On September 22, just over six weeks before the election, vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan surprised the attendees of a town hall meeting in Orlando, Fla., by beginning his speech with a topic previously ignored by the Romney campaign: space exploration. Appealing to voters on the “Space Coast” of this electorally valuable state, Ryan promised … Read more
During last week’s vice presidential debate, moderator Martha Raddatz asked: “Tell me what role your religion has played in your own personal views on abortion. Please talk about how you came to that decision. Talk about how your religion played a part in that.” Vice President Joe Biden responded to the question masterfully, simultaneously noting … Read more
Two days have gone by since the first presidential debate. Since, we have political pundits decrying Obama’s passive tactics, a new Twitter account for Silent Jim Lehrer, and a series of Big Bird memes. Public backlash was strong against Obama, and commentator Andrew Sullivan even suggested that Obama might have lost the election Wednesday night. … Read more
NFL fans across the country rejoice today as referees from the NFLRU officiate the first slate of games since reaching a deal with the league to end the lockout that thrust replacement refs into the spotlight. This Wednesday, Jim Lehrer will moderate the first presidential debate of the general election. Lehrer is experienced and respected, … Read more
There’s an old adage that a gaffe is when someone in Washington accidentally tells the truth. In the case of Mitt Romney’s statement that emerged earlier this week that his “job is not to worry about” people who don’t pay income taxes, Romney accidentally revealed what is actually a deep political problem for the Republican … Read more
After several weeks of expertly crafted rhetoric, unmitigated hullabaloo, and grand ceremony, the Republican and Democratic National Conventions have finally come to a close, with the end result being that both parties have set forth their platforms for the 2012 general election. National media outlets were apt to juxtapose the ambience and quality of each … Read more
Six HPR writers analyze Mitt Romney’s recent choice of Paul Ryan as his running mate.
Updated August 14 at 12:42 p.m. Having heard the night before that Mitt Romney was going to announce his running mate Saturday morning in Norfolk, Va., I woke up very early to catch the latest punditry and find out who had been chosen. I quickly learned that Mitt Romney’s choice was Paul Ryan, the representative … Read more
The HPR is staffed by Harvard College students from across the political spectrum, and seeks to provide thoughtful analysis of important issues in campus, domestic, and world politics. In addition to being a quarterly periodical and web publication, the HPR is a platform for political thought, and so from time to time publishes work from … Read more
Exciting, radical tickets on both sides. History bound to be made. Virtual fireworks echoing across the country. So four years ago. And Governor Mitt Romney’s vice presidential pick will probably show it. Surprisingly or not, the 2012 election is not nearly as riveting as that in 2008. Our president’s supporters seem to have lost much … Read more