Politics

Never lose hope.

That's what I always tell myself on the darkest of days, when I am even more misunderstood than usual.

I have a new symbol of this attitude. Because my colleague, Kent German, has just passed me a link to something I never thought I'd see: the Bob Dole/Jack Kemp campaign site for the 1996 presidential election.

This is like visiting the Smithsonian without leaving one's pillow. It's like reflecting on how times have moved apace, without seeming to move at all.

Here, for example, are promises that seem uncannily familiar. The tagline … Read more

"I didn't think it would be that big of a deal."

These are words so many of us have used, just before someone slapped us across the chops.

So it has proved for Denise Helms, a 22-year-old woman from Turlock, Calif., who used Facebook to express her own miffedness with the re-election of the president.

As Fox 40 in Sacramento records it, she wrote: "Another 4 years of this n*****. Maybe he will get assassinated this term."

Oddly, this post seems to have incurred something of a reaction itself. Not everyone was at one with … Read more

It's well known that before any big game, the T-shirts and hats that laud a victory are prepared by both sides.

Yet a curious thing happened after Barack Obama was re-elected on Tuesday night: Mitt Romney's victory Web site went live.

Perhaps it was someone's idea of humor -- or even anger. Yet it was immediately spotted by Political Wire, which cheerily took screenshots for public edification.

Those who enjoy schadenfreude will offer their snorts and smirks. For them, this is a Rom-Com.

Yet we seek deeper significances here.

What was odd about this election was that … Read more

You might have spent election night rooting for Obama or Romney.

I occasionally squinted at the spectacle -- mesmerized at times by Karl Rove, his Mac and his pain -- but, at heart, I waited for news of Santiaga.

No, she is not a Hispanic singer who was bravely standing in Arizona. She is Colleen Lachowicz, the brave World of Warcraft enthusiast who was standing for the state Senate in Maine.

You might remember that I had enjoyed an earlier commitment to Santiaga.

The Maine GOP decided that her moonlighting as an Orc Assassination Rogue made her unfit for office. … Read more

Twitter has enjoyed the levels of discourse of a monstrous Roman forum over the last few days.

How odd, then, that former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, took a small step toward rehabilitating his presence on the site today.

You might remember Weiner. He got his direct and public messaging confused on Twitter last year and was exposed for, well, sending rather exposed pictures of himself to an unsuspecting woman.

A few hours ago, he posted a link to an emotional YouTube video about the devastation in the Rockaways.

Weiner used to represent New York, so his foray onto Twitter … Read more

As election results roll in with Barack Obama taking Vermont and Mitt Romney winning Kentucky and West Virginia, Bing lets users tailor the political news they're getting.

In it's Election 2012 page, Microsoft's search engine has what you'd normally see, a map with color-coded states, numbers showing how many states each candidate has won, up-to-the-minute news, and results from the Senate and House races. But, there's one additional feature that's a bit more unusual -- a political bias slider.

Dipping his toes into political waters, Google co-founder Sergey Brin today asked elected officials to withdraw from their parties so the United States can move beyond what he sees as a political climate crippled by hostility.

"I must confess, I am dreading today's elections...because no matter what the outcome, our government will still be a giant bonfire of partisanship," Brin said in a Google+ post early on Election Day in the United States.

Brin pleaded that winners of today's elections therefore ditch their political parties so they can be more constructive:

It is ironic since … Read more

There's no shortage of places to catch up on the latest Election Day coverage, but Twitter is aiming to make it easier for political junkies to get news by creating a one-stop shop Election 2012 event page.

Curated by Twitter, the page is loaded with tweets from the presidential candidates, political parties, and news sources such as the Electoral College, CNN, and the Washington Post.

"It highlights tweets from candidates and their staffers, media, and other key players so you can hear directly from those close to the action," Rachael Horwitz, Twitter's senior manager of communications, … Read more

Weathered by debates and endless political advertisements? We're in the home stretch of the 2012 U.S. election season now. Whether you've already voted or are still mulling politicians and propositions, there are plenty of apps to tap for an up-to-the minute perspective on the various battles.

Scan our brief list of mobile apps that can help you vote and stay in tune with the rapid-fire developments sure to occur tomorrow. Got a favorite app you're leaning on for election information? Let us know in the comments section. … Read more