Ben Goddard

 
Obama, FDIC don’t get it
Ben Goddard - 02/03/10 08:00 PM ET

Out on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains is a small business that has managed to survive robust and rough economic times for nearly 30 years. 

Cold Warriors say no nukes
Ben Goddard - 01/27/10 06:46 PM ET

Last evening a movie about life, death and the survival of our planet premiered at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

Dems have lost their way
Ben Goddard - 01/20/10 06:59 PM ET

I must first state the obvious: Almost any other Democrat with any other campaign team running with any other strategy would have held off Scott Brown’s Massachusetts momentum and saved that Senate seat for the Democrats.

Obama triumph ahead
Ben Goddard - 11/11/09 07:03 PM ET

Much of the political chatter about healthcare reform in the past week has been of the glass-half-empty variety. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had to make too many deals.

Going viral
Ben Goddard - 10/28/09 04:48 PM ET

Nothing beats word of mouth. Advertisers lust after the buzz that creates a “tipping point” of desire for their products. Political strategists crave the “chatter” that builds momentum for their candidates. All of this still holds true in the digital age. If anything, “going viral” has become the next Holy Grail for products and political campaigns.

Storm flags in California
Ben Goddard - 10/21/09 06:39 PM ET

Maybe it comes from nearly three decades of political involvement in the Golden State, but I’ve always considered California something of a bellwether — the canary in the coalmine when it comes to early warning signs of political trends. The most recent Field Poll, a widely reported and quoted and generally accurate reading of California tea leaves, suggests rough seas ahead for state governments. The clear message from voters is that they are mad as hell at the governor and the State Legislature and want some serious changes, but they are not sure their leaders are up to the job.

Bob and Hillary’s escalation
Ben Goddard - 10/14/09 05:12 PM ET

As the White House debates how to respond to Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s call for additional troops in Afghanistan, two powerful allies are said to be pushing for an escalation of U.S. forces. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton seem to have done a mind meld on Afghanistan policy.

Obama moving along
Ben Goddard - 10/07/09 05:45 PM ET

Like a lot of others who opine on politics, I was concerned about President Barack Obama’s hasty trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, to try to close the deal on the Chicago Olympics, even before the International Olympic Committee unceremoniously swatted aside the Second City’s bid. “Why risk political capital and international prestige on such a capricious group?” I wondered. It seemed then, and still does, to be something the president didn’t need on his plate alongside healthcare reform, Afghanistan and a nuclear Iran. Especially when we all know energy policy and financial reform are about to be dished up as well. The brusque rejection of Chicago made for several days of cable TV and talk radio chatter, a couple thousand column inches of newspaper angst and who knows how many blogs. But an early reading of the tea leaves suggests that the people who really count, American voters, pretty much ignored the whole misadventure.

The stakes for Obama
Ben Goddard - 09/23/09 04:27 PM ET

Two of America’s best pollsters delivered a strong message to President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress this week: Find a way to quickly declare victory in the battle over health insurance reform.

Quieting the health circus
Ben Goddard - 09/16/09 03:56 PM ET

The ’70s Scottish folk/rock group Stealers Wheel had a huge hit that has since been covered by half a dozen rock, folk and country artists. “Stuck in the Middle with You” could be the White House theme song as the battle over healthcare reform devolves into rigid partisan posturing on both ends of the political spectrum. “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right/ Here I am, stuck in the middle with you,” songwriter Joe Egan sang in the band’s only big hit.

Current and Previous Articles

09/09/09 05:48 PM ET Vietnamistan
08/05/09 12:54 PM ET Healthcare, then and now
07/29/09 12:07 PM ET California credibility crisis
07/22/09 12:58 PM ET Obama's healthcare sell
07/22/09 12:51 PM ET Obama’s healthcare sell
07/22/09 12:48 PM ET Obama’s healthcare sell
07/15/09 12:56 PM ET Yes, they can — and just did
06/24/09 12:56 PM ET Harry and Louise, hijacked
06/17/09 01:04 PM ET Tech + content = results
06/10/09 09:32 AM ET New-media conflicts
06/03/09 12:55 PM ET Bipartisanship, Obama-style
05/20/09 11:58 AM ET Calif.’s omen for the nation
05/13/09 12:28 PM ET GOPers still don’t get it
05/06/09 12:49 PM ET California dreaming
04/29/09 12:22 PM ET Better hurry with big tent
04/22/09 11:11 AM ET Upgrading the campaign
04/01/09 11:30 AM ET Tax revolt recipe
03/25/09 12:14 PM ET Presidential comfort zone
03/18/09 12:21 PM ET At stake: How D.C. works
03/11/09 11:55 AM ET Texting’s political triumph
03/04/09 12:01 PM ET GOP in wilderness
02/25/09 12:40 PM ET Take heart in hope
02/11/09 12:29 PM ET Obama on the march
01/21/09 01:26 PM ET A message fine-tuned for ‘us’
01/07/09 01:22 PM ET Gupta’s vital role
11/19/08 01:29 PM ET Obama marketing lesson
11/05/08 01:55 PM ET Change is for real
10/01/08 12:42 PM ET Madness to their method
09/24/08 01:48 PM ET Economic elephantiasis
09/17/08 12:06 PM ET Opportunistic Obama
09/10/08 12:13 PM ET What Obama must do now
09/03/08 04:35 PM ET Swinging for the fences
08/27/08 01:40 PM ET No, not a bad start at all
07/30/08 01:21 PM ET Why race is no runaway
07/23/08 12:43 PM ET Just a senator on a codel (wink)
07/16/08 12:48 PM ET The nuclear reaction
07/09/08 01:37 PM ET McCain’s hope, Obama’s bounce
06/25/08 11:18 AM ET Obama’s message dominance
06/18/08 01:15 PM ET Messages in Obama’s picks
06/11/08 12:09 PM ET Clintons’ Sunset Boulevard
 
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