Results tagged “iowa”

Despite overwhelming House and Senate votes in favor of the it, Governor Jim Douglas is poised to veto Vermont's marriage equality bill. In the meantime, the Green Mountain State was beaten by freaking Iowa, which became the third state in the U.S. to allow everybody to marry the person whom they want to marry. The other two, of course, are Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Political junkies have divided the last few months between obsessing over Iowa and New Hampshire and complaining about how much energy is wasted obsessing over Iowa and New Hampshire. Those states, the argument goes, are too white and too small and too rural to represent the country at large. But, while true, it always seems dismissive and elitist (possibly because we're writing this on a iPhone while stopped at a light in a Prius Zipcar.)

Both Massachusetts senators, John Kerry and Ted Kennedy, have close experience with presidential campaigns, so who can blame them for waiting a little bit to make an endorsement? Kerry's dominance in the last go-round came as a surprise after the Dean campaign collapsed in Iowa. The field of Democrats is deep this year, and, like Deval Patrick, our Senators have to be cautious about making endorsements since the Clintons are such a powerful force.

It seems that Bostonist's call for submissions inspired you. Say hello to Gerard Sloan, who is already working the political beat! And we hope you'll meet more writers in the next week. Interested in joining the team? Read our call for columnists and e-mail jobs@bostonist.com.

Update: No winner for the Democrats yet, which makes CNN look bad because they were calling it for Obama all day.

Former Massachusetts governor and political aspirant Mitt Romney faces one of his greatest challenges with the New Hampshire primary. After coming in second in Iowa to the Mike Huckabee/Chuck Norris ticket, he is an underdog in a race that should have been a breeze for him since he governed in Massachusetts.

Today Republican presidential candidate/Iowa caucus winner/Romney rival Mike Huckabee faced a heckler who clearly forgot that where there's Huckabee, there's Chuck Norris. The man had a right to speak, but, as Charlie Savage writes, he wouldn't shut up and kept yelling, "Why is Richard Haass, the president of the Council of Foreign Relations, your political adviser?"

--Useful, detailed advice on how to get your car started in the bitter cold. [b0st0n LiveJournal]

The political epicenter has shifted from Iowa to New Hampshire, right next door. The state is erupting in general chaos as the politicians who are still in the race are fighting for attention.

Maybe some voters in Iowa had a tough decision to make; not so the AP NFL Coach of the Year voters, who swept Bill Belichick into the award with 29 out of 50 possible first-place votes. The other 21, we're sure, were dismayed by Spygate (why else vote against a guy whose team didn't lose?), figuring that any coach who had footage of 20 minutes of Jetball had an unfair advantage. Bill, we're sure, took the award, nodded grimly, and went back to work.

Update: Deval Patrick can rest easy. Obama took 38% of the Iowa caucus vote.

Indie Short Film Night, featuring movies by local filmmakers, including the premiere of "Absent Meaning," which vows that "Nothing is as hopeful as a suicidal Belarusian waitress turned punk rocker!" Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, 9:30 pm, $5.

If things don't work out for former Massachusetts governor and current Republican presidential aspirant Mitt Romney, he can always follow in ex-candidate Bob Dole's footsteps--as a spokesman for Viagra.

Recently, the world learned that Ann Romney, former First Lady of Massachusetts, is an equestrienne and that one of the Five Brothers gave presidential candidate Mitt Romney a horse mask so Momma Romney would give Daddy Romney a little more attention.

There's so much to say about former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential aspirant Mitt Romney's looks. His political views may be ever-changing, but one things for certain--some people find him attractive. And some people like to get a little closer.

Our neighbor, New Hampshire, is indulging in primary one-upmanship by moving its presidential primary up to January 8 to beat Michigan's January 15 date. For Boston, this means an endless parade of presidential candidates on television, a lot sooner than we're used to now that the states are trying to get a slice of the money the primaries will bring. The early primaries force the candidates to put the pedal to the medal and automatically...

