2008 Commentators
VoterWatch is honored to have some of the best and brightest political minds participating in the 2008 Presidential Debates Project. Below, please find information on each of the commentators who will provide their perspective for the first presidential debate on Friday, September 26, 2008. This debate will focus on foreign policy and national security issues. The Commission on Presidential Debates explains the format for all three presidential debates:
Be sure to stay tuned, as this list may change as other public figures join us in our pursuit of an array of perspective and commentary. We will be announcing participants in the vice-presidential/presidential debates to follow on Monday, September 29, 2008.
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POLITICAL AUTHOR AND COMMENTATOR, DICK MORRIS
Probably the most prominent American political consultant, Dick Morris is almost universally credited with piloting Bill Clinton to a stunning comeback re-election victory in 1996 after the president lost Congress to the Republicans two years before. Called “the most influential private citizen in America” by Time Magazine, Morris helped steer Clinton to the center and away from the liberal policies he had pursued in his first two years in office. Morris is also credited with advising Clinton to sign the welfare reform bill of 1996 and getting him to back a balanced budget, both key centrist positions.
In the United States, Morris has become a familiar figure as a commentator for the Fox News Channel. He makes over four hundred appearances each year and is well known for hard-hitting, nonpartisan, objective commentary about the U.S. political scene. He writes a weekly column for the New York Post and the Hill Magazine in the U.S. and the National Post in Canada.
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CURRENT TV
Since its inception in 2005, Emmy award-winning Current TV has been the world’s leading peer-to-peer news and information network. Current is the only 24/7 cable and satellite television network and Internet site produced and programmed in collaboration with its audience. Current connects young adults with what is going on in their world, from their perspective, in their own voices.
Current and Twitter have partnered to broadcast user tweets within footage of the 2008 Presidential Debates. Through this unique collaboration, users will be able to have their comments broadcast right over Obama and McCain, in real time. Learn how you can participate or watch Current’s live broadcast which can be viewed at www.current.com/debate. Following each debate, this coverage will be viewable at BloggingTheDebates.com!
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THE RALPH NADER FOR PRESIDENT TEAM
Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate, lawyer, author, and has been named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Americans in the Twentieth Century. For over four decades Ralph Nader has exposed problems and organized millions of citizens into more than 100 public interest groups to advocate for solutions.
His efforts have helped to create a framework of laws, regulatory agencies, and federal standards that have improved the quality of life for two generations of Americans. In the past decade, Nader has dedicated himself to putting people back in charge of America’s democracy, launching three major presidential campaigns.
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REASON MAGAZINE
Reason is the monthly print magazine of “free minds and free markets.” It covers politics, culture, and ideas through a provocative mix of news, analysis, commentary, and reviews. Reason provides a refreshing alternative to right-wing and left-wing opinion magazines by making a principled case for liberty and individual choice in all areas of human activity.
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WRITER/BLOGGER, SARAH GRANGER
Sarah Granger led the launch of what Wired News and political analysts called the “first true weblog to be put up by a politician,” the Gary Hart News Blog, pre-empting Dean for America while directing Internet strategy for Senator Hart’s 2004 U.S. presidential exploratory organization. Referenced often as an expert in the intersection of information technology and society, Sarah advises political and nonprofit organizations on new media and online outreach. She is the Managing Director of FutureCampaigns and a member of the U.S. Public Policy Committee for the Association for Computing Machinery (USACM). She also participated in the U.N. World Summit on the Information Society.
A prolific writer, editor, speaker and blogger, Sarah writes a weekly column about technology in the ‘08 election for The Huffington Post “Off the Bus”. She is also a contributing editor for MOMocrats, BlogHer, and The Political Voices of Women.. Her personal blog at sairy.com covers technology, politics and culture. She will be imbedding VoterWatch video there as well as at MOMocrats.com, and she can be followed on Twitter as sairy.
