Even with the November 2008 presidential election some 22 months away and with the first primaries and caucuses a year away, most of the top candidates are up and running—churning out press releases, hiring scores of staff, opening state operations, and holding event after event on the campaign trail.
All of the activity and speculation is generating reams of political coverage from the mainstream media, bloggers, cable news talk shows, and now, new for 2008, YouTube videos. Even the people whose job it is to follow the political landscape have a hard time keeping up. Famously in Timothy Crouse's book on the 1968 campaign, "The Boys on the Bus," the correspondents would rush to Walter Mears of the Associated Press and ask what the big story was—how the AP covered a story was how everyone would cover the story. "Walter, Walter, what's my lead?" they'd shout on the campaign press bus. Now each day there are dozens of story lines to follow, blogs to surf, magazines and newspapers to read, and dozens of hours of cable news babble. It's too much to process.
Recognizing that the story of the campaign—and its eventual outcome—is critical to many Washingtonians, we're going to try to boil each week's developments down for you in a Friday column. We're going to call it "8 on ’08"—the top eight things you need to know about the presidential campaign this week.
Memorize this column each Friday and you'll be able to hold your own with any full-time political operative at a cocktail party over the weekend.
A New Look at 2008 Politics
Even with the November 2008 presidential election some 22 months away and with the first primaries and caucuses a year away, most of the top candidates are up and running—churning out press releases, hiring scores of staff, opening state operations, and holding event after event on the campaign trail.
All of the activity and speculation is generating reams of political coverage from the mainstream media, bloggers, cable news talk shows, and now, new for 2008, YouTube videos. Even the people whose job it is to follow the political landscape have a hard time keeping up. Famously in Timothy Crouse's book on the 1968 campaign, "The Boys on the Bus," the correspondents would rush to Walter Mears of the Associated Press and ask what the big story was—how the AP covered a story was how everyone would cover the story. "Walter, Walter, what's my lead?" they'd shout on the campaign press bus. Now each day there are dozens of story lines to follow, blogs to surf, magazines and newspapers to read, and dozens of hours of cable news babble. It's too much to process.
Recognizing that the story of the campaign—and its eventual outcome—is critical to many Washingtonians, we're going to try to boil each week's developments down for you in a Friday column. We're going to call it "8 on ’08"—the top eight things you need to know about the presidential campaign this week.
Memorize this column each Friday and you'll be able to hold your own with any full-time political operative at a cocktail party over the weekend.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
April 2024: Great Places to Live
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Did Eugene Vindman Pose With a Confederate Flag?
Want to See Caitlin Clark Play in DC? Prepare to Shell Out Some $$$.
Hozier and Laufey Will Headline This Year’s All Things Go Festival
Move Over, Pennsylvania Avenue: Study Says Wharf Area Is DC’s Priciest Real Estate
DC Cyclists Aren’t Giving Up on Connecticut Avenue Bike Lanes
Why DC Has 37 Historic Districts—and the Fight Over Adding a New One
Carlos Lozada Thinks You Should Care About Political Memoirs
DC Band White Ford Bronco Weighs In on O.J. Simpson’s Death