The United States has a lot to be afraid of: the war in Iraq, the mortgage crisis, wildfires, the gulf between the haves and have nots, and Dick Cheney. But former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney thinks that the nation should really be afraid of Hillary Clinton. In an attempt to celebrate Halloween and trash an opponent at the same time, Mitt Romney told an audience in Iowa, "What do you think about Hillary's House of...

The MLB is no fun! A kind tipster just gave Bostonist the heads-up that the Chris Dodd Red Sox Raffle is now OFF and that anyone who donated will get a refund. The e-mail from Dodd HQ states,

We know that Massachusetts is the albatross around Mitt Romney's neck as he campaigns for the Republican nomination. We know he talks about us like an old fling he had, that doesn't really mean anything. And for the most part, it's mutual.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the Republican straw poll in Iowa tonight with about 31% of the vote. Of course, it wasn't that hard since John McCain and Rudy Giuliani opted out, and the straw poll was Romney's to lose. Lisa Wangsness at the Globe pointed out that Romney outspent his opponents by an "almost comical degree." Adam Nagourney of the New York Times noted that everything wasn't all Romney all the time. Presidential...

All in all, it's been a pretty good week for former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney. Aside from a minor seatbelt flap, Romney saw a considerable improvement in his chances at election. The Des Moines Register announced that Romney was backed by 30 percent of Iowa Republicans, which puts him ahead of McCain and Giuliani. What is making Romney so appealing to those who haven't had the dubious pleasure of being governed by...

This morning on NPR's Morning Edition the money race was quantified in numbers. Since it was NPR they needed something other than visual aids to make the point. What better way to make that point than to use music? The brothers Gibb classic “Staying Alive” was used, for every one second played the candidate indicated had raised $2 million dollars. For some of the candidates, like Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, and Bill Richardson the clips...

The 2008 presidential candidate field had its first casualty this week. Tom Vilsack bowed out of the race citing a lack of funds to keep competitive in a field of contenders with growing coffers. Initially political analysts thought Vilsack had a good chance to come out of Iowa with a win – but then Obama happened. The Iowa governor was the first to announce and the first to withdraw. Don't worry, there are still a...

Tonight the State of the Union speech will be delivered in our nation's capital. While we're hitting the booze and playing the State of the Union drinking game, the media will talk about possible ramifications of the President's statements. But the focus has already started to shift from the current commander-in-chief to who's going to take over his job. The Democratic field of contenders is growing fast. Below you'll find Bostonist's guide to the field...

Plenty of fascinating news this week for our oft-neglected New England neighbors:

Today is Willard "Mitt" Romney's last day as Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – well, for now, he could come back to haunt later. The Globe ran a story in this morning's edition to let us know that he actually left a little stink in the statehouse by making a slew of 11th hour appointments to state offices. Though he's attempted to exit the Governors office stage right (which is really to the left...

If you’ve ever hunted for your glasses, only to be informed that they’re already on your head, don’t feel too bad about it. It could have been worse.

In the run-up to Thanksgiving, Bostonist thought we'd share some of our favorite recipes. Hopefully, we will actually pull it together enough during the next 24 hours to deliver on this promise. If not, you'll have to settle for this cranberry salad recipe and our sincerest wishes that you have a happy holiday.

The other day, Bostonist was walking with a friend, discussing Thanksgiving plans. Bostonist said we expected forty or fifty people at our mother’s house. Our friend’s jaw dropped to the ground.

When John Roberts was initially announced as the Bush administration's pick to succeed Sandra Day "Swing" O'Connor, Bostonist couldn't help but feel disappointed, as it signalled the end of our own governor's dark horse candidacy for the Supreme Court post. But now our hopes are alive again, as Roberts has been bumped up and nominated chief (sorry, Nino!). If his confirmation goes as quickly and happily as everyone seems to think, Mitt could get the...