Getting out the vote So much money spent to reach the voters this election year. With the race for the White House still a dead heat, both campaigns see voter turnout as the path to victory. Marketplace's Amy Scott looks at how the 'get out the vote' system works. Broadcast Date: Monday, November 1, 2004

And the winner is ... Much has been said about how votes will be collected. There've been heated discussions about computerized voting machines - and methods of vote tabulation. But one thing that hasn't received much attention is how we, the people, will get word of the results. Easy answer, right? We'll watch TV or listen to public radio. But after the debacle of the 2000 election night, you have to wonder, how do the media plan to call the winners and the losers? Broadcast Date: Thursday, October 28, 2004

Election 2004 - a legal adventure Election Day is more than a week away, but the Bush and Kerry camps are already skirmishing in Florida. Yesterday the Republican National Committee accused Democrats of violating campaign finance laws by coordinating with labor and legal groups in Florida. Democrats turned around and charged the Bush-Cheney campaign of using the same tactics. As Marketplace's Amy Scott reports, both sides are gearing up for legal battles all over the country. Broadcast Date: Friday, October 22, 2004

Ballot Bucks 4 - Looking for Jobs Today Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said science and technology were the key to a stronger economy and job creation in this country. President Bush has touted his tax cuts as providing an engine for job growth. But with employers still seemingly reluctant to hire - the question remains what to do about all those folks who want jobs but can't find them. Today as we continue "Ballot Bucks" Marketplace's Bob Moon looks at what the candidates are offering to spur the job market. Broadcast Date: Thursday, October 21, 2004

Ballot Bucks 3 - Looking at Social Security This year the most expensive - and expansive - government program in world history has been relegated to also-ran status as an election issue. Social Security is a $471-billion retirement insurance system for 47 million Americans. It's bigger than the entire budgets of all but eight countries. By some accounts, it's headed for bankruptcy. Today as we continue "Ballot Bucks" -- our buyer's guide to the money issues of the campaign -- John Dimsdale sorts things out. Broadcast Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Ballot Bucks 2 - Looking at the Deficit What do the presidential candidates plan to do about the country's soaring budget deficit? Some budget watchers think both John Kerry and George Bush would do the same thing: make it bigger. Marketplace's Scott Tong has more in the second installment of our election series, Ballot Bucks 2004. Broadcast Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Ballot Bucks 1 - Looking at Healthcare With just two weeks to go before Election Day it may be tough to get beyond the soundbites of the campaign trail. But despite the sometimes-incendiary rhetoric President Bush and Senator Kerry have also been staking out honest -- and profound -- policy differences. That includes issues with a direct impact on your wallet. Today we kick off another in our ongoing series of reports we're calling "Ballot Bucks." It's a buyer's guide, of sorts, to the political product you'll be purchasing on November second. Helen Palmer starts us off this week with a look at healthcare... Broadcast Date: Monday, October 18, 2004

Campaign shifts to fifth gear Now the campaigning goes non-stop. Both President Bush and John Kerry started the day in Nevada. But tonight they'll be in very different parts of the country. Kerry is off to Iowa. Bush, to Oregon. Commentator Christina Williams was part of a group that surveyed the Oregon business community. She says President Bush needs to convince a group of voters the Republicans can usually count on... Broadcast Date: Thursday, October 14, 2004

Ralph... presidential campaign. State by state, he's been fighting to get his name on the ballot. Some Democrats consider him a spoiler, who could take votes from Senator Kerry and possibly tip the balance in favor of President Bush. As you are probably aware, grass-roots groups across the country have mobilized to stop the Nader campaign. But as Marketplace's Jeff Tyler reports, a new group is trying an economic incentive ... Broadcast Date: Thursday, October 14, 2004

Elections and conventional wisdom We're only three weeks away. Wall Street's rolling out the predictions. If President Bush wins a second term, conventional wisdom goes, it's good news for oil companies and HMO's. If Senator Kerry wins, alternative energy companies stand to gain but drug companies can forget about it. However, as Marketplace's Amy Scott reminds us, conventional wisdom does not a stock broker make. Broadcast Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Getty Images Baby boomer politics We're told that tonight's vice presidential debates will be about the candidates defining their differences. One obvious difference: age. Dick Cheney is not a baby boomer. John Edwards is. One could write-off such a difference as irrelevant. Futurist Andrew Zolli has worked out the demographics and he's noticed what seems to be inevitable. Given the age distribution, not only will boomer politicians be running the country for a longer period than many think... Broadcast Date: Tuesday, October 5, 2004

Getty Images The first debate Make no mistake about it: Corporations have a big interest in the Presidential debates. As Marty Goldensohn reports, the debates themselves are sponsored by big business. Then, the Economist's John Mickelthwaite outlines what businesses want to hear the presidential candidates debate as the election draws near. Broadcast Date: Thursday, September 30, 2004

Getty Images Power Trips Two -- The King of Travel Whether it is a weekend in Florida - or a week-long tour through the south of France - Congressional trips give lobbyists and their clients a chance to mingle with members of Congress in relaxed surroundings. Now an investigation for Marketplace by American Radio Works shows members of Congress have taken trips totaling more than $14 million in the last four years. The bill is picked up by outside interests doing business in Washington. Broadcast Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Power Trips - an investigation inside Capitol Hill Being in Congress used to be such a great deal. Some 15 years ago legislators could take cash from companies or unions simply for giving a speech. They were allowed to keep their campaign war chests when they retired. Congressman Larry Hopkins of Kentucky, kept $665,000 in campaign contributions after promising not to. And it was all perfectly legal. Broadcast Date: Monday, September 27, 2004

