10 Unfortunate Midterm Ads

This Guardian article highlights 10 of the more tactless ads put out during the midterm election, including Christine O'Donnell's "I am not a witch...I'm you" video (above), and a rather creepy (and xenophobic) ad from the "Citizens against public waste (below). You'll need Youtube access to watch these, but let us know what you think!

PS: Here is a good comment on the significancd of the midterms from Mark Mardell, plus a good round-up of stories from the BBC. Here is Comedy Central (Home of the Daily Show)'s election site, and analysis of their recent "Rally to restore sanity"

Tea Party Colouring Book

Fans of the Tea Party movement now have their own colouring book. Passages include, "When taxes are too high, the high tax takes away jobs and freedom. In 1773 we had a Tea Party and this led to freedom from high taxes. Today we are having another Tea Party and this will lead to freedom from high taxes again!" The publishers deny that they are trying to make a political statement, as they also publish an Obama colouring book and many other topics. What other subjects do you think deserve the colouring in treatment?

Worshipping the constitution

In this week's Economist there is a fascinating article about the USA's obsession with their constitution. The tea-party movement is the latest group to hijack their own understanding of what the constitution means for their own ends. Lexington provokes a passionate debate on the Economist's blog by statements such as 'there is something infantile in the belief of the constitution-worshippers that the complex political arguments of today can be settled by simple fidelity to a document written in the 18th century'.
This is proof, if needed, of history's ever-present relevance to today's political debate.

Ferocious Aussies

Nick Bryant, the BBC's Australia correspondent, has written an excellent piece summing up the political events of the last few months which led to the resignation of Prime Minster Kevin Rudd and his replacement by Julia Gillard. Australian politics is unlikely to be on the A-Level syllabus anytime soon, but he makes an interesting comparison between the ferocious behaviour of Australian politicians and events in the UK and the US. "By design and through necessity," he writes, " Barack Obama, David Cameron and Nick Clegg are fashioning a new politics that is more ecumenical, less clannish and genuinely bipartisan. Australian politics is in danger of looking like a throwback."

PS: The brief appearance of this sign by a Tea Party group, comparing President Obama to Lenin and Hitler suggests not everyone has yet signed up to these ideas of "new politics"...

Republicans and the Tea Party

A great article for those A2 students revising American parties from the Economist this week. What do you think the prospects are for the Republican Party?