The presidential candidates wish you a Happy Holidays. Rough days for some of the candidates. Fun facts about the presidential candidates, страница 8

Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama issued statements on their Web sites supporting the writers.

"I support the Writers Guild’s pursuit of a fair contract that pays them for their work in all mediums," New York Senator Clinton said. "I hope the producers and writers will return to the bargaining table to work out an equitable contract that keeps our entertainment industry strong."

"I stand with the writers," Illinois Senator Obama said. "The Guild's demand is a test of whether corporate media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives. I urge the producers to work with the writers so that everyone can get back to work."

Edwards also stands with the writers – and he did just that outside NBC offices in Burbank, California, November 16. "I'm proud to be with you in this fight for justice," the former North Carolina senator said. "And I will be with you every day when I'm President of the United States."

16 November 2007

Democratic candidates, audience speak up in Nevada debate

After the Democratic debate in Philadelphia where the top three candidates dominated the air waves, many were eager to hear more from the lower-tier candidates. At the beginning of a Las Vegas debate November 15, members of the audience voiced their frustration that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were once again the focus on stage.

But as the evening went on, the other candidates had a chance to speak up about issues such as immigration, health care, human rights and the current situation in Pakistan. Audience members asked questions as well.

Although Clinton and Obama did get the most air time (about 18 minutes and 17 minutes each,) other candidates got more time to speak up. Interestingly, Bill Richardson spoke longer than the other Democratic leader, John Edwards. Chris Dodd received the least time, with about six and a half minutes. Mike Gravel once again was not invited to participate.

Experts say that Clinton regained some ground after a weak performance at the last debate, when she waffled on the issue of whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply for driver's licenses. In Las Vegas, she gave a one-word answer to the question: “No.” This time, Obama seemed to waffle on this issue.

Nevada will hold one of the first nominating contests in the country on January 19, 2008.

Do you think debates are useful? Send in your comments.

15 November 2007

Polls show race narrowing in Iowa

There has been a lot of talk about front-runners lately, but a new poll shows that the race for the nomination in Iowa may be very close.

Because of its fiercely protected first-in-the-nation status, candidates spend countless days and millions of dollars crisscrossing the Midwestern state meeting voters. An October poll by the Des Moines Register shows that one-fourth of likely caucus-goers have met a presidential candidate. If they have not yet, they'll likely get the chance as the January 3 caucuses near.

A CBS News/New York Times poll conducted between November 2 and 11 shows that the Democratic race is practically a three-way tie. Hillary Clinton leads over Barack Obama and John Edwards, but her lead falls within the poll's 4 percent margin of error.

The poll shows that Mitt Romney leads the Republican race in Iowa, but indicates that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee continues to gain ground. He is in second, trailing by only 6 points.

Iowa voters' minds are far from made up. About 51 percent of Iowa Democrats and 59 percent of Iowa Republicans say it is too early to determine definitely for whom they will vote. So you can expect candidates to continue to spend their time and money in Iowa.

Read more about political polls here.

14 November 2007

Top campaigns work to overcome troubles