Politics and the negative ad war Every presidential election cycle seems to bring new complaints about negative campaign ads on TV. The race of 1964 was a watershed. LBJ's infamous Daisy ad... a little girl picking petals from a flower dissolving into a picture of a mushroom cloud. The ad never mentioned Republican Barry Goldwater by name, but the message was unmistakable: a vote for Johnson's opponent would push the country closer to the unthinkable. It ran only once. This election cycle has yet to produce a negative ad likely to have such lasting impact. Broadcast Date: Monday, September 27, 2004

Exploring campaign finances This political season, we're monitoring the influence of money in the big races. And we're keeping a close eye on this week's hearing in a lawsuit brought by the Bush Campaign. They're trying to force the Federal Election Commission to crack down on the money being raised and spent by so-called 527 groups - sometimes called shadow parties. Pro-Kerry 527's have been raising substantially more money than their pro-Bush counterparts. Broadcast Date: Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Amy Scott/Marketplace The Expense of Political Ads Tomorrow, voters in Washington will choose candidates for governor, attorney general and a number of open congressional seats. They've received hundreds of pieces of direct mail and visits from the candidates in the months leading up the primary. But what could decide many of the contests also happens to be one of the most expensive tools of the political arsenal. Broadcast Date: Monday, September 13, 2004

The politics of business, and business of politics Tech booms and housing bubbles may come and go, but politics is a recession-proof industry. Every two years, there's a new election and new candidates looking for campaign advisors. That means permanent employment for savvy political professionals. Broadcast Date: Tuesday, September 7, 2004

Convention ends, hangover begins... The convention's over and New York may be just starting to nurse their economic hangover. What does it cost to hold the GOP convention? And why any city ever want to. Marketplace's Bob Moon reports from New York. Broadcast Date: Friday, September 3, 2004

Getty Images And now, even more campaign spending President Bush's re-election campaign goes into high gear now that he has accepted the Republican nomination. He'll be switching from his privately-raised funds to federal campaign funds at the stroke of midnight. So how will the money be spent? Host Cheryl Glaser talks to David Mark of Campaigns and Elections magazine to find out. Broadcast Date: Thursday, September 2, 2004

Amy Scott/Staff The Marketplace convention party experience The GOP party scene in New York is VIP only. Marketplace's Amy Scott reports on her attempt (and failure) to get into one of the nation's most exclusive political parties of the year. Broadcast Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Getty Images The price of protesting Ever wonder how people can take a week off of work to demonstrate at an event like this week's GOP convention? Marketplace's Amy Scott looks at the price of being a protester. Broadcast Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Getty Images It's the economy, stupid... David Brown talks with reporter John Micklethwaite, of The Economist Magazine, in New York about what to expect of the Grand Ol' Party's economic platform. Broadcast Date: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Getty Images Republican demographics are changing At their recent convention in Boston, the Democrats made a point of how diverse the delegations were - ethnically and economically. But are the Republicans convening in New York today much different? Broadcast Date: Monday, August 30, 2004

Getty Images The cost of convening ... The Republican National Convention kicks off in New York City today. Security aside, the cost for four days of speeches, meetings and parties will top $60 million. Marketplace's Amy Scott tells us who's picking up the tab. Broadcast Date: Monday, August 30, 2004

Getty Images Will New York sing the convention blues too? In Manhattan, a group called "United for Peace and Justice" filed suit against the city of New York. They're upset that the city's refusing to let them stage a massive demonstration in Central Park before the opening of the GOP convention--just over a week away. They're not the only ones upset. Broadcast Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Getty Images The DNC wasn't such a boom for Boston after all The Democratic National Convention in Boston wound up last night with John Kerry accepting the party's nomination as its Presidential candidate. Time now to clear up the mounds of bunting and piles of plastic cups - and time for the city of Boston to tot up the balance sheet. Broadcast Date: Thursday, July 29, 2004

Is Boston making money off this convention? Small businesses all over Boston were looking forward to free spending delegates. The problem is - the delegates are getting too many free goodies and free drinks - at convention parties. Plus, it's not clear who has any money left. It looks like a lot of people at the convention spent their money ahead of time. Broadcast Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2004

But what about the economy? In Boston, delegates at the Democrats' convention worked furiously to dot the i's and cross the t's on a campaign platform. Front pages tomorrow will report that the platform calls for a nation that is "strong at home, respected in the world." But what about the economy? Bill Emmott is editor at The Economist magazine, reporting from Boston this week, and he's seen the party platform document. Broadcast Date: Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Packaging a President It is a phrase that's commonly invoked every four years or so. And it's happening again now. We've been hearing a lot about the packaging of the Presidency, as if politics can be reduced to a kind of commodity. As if the rules of the marketplace apply to how we pick our Commanders in Chief. On the one hand, those of us who care about policy see this as an over-simplification... Broadcast Date: Monday, July 26, 2004