political party

18 Stories

Ralph Nader Explains Why the Focus on RFK Jr. Is 'Stupid'

Don't worry about presidential race 'spoilers,' Nader says, insisting the concept is ridiculous

(Newser) - Ralph Nader has been saying it for decades: America needs a revolution. The lawyer, consumer advocate, and political activist famously—or, perhaps, infamously—ran for president as a third-party candidate in every election from 1992 until 2008. That includes, of course, his 2000 campaign, in which the 97,488 votes...

Court Rules That Far-Right Party Is a Criminal Group

Cheers and celebrations erupt in Greece after ruling against the Golden Dawn

(Newser) - A Greek court ruled Wednesday that the far-right Golden Dawn party was operating as a criminal organization, delivering landmark guilty verdicts following a politically charged five-year trial against dozens of defendants, the AP reports. Golden Dawn, founded as a neo-Nazi group in the 1980s, rose to become Greece's third-largest...

Like Harry Potter? You May Have Lower Opinion of Trump

'Fictional story may have implications for general election preferences'

(Newser) - The novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was believed to help turn the tide of public opinion away from condoning slavery after it was published in 1852, but even the most popular fictional works today aren't shown to impact political leanings on a mass scale. Now researchers at the University...

GOP Pundit Matalin: I'm Now a Registered Libertarian

She swears it has nothing to do with Trump

(Newser) - One of the staunchest longtime Republicans, known for her party strategizing and punditry, has switched teams, the New York Times reports. Mary Matalin turned in her Republican registration for a Libertarian one, she announced Thursday, though she insisted to a skeptical Bloomberg Politics panel in an interview that her seemingly...

Tzipi Livni Forms Party for Next Israel Elections

Former foreign minister emphasizes peace efforts

(Newser) - On the heels of Ehud Barak's stunning resignation , a familiar face is re-entering Israel's political fray. Former foreign minister Tzipi Livni is forming a new party, dubbed the Movement, to give voice to "people who do not have anyone to vote for," the BBC reports. Her...

US Partisan Chasm Growing
 US Partisan Chasm Growing 

US Partisan Chasm Growing

Political polarization has surged over last 10 years, poll finds

(Newser) - Politics, not race or sex or class, is the big divider in the US today, according to a Pew Research Center poll which finds the partisan gap wider than at any time in the 25 years it has been polling on the subject. In 1987, the gap between Democrats and...

Democrats and Republicans Behave Like Schools of Fish
 Political Parties Act 
 Like Schools of Fish 
study says

Political Parties Act Like Schools of Fish

Vocal minorities can temporarily sway the masses

(Newser) - Wondering about the future of the Tea Party, or what affect the Occupy Movement might have on Democrats? Try asking a bunch of fish. Scientists have found that in a school of fish, a "vocal minority"—that is, a group determined to swim in a certain direction—can...

Sex Party Enters Aussie Political Fray

Sex Party gains official recognition

(Newser) - Australia’s “Sex Party” has been certified as a political party after receiving approval from the Electoral Commission, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The commission’s approval is a victory for free speech and “democratic rights,” says the Sex Party’s convenor. The party hopes to “...

Pirate Bay Ruling Invigorates Pirates

(Newser) - Last week’s guilty verdict against the Swedes behind the Pirate Bay filesharing site not only hasn’t shuttered the operation—it’s boosted support for the cause of free information, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The affiliated Pirate Party, which advocates for copyright reform, has doubled its membership just...

Seeking Talks, US May Allow Taliban Political Party

Some could run for office, but power-sharing impossible: diplomat

(Newser) - In an effort to establish a dialogue with the Taliban, the US may allow the militant group to create a political party or be represented by election candidates, the Guardian reports. Other options include removing Taliban leaders from UN blacklists, releasing prisoners, and revising Afghanistan’s constitution. But there’s...

GOP Still Hasn't Seen the Bottom
 GOP Still 
 Hasn't Seen 
 the Bottom 
ANALYSIS

GOP Still Hasn't Seen the Bottom

Republicans wonder when their woes will bottom

(Newser) - Just when the Grand Old Party thought it couldn't get worse, it has: Conservative infighting from a caustic radio host, stumbles from its emerging non-white leaders—Michael Steele and Bobby Jindal both—and polls that suggest just 25% of Americans support them. Meanwhile, Dems enjoy great popularity and steady donations....

This Time, Iraq Gets Politics With Its Elections

Stability gives candidates chance to compete more in Western democratic style

(Newser) - If Iraq’s tumultuous 2005 elections were a trial run at democracy, the current provincial race has main-event flavor, the Washington Post reports. Greater stability has allowed town-hall gatherings, where voters grill some 14,000 candidates running for 440 seats on everything from housing to militarization. And campaign posters, T-shirts...

India Must Crack Down on Muslims, Hindus Alike
India Must
Crack Down
on Muslims, Hindus Alike
OPINION

India Must Crack Down on Muslims, Hindus Alike

Time to end divisive religious tactics

(Newser) - The terrorist attacks in Mumbai are tied to growing disillusionment among Indians with a government that manipulates religious divisions for political gain, writes Dileep Padgaonkar in the Washington Post. Each party accuses the other of pandering to a religious constituency, be it Muslim or Hindu—and such posturing has filtered...

Time for Hopefuls to Wax Philosophical

We still don't know how the candidates think: Noonan

(Newser) - Barack Obama is rising in the polls, but he still seems “exotic”; John McCain is playing the maverick but his maneuvering on the bailout may have been “too cute.” In a week with “all categories upside-down and out the window,” it’s time for both...

Why Is Edwards AWOL in North Carolina?

Former senator has surprisingly little clout in home state

(Newser) - Why has John Edwards maintained silence as the precarious Democratic contest heads to his home state of North Carolina? Could be, Politico posits, because he knows he has little sway there. According to insiders, the state, which holds its primary Tuesday, knew the senator only fleetingly before he leapt to...

Court Could Outlaw Turkey's 'Islamist Government'

Explosive trial could bar ruling party, prez and prime minister

(Newser) - Turkey's top court has agreed to hear a case that could outlaw the nation's ruling party and bar its president and prime minister from politics, Reuters reports. The AK Party is accused of trying to undermine Turkey's secular constitution and establish an Iran-style Islamic state. The case pits Turkey's popularly...

East German Women Are Heading West
East German Women Are Heading West

East German Women Are Heading West

And Neo-Nazi parties are courting the men left behind

(Newser) - Young, educated women are fleeing eastern Germany—and Neo-Nazi parties are flourishing in the vacuum  they leave behind. One-and-a-half million people, two-thirds of them women, have left left the economically stagnant east since the mid-1990s, a new study shows.

Florida Moves Primary To January 29
Florida Moves Primary To January 29

Florida Moves Primary To January 29

Rescheduling sets off race for first place

(Newser) - The state's historic election difficulties notwithstanding, Florida's presidential primaries will be among the earliest in the nation. Yesterday's legislative approval of the January 29 date is already provoking other states into maneuvering for the first spot. Said the Massachusetts secretary of state: "The idea that this election could begin...

18 Stories