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GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, CYNTHIA MCKINNEY
Since being elected in 1992 as the first African-American Congresswoman from Georgia, Cynthia Ann McKinney has gained national and international renown as a tireless advocate for human rights, voting rights and holding government accountable. McKinney’s voting record reflects her philosophy that government should serve to provide uplift to local communities and the dignity of the human spirit. This means promoting the rights of seniors, students, the disabled, minorities, veterans and workers. McKinney has had a plethora of political experience since her career began more than 20 years ago.
McKinney is the 2008 Green Party nominee for President of the United States. McKinney served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993–2003 and 2005–2007, first representing Georgia’s 11th Congressional District and then Georgia’s 4th Congressional District. She is the first African American woman to have represented Georgia in the House.
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PUBLIC AGENDA
Public Agenda is a unique research and civic engagement organization working to strengthen our democracy’s capacity to tackle tough public policy issues. We want to ensure the public’s views are represented in decision-making and that citizens have the tools and information they need to grapple with the critical challenges of the day. Nonpartisan and nonprofit, Public Agenda was founded by social scientist and author Daniel Yankelovich and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in 1975.
Public Agenda’s in-depth, unbiased opinion research bridges the gap between American leaders and what the public really thinks about issues ranging from education to foreign policy to immigration to religion and civility in American life. Instead of supporting one particular side or another in a partisan debate, our research powerfully clarifies public attitudes about complex policy issues in ways that move the nation’s public policy dialogue forward toward fair and effective solutions.
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THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
The Heritage Foundation is a unique institution-a public policy research organization, or “think tank”. We draw solutions to contemporary problems from the ideas, principles and traditions that make America great. We are not afraid to begin our sentences with the words “We believe,” because we do believe: in individual liberty, free enterprise, limited government, a strong national defense, and traditional American values.
We want an America that is safe and secure; where choices (in education, health care and retirement) abound; where taxes are fair, flat, and comprehensible; where everybody has the opportunity to go as far as their talents will take them; where government concentrates on its core functions, recognizes its limits and shows favor to none. And the policies we propose would accomplish these things.
Our expert staff—with years of experience in business, government and on Capitol Hill—don’t just produce research. We generate solutions consistent with our beliefs and market them to the Congress, the Executive Branch, the news media and others. These solutions build on our country’s economic, political and social heritage to produce a safer, stronger, freer, more prosperous America. And a safer, more prosperous, freer world. As conservatives, we believe the values and ideas that motivated our Founding Fathers are worth conserving. And as policy entrepreneurs, we believe the most effective solutions are consistent with those ideas and values.
We believe that ideas have consequences, but that those ideas must be promoted aggressively. So, we constantly try innovative ways to market our ideas. We are proud of our broad base of support among the American people and we accept no government funds. Our vision is to build an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity and civil society flourish.
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JASON PYE OF THE BOB BARR FOR PRESIDENT TEAM
About Jason Pye
Jason Pye is the former chairman of the Libertarian Party of Georgia. During his tenure at the LPGA, the party received its best election results and media exposure to date. An active blogger, Jason developed and maintained his first blog in 2004, which has now developed into the incredibly active and constantly-updated JasonPye.com, to which many elected officials subscribe and occasionally contribute.
In addition to fiercely maintaining his personal blog, Jason is an active contributor to the well-known blogs, PeachPundit.com and TheLibertyPapers.org. He has been featured in stories appearing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, National Journal, American Spectator, WSB-TV and was a weekly columnist for The Covington News (column on hiatus until November). Jason currently serves as the campaign blogger for Libertarian Party presidential nominee, Bob Barr, and is chairman of the East Metro Atlanta Libertarian Party. Jason resides in Covington, Georgia with his wife, Amanda, and two dogs, Reagan and Icarus.
About Bob Barr
Bob Barr is the 2008 Libertarian nominee for President of the United States. Previously, he represented the 7th District of Georgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, serving as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, as Vice-Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and as a member of the Committee on Financial Services. He now practices law with the Law Offices of Edwin Marger, and runs a consulting firm, Liberty Strategies LLC, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and with offices in the Washington, D.C. area. Barr works tirelessly to help preserve our fundamental right to privacy and our other civil liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
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BRETT WINTERBLE OF THE COVERT RADIO SHOW
As the host of Covert Radio, the only daily radio show committed to following the issues surrounding the Global War on Terror, National Security and International Affairs, Brett Winterble understands why the war on terrorism is the most important issue of our time. He was in New York City on September 11th and has been committed to studying the issue ever since. Brett holds a Masters Degree with Honors in Homeland Security and Intelligence Methods from American Military University.
