--Less than a week before Election Day, the buzz in Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s office is about a Halloween mask. On Thursday morning, The Other Paper, a local news and entertainment weekly, had published a cover plastered with a picture of Brunner’s face, complete with dotted lines where readers could cut it out to wear for the holiday. The headline read, “Be A Future Movie Star For Halloween,” and an article inside suggested that Meryl Streep should play Brunner, an elected Democrat, in the movie that’s sure to be produced if Ohio is a nail-biter.   READ MORE >>

COLUMBUS, OHIO--Like many in DC, New York, and other big cities, I've been fascinated by the proliferation of Obama gear on the streets. T-shirts, hats, bags, scarves--you name it, and somebody's selling it. A friend working for the Obama team in Chicago said he and others have received loads of t-shirt design submissions--most of which were politely rejected for being a tad on the gaudy side. READ MORE >>

GREENSBORO, N.C.--It’s 9 a.m., and Kay Hagan, her morning jog already a distant memory, breezes into a breakfast at the Democratic Women of North Carolina’s annual convention. Dressed in a sharp brown suit and pumps, the Democratic Senate candidate glad-hands quickly, finds her way to the stage, and, after a few introductory remarks from her fans, launches into her stump speech: increasing access to health care, improving education, adding new green energy jobs. READ MORE >>

As Maryline Blackburn watched Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s interview with ABC’s Charles Gibson last Thursday, she noticed something familiar. “She has in her eyes that look of determination--a look I remember from 24 years ago,” said Blackburn, who defeated Palin in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant. Palin placed second. “It is a thinking, calculating look,” Blackburn added, the look of a woman plotting “where to go to get ahead.” READ MORE >>

With Mitt Romney slated to speak at the Republican convention tonight, the question on (at least some) people’s minds is what a certain Romney quintet has been doing since Mitt’s White House hopes dimmed.   READ MORE >>

In Alaska, it's known as Troopergate and, sometimes, Wootengate. Newly selected GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Alaska's first female governor, has been dogged by controversy since July 11, when she fired Public Safety Commissoner Walter Monegan. At the time, a spokesperson for Palin said the 44-year-old governor wanted to take the public safety department in a new direction. Monegan said any complaints from the governor about his job performance had "never been communicated" to him. READ MORE >>

During the Democratic primary season, Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina was the man to talk to about identity politics. As the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns hurled suggestive and sometimes ugly statements at each other, Clyburn, the highest-ranking black member of Congress, spoke personally with the candidates and appeared on television numerous times to insist that cooler heads prevail, lest the Democrats lose their chance to take the White House. READ MORE >>

On August 8, Russia sent troops into Georgia, spurring violence that has spread beyond two disputed breakaway regions and resulted in the deaths of thousands. The conflict was not unexpected; relations between the two countries have been seething for years. Here is a summary of the conflict's history, major actors, core issues, and consequences. WHAT HAPPENED READ MORE >>