AltWeeklies Wire
The Coattails and the Tall Shadows of S.C.'s Political Dynastiesnew
For more than two decades, it was hard not to find either Strom Thurmond or Carroll Campbell Jr. on a South Carolina election ballot. Voters may see those names returning — the 2010 ballot could very well have two Thurmonds and two Campbells on it.
Charleston City Paper |
Greg Hambrick |
03-25-2009 |
Politics
Jindal Proves Ethics Has a Limit -- and a Pricenew

Since taking office last year, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has appointed more than 200 of his top contributors to influential boards and commissions.
The Lifting of Seattle's Strip-Club Moratorium Makes Strange Bedfellowsnew
After almost two decades of staving off people seeking to open new strip clubs, Seattle finds itself in the awkward spot of defending them.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
03-23-2009 |
Politics
Tags: Seattle, strip clubs
With a Probable Run for Governor in Sight, a High-Profile Celebrity Drug Case Couldn't Hurtnew
The Anna Nicole Smith indictments and California Attorney General Jerry Brown's contact high with the political power grid.
L.A. Weekly |
Steven Mikulan |
03-20-2009 |
Politics
The Right Tries to Divide the Nationnew

The last thing the Obama administration needs is a civil war, but large online communities of liberal-hating conservatives and legislators across the country have resurrected campaigns for state sovereignty and even secession.
Boston Phoenix |
David S. Bernstein |
03-19-2009 |
Politics
Gary Locke: A Corporate Champion at Commercenew

Washington's former governor takes to D.C. a record of favors for Boeing and Microsoft.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
03-16-2009 |
Politics
Unseated by Republican Redistricting, Five Former Texas Congressmen Cash Innew
An investigation has discovered that the Texans whom Tom DeLay gerrymandered out of Congress have proven even more likely than the average member of Congress to become lobbyists.
The Texas Observer |
Andrew Wheat |
03-12-2009 |
Politics
Portland City Council Faces a Lot More Questions Than Answers Before Stadium Votenew
Like a long, scoreless soccer match finally heading to sudden death, Portland is on the brink of a result on Portland Beavers and Timbers owner Merritt Paulson’s proposal to bring Major League Soccer to town.
Willamette Week |
Nigel Jaquiss |
03-11-2009 |
Politics
Los Angeles on $300,000 a Yearnew

The L.A. City Council salaries are not just overinflated in an era of belt-tightening. They are only a hair below the salaries of Congress, and are higher than those of federal judges. They amount to a staggering 400 percent of Los Angeles' median household income of $46,000.
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald |
02-27-2009 |
Politics
The Race to Replace Rahm Emanuelnew

Before you can decide which candidate to vote for, it might just be a good idea to think about what you want in a congressman. By my count there are at least six distinct political types who wind up in Congress: outsiders, insiders, wonks, celebrities, legacies, and citizens.
Chicago Reader |
Ben Joravsky |
02-23-2009 |
Politics
Rep. Eric Swafford's Bid to Make Tennessee a Laughingstocknew
Swafford has proudly become America's first state legislator to join the wacky legal action challenging Barack Obama's status as a U.S. citizen, an issue that's become an obsession of the far-right fringe.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
02-20-2009 |
Politics
The Sin Indexnew
For whatever reason, sin and vice seem to have made frequent appearances in the news in the last month. Here’s a market analysis of some of the best bits, locally and nationally.
The Inlander |
Joel Smith |
02-18-2009 |
Politics
Could Texas Dems Unite Behind Leticia Van de Putte for Higher Office in 2010?new

Van de Putte has been introduced as someone who "might be the next Democratic candidate for governor" and has hinted that she might be open to a 2010 run for Kay Bailey Hutchison's soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat.
San Antonio Current |
Gilbert Garcia |
02-18-2009 |
Politics
Karl Rove Sleight of Handnew

In a recent speech, the architect of two Bush election victories uses fear and misdirection to duck responsibility for the mess we're in.
Pasadena Weekly |
Joe Piasecki |
02-13-2009 |
Politics
Vive la Crise: The Left Rises in France
A two-part look at the rise of France's radical new left--and the possibility that economic crisis could lead to communism in western Europe.