Fear-gate
Emerging from a fundraiser’s retreat in Florida last month, a set of sensitive documents has proven an embarrassment to the Republican National Committee (RNC). An anonymous source turned in a power point presentation print-out to Washington D.C.-based news magazine Politico broke. The presentation overviewed the Right’s fundraising tactics, like promising large donors exclusive access, networking opportunities and free give-aways.
A particularly controversial slide depicts President Obama as the Joker and advises soliciting donations by feeding fears of impending socialism. Members of the Republican Party are split in their opinion over the leaked content; while some, like rising star South Dakota Sen. John Thune, condemn the documents, others say using rational fears is a legitimate campaign tactic.
Census
Having already begun a massive multi-million dollar advertising campaign to raise awareness, the U.S. Census Bureau will mail census forms this month and hope their efforts pay off. Billions of people watched three ads during this year’s Super Bowl encouraging households to answer the questions and return the form by mail. In fact, at the moment, the Census Bureau is the largest advertiser in the nation.
The Bureau counts residents at the location where they live and sleep most of the time, so away-from-home college students will be counted at their college residence. This edition of the census features one of the shortest forms in its history – only 10 questions.
Census results determine the reapportionment of Congressional representation and influence the distribution of more than 400 billion dollars of federal funds.
Elections in Iraq
Elections for 325 parliamentary seats in Iraq culminated on Sunday, March 7. The country’s president and prime minister will be determined by these seats as well. With a campaign centering on troop withdrawal and revitalization of the oil sector, the current prime minister Nouri al-Maliki is running for a second term. Overall, Iraq and U.S. officials hope for a fair and transparent election and a peaceful transition.
Unlike the last election, Iraqi forces rather than American ones lead security at polling locations. Despite a series of bombings in cities across Iraq last week and several explosions on Sunday, turn-out has been high, even in Sunni regions that boycotted the 2005 poll.
After voting ends, results must be confirmed by the Iraqi Supreme Court, a coalition government