Politics

A report for the respected Pew Research Center released March 20 shows national trends similar to voter registration trends in Oregon. Republicans are losing ground. In particular, self-identified Republican white voters are leaving the GOP in "Red," "Blue" and swing states.

"[D]uring the first two months of 2008, 36% identif[ied] themselves as Democrats, and just 27% as Republicans.

What’s in a passport file anyway? With the “breaking news” that “contract” workers have breached the passport files of presidential candidates McCain, Clinton and Obama (at least 3 times), I wondered. So far, the reports are about passport files. These are not some State Department files or reports. The most sensitive info for a political dirty trickster might be a social security number.

Some politicians are responsible for stoking the myth that immigrants, especially Mexicans, are causing crime waves according to a new study by Harvard sociologist
Robert Sampson. His study shows that rising immigration, especially from Mexico, does not drive up crime rates. In fact, the opposite is true: first generation Mexican-Americans are the least likely to commit crimes.

Looks like the Oregon primary will attract real presidential candidates to the state for the first time in a generation. Since all conventional wisdom is crumbling this election year, let's go to the most reliable source of election predictions: the Iowa Elections Market.