Campaign 2004
Background and General Information
The Candidates, the Parties and the Issues
Red States, Blue States & The Polls
Making Sense of the Issues
Making Sense of the Information
Resources & Links
Background and General Information
The
U.S. Constitution
Getting Elected
This guide explains the electoral process. The explanations are thorough and
careful, yet readable for students.
U. S. Electoral College
The National Archives and Records Administration's Electoral College Home Page.
There is a variety of information and statistics on Presidential elections, past
and present.
Past
Presidential Elections
This site provides the history of each Presidential election. Presented are both
the popular and electoral votes in each election, a state-by-state breakdown of
the votes, the issues
in the election and turnout. There is also background on the electoral college
and a review of the 2004 election.
The History Televised
Presidential Debates
This site provides note only the video archives, but also some rich historical
text on the impact of the broadcast medium on presidential electoral discourse.
Presidential Campaign
Commercials 1952-2004
The American Museum of the Moving Image offers this rich video archive of
Presidential campaign commercials from television and the web. The on-line
exhibit is appropriately restrained as it provides minimal analysis of the video
artifacts allowing the viewer to do her own thinking.
A
Video History of Campaign Ads
This is a terrific site for political buffs. Featured are video clips from
Truman's Whistle Stop Tour, Eisenhower's ad campaign and a smattering of
campaign ads up to Clinton's second election bid. Not to be missed, among many
others, are Johnson's "Daisy", George HW Bush's "Willie Horton", and Jesse
Helms' "Hands" ads. The timeline charts the development of the use of ads in
politics.
The
Washington Post on Campaign 2004
The Post does Washington politics more thoroughly than any other paper or web
site (or so the media pundits say). Expect broad and fairly deep coverage here.
The site is free, but you have to register.
Who Should You Vote
For?
This is an issue-based quiz, which will recommend candidates to you based on
your positions on the issues. This is as interesting and fun as any political
identity tool you might find on the web.
Who is your Philosophical
Kin?
Take this quiz to find out how close you are in your philosophy to other
political thinkers both past and present.
The Candidates, the Parties and the Issues
Listen to the
Candidates
Speak on the Issues
This NPR site allows you to choose the issue and listen to the candidates. Only
Kerry and Bush are featured.
Watch the Candidates'
Campaign Ads
C-Span is our best friend. This site inventories all of the ads
produced by the candidates, though they seem slow to update (the most recent
Bush ad listed is from early July and the last Kerry ad is from May).
These links will take you directly to the candidates' views on the
issues. At the Bush and Kerry sites, you can navigate to find
video clips and ads.
George W. Bush
and Dick Cheney on the Issues: Republican Party Candidates
John Kerry and John Edwards on the Issues: Democratic Party Candidates
Ralph Nader and Peter
Camejo on the Issues: Independent/Reform Party Candidates
David Cobb and Pat LaMarche on Values
and the Issues: Green Party Candidates
Michael A
Peroutka and Chuck Baldwin on the Issues: Constitution Party Candidates
Michael Badnarik and Richard Campagna on the
Issues: Libertarian Candidates
Not
Just Democrats and Republicans
What parties are organized for elections in the USA? There are more ideas and
visions out there than you might guess. This site provides an inventory.
Red States, Blue States & The Polls
The NYTimes Interactive Election Guide
This site includes interactive features on swing states, money states, the Nader
factor, and a Presidential calculator (a cool little experience). The site is
free, but you have to register.
Red State/Blue State Electoral Vote
Counter
This is a neat site for people who also might like to read the last chapter of a
book first. Note the liberal bent of the votemaster.
Electoral Vote
Counter and Poll Tracker
This is another site for last chapter folks. Note the conservative leaning of
the blogmaster.
Understand the Issues in Context
The policy almanac provides background on most issues relevant in this campaign.
Come here to develop your understanding of an issue.
Candidates' Positions on Issues
in Depth
This is the most comprehensive survey of the candidates' positions on the
issues. There's no synthesis here. The candidates' positions are presented
through quotes (some seem a bit soundbite-ish). Click on the candidates' photos.
The problem? Which is Badnarik? Cobb? Guess and you'll find out.
Compare Bush and Kerry on Big and Specific Issues
Go the Washington Post (to register use the following: email:
ahoover@asij.ac.jp. Password: classof2009) and link to "Elections 2004 Comparing
the Candidates." Once there, you can compare Bush and Kerry on a number of
issues.
Compare the Candidates on the Issues
This site is the most user-friendly if you're looking to see how candidates'
views compare and contrast on the issues. The site allows you to scan the views
of Bush, Kerry, Kucinich, Nader, and Sharpton.
Compare the Candidates' Positions
The League of Women Voters allows you to choose the issue and the candidate
(they include six Presidential candidates: Republican, Democratic, Libertarian,
Independent/Reform, Green, and Constitution). The position summaries are
not deep, but they are clear and useful.
Making Sense of the Information
Who's Telling
the Truth?
This site supports a non-partisan fact checking group, which tracks claims made
by candidates in ads, statements, media releases, etc. This site is reliable and
pretty thorough.
Who
Has Money and Where Did They Get It?
The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research
group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on
elections and public policy.
What Are the Ads Saying?
This MSNBC site tracks and analyzes what the candidates are saying in their ads.
Best of all, you can watch many of the actual ads and analyze for yourself.
Campaign 2004 Learning Links
The National Council for the Social Studies offers a sampling of web sites to help
you keep informed on
the upcoming Presidential election. A selection of sites that cover all points
of view on the issues, parties, and opinions.
Links Galore
This University of Michigan site is thorough enough for you to expect to get
your questions answered. Links to background information, and to sites on
the candidates, the issues, media, money, etc. make this an extremely useful
place to visit.
Classroom Guides
C-Span is definitely our best friend. This site offers teachers plans for the elections,
and plenty of on-line resources if you're teaching the American political story.
The American School in Japan Web Site
This page was created and is maintained by Andrew A. Hoover. Last updated on Tuesday, 26 October 2004