Elections & Political Parties

The election of the first black president in 2008 felt historic - and meaningful - for all Americans: Finally, the guy sitting in the oval office understood what it was like to be different. The marginalized and misunderstood felt they had an ally at the top. But how has race really impacted public policy and political participation?

On Monday, Mitt Romney delivered what his campaign billed as a major foreign policy address, in which he sought to distinguish himself from the man he called the "lead from behind" president.

The speech at the Virginia Military Institute, which largely focused on the Middle East, served as something of a warm-up for the two remaining debates between Romney and Obama to be held later this month, one of which will focus entirely on foreign policy, while the other will deal with both domestic and national security issues.

In his inaugural address, Barack Obama promised to “restore science to its rightful place.” This was a soothing phrase to those who felt that his predecessor had ignored the scientific consensus on climate change and environmental issues, on stem cells, and on the teaching of evolution in schools, among other subjects. But it is the second, forgotten half of Obama’s sentence that best embodies a misapprehension of science shared by Democrats and Republicans alike. Obama promised to “wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its costs.”

Nate Cohn, Franklin Foer, Noreen Malone and Ben Smith dissect the election and recap the first of three Presidential debates. In Collaboration with The New Republic.

Trevor Potter explains Super PACs, Citizens United and how changes in campaign finance laws are shaping the 2012 elections. Katherine Mangu-Ward gives her take on the highlights and lowlights of the first presidential debate. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

For a year, Mitt Romney has been trying to pretend he’s Ronald Reagan. Wednesday night he did something much smarter: He acted like George W. Bush.

Wearing an “I Voted” sticker on Election Day announces that you are a proud participant in the grand tradition of representative democracy, the worst system except all the others. It says “I care,” “I’m informed,” and perhaps also “this shirt is machine washable.”

Environmental issues often get short shrift in US presidential campaigns, and this year’s election has been no exception. In poll after poll, voters report that the economy is the decisive issue. But no economy, and no society, can function without what scientists call nature’s support services. To grow food we need healthy soil, fresh water and a stable climate. To sustain a productive work force, we need clean air and protection from pollution. The economy, to borrow scholar Herman Daly’s phrase, is a subset of the environment; it cannot prosper if the environment is destroyed.

Will Romney and Obama debate education? New America Foundation Education Policy Program Director Kevin Carey and Education Week reporter Alyson Klein explain what they’ll be watching for during the Presidential debates- and what questions they’d like to hear the candidates answer. Program Associate Clare McCann breaks down the education issues driving the New Hampshire gubernatorial race.

Romesh Ratnesar considers the future of American strategy in the Middle East after regional protests and President Obama's remarks at the U.N. General Assembly. Emily Parker explains the global implications of recent uprisings in China. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.