Abraham Lincoln only won 39.8
percent of the popular vote in his first presidential victory, and used a
questionable tactic to help win his second. In fact, since 1820, the last year
an essentially uncontested election was held, most presidential elections have
been extremely close. Only four presidents received more than 60 percent of the
vote, nine elections saw a candidate win between 55 and 60 percent of the vote,
and candidates who received less than 50 percent of the vote have won 18
presidential elections.
From Delancey Place - in an excerpt from American History Revisited
And from The Telegraph:
US election 2012: Obama vs Romney, battle of the books
For Barack Obama it's Toni Morrison, for Mitt Romney L Ron Hubbard. As the US election comes to a nail-biting finish we compare the candidates' favourite authors.
And from The Telegraph:
US election 2012: Obama vs Romney, battle of the books
For Barack Obama it's Toni Morrison, for Mitt Romney L Ron Hubbard. As the US election comes to a nail-biting finish we compare the candidates' favourite authors.
And from HuffPost
Obama Art: Paintings, Sculptures And Comics Inspired By President Barack Obama
The Huffington Post UK | By Sam Parker
President Barack Obama's fall from American saviour and harbinger of world peace to fallible politician who might yet lose an election to Mitt Romney has been a harrowing sight, both within the US and abroad where we hoped he'd turn out to be the antithesis of George W. Bush.
But despite continuing an aggressive foreign policy of drone strikes, struggling to win over the middle east and failing to unite Republicans and Democrats at home, there is at least one area where Obama remains distinct from his predecessor and arguably any president in history.
Since the heady, hopeful days of his election four years ago Obama has inspired artists around the world in a way few Western leaders ever have - not just to satirise and condemn him (like the endless Bush parodies) but to pay tribute.
His rhetoric of hope, his charm and idealism and his inherent significance as America's first black president have given rise to endless paintings, sculptures and cartoons, and despite the feeling of anticlimax running through American political discourse about his record, this shows no sign of slowing down.
The brilliant Art Of Obama website is the best attempt yet to crowd source and curate these artworks, and on the eve of the American election that will determine not just the President's fate but the next four years of global politics, we present a collection of our favourites.
See all the art at HuffPost
But despite continuing an aggressive foreign policy of drone strikes, struggling to win over the middle east and failing to unite Republicans and Democrats at home, there is at least one area where Obama remains distinct from his predecessor and arguably any president in history.
Since the heady, hopeful days of his election four years ago Obama has inspired artists around the world in a way few Western leaders ever have - not just to satirise and condemn him (like the endless Bush parodies) but to pay tribute.
His rhetoric of hope, his charm and idealism and his inherent significance as America's first black president have given rise to endless paintings, sculptures and cartoons, and despite the feeling of anticlimax running through American political discourse about his record, this shows no sign of slowing down.
The brilliant Art Of Obama website is the best attempt yet to crowd source and curate these artworks, and on the eve of the American election that will determine not just the President's fate but the next four years of global politics, we present a collection of our favourites.
See all the art at HuffPost
