Kathy's US Politics Blog

If you thought the national political party conventions consisted solely of legions of people corralled into a large venue to hear one politician after another drone on ... think again! About.com's guide to liberal politics, Deborah White, wonders if delegates will listen to convention speakers or attend glittery parties? Maybe they'll do both.

For example, on Monday 25 August, Planned Parenthood is hosting a "Sex, Politics and Cocktails Late Night Dance Party" that features comedian Bill Maher, actress Ashley Judd and actor Alan Cumming. James Taylor -- who launched his music-as-advocacy career along with Carole King in support of George McGovern (1968) -- is performing on Tuesday the 26th with David Crosby, Graham Nash and Ani DiFranco.

Over at the Sunshine Foundation, they've launched a new site with one goal: document those parties, as well as the others that go on all year long.

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At least eight Americans as well as other Western nationals have been detained by the Chinese government, according to Reuters, for expressing political speech related to Tibet. We Americans take our right to "free speech" as a given, although this right is not a global one.

Acts of journalism -- what we think of as the Fourth Estate -- are vital to a democracy. In this digital age, these acts of journalism are increasingly being performed by bloggers. Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb provides more details as well as this information: Call the US Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee, +1 202 225 5021, to register your concern about the Americans being held by the Chinese government.

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Blog Action Day, 15 October 2008, is an annual nonprofit event designed to unite the world's bloggers, podcasters and videocasters to discuss the same issue on the same day. Think of it as something like an intellectual flash mob. You don't have to sign up to participate, but right now there are 2,305 sites registered.

This year, the topic is poverty. In 2007, it was the environment. (tip)

Watch the promo clip on Vimeo. Learn more about poverty:

• US Poverty Rate, 1959-2006 - US Census
• US Poverty By Age Group, 1959-2006 - US Census
• Poverty and Inequality In The United States
• Is Terrorism's Cause Poverty?
• Poverty & the Environment
• Poverty Around the Globe
• How the Stress of Poverty Impacts Health
  

Politico reports that John McCain will name his vice presidential running mate on his 72nd birthday: Friday 29 August. That's also the day after the Democratic National Convention ends.

Speculation about Barack Obama's running mate remains rife. The faithful wait for a text message or email notice.

Zogby International reports that 55% of "likely voters" think Libertarian Presidential nominee Bob Barr should be part of the 2008 Presidential debates. Almost half -- 46% -- also think Ralph Nader should be in the debate party.

A key group in any election, political independents overwhelmingly (69%) want Barr on the stage. And 59% give the nod to Nader, as well. Poll margin of error: +/- 1.7 percentage points

The "Presidential debates" are sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates; it was established by the two major political parties when the League of Women Voters bowed out due to pressures by the parties on format. Today, the Commission requires that a candidate must have the support of 15% of the public to be included in a debate. Catch-22: third party candidates need the national platform to get voter attention, but they must have voter attention to get on the stage.

As I noted on Saturday, this weekend Senators and presumed presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama were part of a made-for-TV "joint" appearance at Saddleback Church. About.com's Guide to Liberal Politics, Deborah White, covered the event.

Factcheck.org has just released its analysis. (I confess that I still haven't set aside two hours to watch, although I do have it recorded on our Tivo.)

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State governments in California, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico and Tennessee are abandoning practically new electronic touchscreen voting equipment, according to McClatchy. The replacement? Optical scan equipment, meaning that there is a paper ballot marked by the voter herself. That paper ballot is scanned for counting on election day but can be counted by hand if necessary in a re-count.

Paper ballots + optical scan = transparency, a key to both effective government and well-designed interfaces (where we call it making actions visible). Election Data Services says that 55 percent of us will use paper ballots this election and that 4-in-10 will use a different voting system than in 2004.

According to EDS, only about a third of us will use touchscreens this election, compared to more than half in 2006. If you're in a touchscreen state or precinct, I say just vote absentee (if it's legal in your state).

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Information architect Sean Tevis is running for the state house in Kansas. He has no political experience, just a died-in-the-wool idealism. He launched an online fundraising campaign on 16 July. Here's his 13 August report:

By using the ability to collaborate online, connect with an audience, and communicate in a way that, say, mailing a brochure simply can’t, we were able to break the record for the most number of donors to a State Representative campaign in Kansas. Almost all of these donations were less than $10. Almost 50 donations were $1 each from people who know that we need real change, but they’ve been hit too hard by the economy to afford more.

We raised more money from more local donors than my three-term incumbent opponent. It means, too, that I have no strings attached to my funding because it’s not money from lobbyists or special interest groups. Hundreds of friends emailed me when they sent in a small donation. Mike said, “I have not had a job in sixteen months. Eight bucks and change will still move my old Ford Explorer about 40 miles if I drive real carefully. And I’ll be glad to avoid some driving so that your voice is heard in Topeka - LOUDLY, please!”

More from NPR (tip).

On 18 August 1963, James Meredith graduated from the University of Mississippi, the first African-American to do so. His degree: bachelor of arts in political science. Read more about Meredith at at The Edge of the American West. Learn about black civil rights in America (1528-today).