Brett has extensively examined such issues as Counterintelligence and Terrorism Theory, The 3/11 bombings in Madrid, Spain, The Emerging Threat from International Street Gangs, North Korea’s Criminal Enterprises, Japanese Rearmament and even the roots of the US Ecoterrorism Movement. Brett is a 20+year veteran of radio and television having worked as a producer on the Rush Limbaugh and Michael Reagan Radio shows as well as having worked with CBS News and the World Affairs Council in New York and Boston. Additionally, Brett has also contributed to the Curtis Sliwa Show on WABC New York and Los Angeles. Brett has appeared on WABC in New York City, and nationally on the Michael Reagan Show and Jay Severin Shows as well. He is a contributor for Human Events.
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POLITICAL STRATEGIST, SOPHIA NELSON
Sophia A. Nelson is the founder of politicalintersection.com and the editor of the Political Intersection Blog. She is a unique speaker, writer, and political analyst with a unique point of view in today’s modern political world. She is a longtime Republican political strategist, opinion writer, and attorney. She currently serves as Senior Counsel in the law firm of Holland & Knight’s Public Policy and Regulation Group. Ms. Nelson’s practice is focused in the areas of homeland security, intelligence and defense issues. However, Ms. Nelson successfully represents clients before all of the federal civilian agencies. Before coming to Holland & Knight, Ms. Nelson served as President and CEO of her own boutique government markets firm ALN Consulting, Inc. She also served concurrently as Of Counsel with Dutko Worldwide. Ms. Nelson is a published writer of many opinion and legal articles featured in The Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Legal Times and The Washington Times.
She has been featured in the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Influence Magazine, Minority Enterprise Advocate Magazine’s Top Entrepreneurs under 40 lists, as well as the American Bar Association’s national magazine. Sophia has appeared as a political analyst on air on shows such as FOXNEWS, CNN, C-SPAN, and other local TV and Radio shows.
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VOTEGOPHER
VoteGopher was founded in 2007 by Will Ruben, then a sophomore at Harvard College. No matter how hard he looked, Will couldn’t find a website that summarized the presidential candidates’ positions on the all the issues he cared about – so he decided to create one. He recruited a non-partisan team of his peers and, by October 2007, VoteGopher was ready to launch. During the primary season, our site received acclaim as voters sought to navigate a crowded field of contenders. After winning Harvard’s Innovation Challenge, we have expanded our operations and launched VoteGopher 2.0.
VoteGopher is the ultimate Election 2008 study guide – for busy Americans and political pundits alike. Our team of college students and young voters has analyzed an abundance of election information to bring you concise coverage of what really matters when casting your vote: the issues. On 25 issues, VoteGopher provides you with the tools you need to make an informed choice this November. We dig. You decide.
While VoteGopher is meant to help all Americans, we especially want to encourage young people to vote this November. We hope our peers between the ages of 18 and 30 will use VoteGopher to educate themselves on the issues and ultimately vote on election day. This election can become more than the election of our President. If we all cast informed votes, we can assert the strength of our generation. We can ensure that the America of tomorrow is the America we want to inherit from our parents and share with our children.
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MOMOCRATS.COM
MOMocrats.com is a collaborative blog where mothers from across the United States of America come together to write about progressive politics from a parent’s perspective. Each of our members has a unique story to tell. We represent a variety of professional and educational backgrounds and a range of ages. We come from varied cultural, religious and regional traditions, but we are all mothers. What brings us together in common purpose is our shared dedication to working toward a fairer, safer, greener, more prosperous and more peaceful future for our childre
We are dedicated to putting a Democrat in the White House in 2009. And after that? We’re going to keep fighting to make sure that President, our Senators and Representatives, and our state and local politicians pay attention to the issues that matter most to women and families.
