Susan Q. Stranahan : Author Archive : Bios

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Articles by Susan Q. Stranahan | Email the Author

Politics

Feeding The Beast
March 5, 2004 11:02 AM
Journalists know they work for hungry beasts. The need to fill air time or empty column inches is unrelenting, and on days when inspiration fails, a nice tap-dance has to suffice. It must have been one of those days... Continue reading
Politics

Talking Heads
March 4, 2004 04:05 PM
President Bush's long-awaited ad campaign hits the airwaves today, and, not surprisingly the analysis already has begun. Writing in today's Los Angeles Times, Nick Adams relies on Kenneth Goldstein of the University of Wisconsin to make the call.... Continue reading
Politics

Coconuts on the Cuyahoga?
March 1, 2004 01:14 PM
"This year's must-have state is Ohio," writes the Associated Press' Ron Fournier, in one of several obligatory scene-setters appearing in advance of tomorrow's primary. Salon's David Moberg declares that "Ohio will be one of a handful of battleground... Continue reading
Politics

A Cry of Acclaim, Amidst Indignant Denunciations
February 26, 2004 01:33 PM
Day Four of the Nader Candidacy, and, at first glance, nobody seems to be doing handsprings. David Broder of The Washington Post dismisses as "malarkey" Nader's claim that his presence in the race won't ultimately benefit George W.... Continue reading
Politics

Back to the Basement!
February 25, 2004 02:51 PM
Once upon a time (and some of us at Campaign Desk remember those days), reporters knew that some pretty good stories resided in municipal basements inhabited by bureaucrats who looked as though they hadn't seen sunshine for years. We don't... Continue reading
Politics

Ralph’s Reality Check
February 25, 2004 01:15 PM
The smack-down of Ralph Nader by former acolytes in the opinion media is continuing apace. If Nader had hoped to rally at least a smattering of former supporters, he badly misjudged their response. The constituency that he once claimed as... Continue reading
Politics

Cliche Watch: Unsafe at Any Speed
February 24, 2004 01:17 PM
Ralph Nader's announcement Sunday that he plans to run for president has provided ample opportunities for critics of his decision to take pot-shots. It has also caused a blizzard of cliches that has us reaching for our umbrellas. ... Continue reading
Politics

Which of These Things Is Not Like the Other?
February 23, 2004 01:06 PM
Kudos to John Harwood of The Wall Street Journal and Terence Smith, the media correspondent for "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer," for providing the concise explanation of why the mainstream media (well, most of the media) didn't run... Continue reading
Politics

Attention, Class: You All Get an F!
February 23, 2004 10:59 AM
So why has the media been so off the mark this election season? Howard Kurtz thinks he's got the answer. Writing in today's Washington Post, Kurtz says political reporters are focused on the wrong things. He notes, as have... Continue reading
Politics

We Love “X” Factors
February 22, 2004 05:27 PM
Ever since Washington Post reporter Mark Leibovich had a ringside seat for a juicy little spat between Sen. John Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz (she hadn't taken Kerry as her surname at that point), the political world and the... Continue reading
Politics

Assessing Dean’s Legacy
February 20, 2004 01:29 PM
Will Howard Dean's Internet-driven candidacy win a place in history, or will it be relegated to asterisk status in the annals of American politics? Correspondent Brian Faler, writing in today's Washington Post, predicts the former, arguing that although the... Continue reading
Politics

The Price of Betting on the Wrong Horse
February 19, 2004 05:29 PM
The glum faces on the folks listening to Howard Dean's exit speech yesterday didn't belong solely to his idealistic young backers and grassroots supporters who hoped to ride his wave of change straight to the White House. Turns out, as... Continue reading
Politics

Can Somebody Tell Us What Happened?
February 19, 2004 01:35 PM
Maybe you had to be there yesterday when the Federal Election Commission issued its advisory opinion on soft money. We weren't, and hoped we'd find some clear explanations today from those in the media who were. No such luck. ... Continue reading
Politics

Are There Attack Ads in Your Future?
February 18, 2004 03:12 PM
By Susan Q. Stranahan With its lack of vicious and misleading political ads, this primary season has been like none other in a generation, writes The New York Times' Jim Rutenberg. How long that will last? We... Continue reading
Politics

Makeup Artists and Shopping Tips
February 18, 2004 10:36 AM
Political junkies come in all sizes and obsessions. Some OD on polling data; some on subtle shifts in stump speeches. Some monitor local endorsements; others, the moods of the undecided. And then there are a few of us who just... Continue reading
Politics

What Goes Around …
February 16, 2004 04:57 PM
So, what's Howard Dean going to do after tomorrow? Better question: How's he going to do it? As the media raced around over the weekend filling buckets with the leaks springing out of the beleaguered campaign, only a... Continue reading
Politics

Trivial Pursuit
February 13, 2004 03:47 PM
With speculation mounting about a possible running mate for frontrunner Sen. John Kerry, it seems a good time for a brief lesson in American political history. And the Associated Press' Siobhan McDonough delivers a nice one this morning, full... Continue reading
Politics

Attention, Campaign Press: It’s Still 2004
February 12, 2004 11:43 AM
While many in the campaign press today focused on Sen. John Edwards's motives for staying in the race -- does he or doesn't he really want to be the other half of a Kerry ticket -- at least one... Continue reading
Politics

Lots of Legs, Slow Chase
February 10, 2004 06:20 PM
Most of our Echo Chamber stories here at Campaign Desk tell the doleful tale of reporters mindlessly repeating and amplifying the same story until it grows all out of proportion to whatever initial event inspired it. But this is... Continue reading
Politics

Walking the Beat
February 9, 2004 10:57 AM
Sen. John Kerry's performance in this weekend's primaries has his Republican opponents sharpening their swords. It has been widely reported that they're looking forward with glee to the chance to label Kerry with those dread words, "Massachusetts liberal." Voters fortunate... Continue reading

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