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<!--Generated by Squarespace V5 Site Server v5.13.159 (http://www.squarespace.com) on Wed, 22 May 2013 19:40:14 GMT--><rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" version="2.0"><channel><title>Rhodes Cook Blog</title><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/</link><description></description><lastBuildDate>Wed, 09 Jan 2013 18:40:56 +0000</lastBuildDate><copyright></copyright><language>en-US</language><generator>Squarespace V5 Site Server v5.13.159 (http://www.squarespace.com)</generator><item><title>It's Really Official</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 09 Jan 2013 18:38:12 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2013/1/9/its-really-official.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:32513237</guid><description><![CDATA[In a lightly attended joint session of Congress last Friday (Jan. 4) that lasted less than 30 minutes, Barack Obama was officially reelected president of the United States for another four-year term. The reading of the certified electoral vote as cast in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in mid-December revealed the tally unchanged from Election Night, with 332 votes for Democrat Obama (and Vice President Joe Biden) and 206 for Republican Mitt Romney (and his running mate, Paul Ryan).  For the second straight election, there were no “faithless electors” breaking ranks to cast their ballot for a person other than their party’s presidential candidate (or to leave their ballot blank).]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-32513237.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>More Close Elections, Fewer Close States</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:11:32 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2012/12/7/more-close-elections-fewer-close-states.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:31738450</guid><description><![CDATA[After an era of presidential elections often defined by landslide results, the nation over the last dozen years has entered a period of close contests for the White House. The 2012 voting is the third in the last four to be decided in the popular vote by a margin of less than 5 percentage points. Yet only four states were decided this year by a margin so small.]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-31738450.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Obama ’12 Margin a Bit Wider than Bush ’04</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:54:31 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2012/11/15/obama-12-margin-a-bit-wider-than-bush-04.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:30782626</guid><description><![CDATA[Twice in the last eight years a president has been re-elected. And as votes continue to trickle in, it is becoming clearer and clearer that Barack Obama’s victory margin will be a bit wider than George W. Bush’s in 2004.]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-30782626.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Was Romney too Dominant?</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:52:41 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2012/10/5/was-romney-too-dominant.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:29640964</guid><description><![CDATA[There is little dispute that Republican Mitt Romney “won” his first presidential debate with President Barack Obama Wednesday night in Denver. He was animated while Obama appeared flat. He was aggressive while Obama often seemed hesitant. He was cogent while the president all too often fumbled for words.]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-29640964.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>When Conventions were Conventions</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:03:16 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2012/8/31/when-conventions-were-conventions.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:26668850</guid><description><![CDATA[A personal story…

My first political memory goes back to 1956. Our family had just acquired its first television set – in black and white, in those days. And the first event of consequence that year was the Democratic convention. Adlai Stevenson was nominated for president in short order. But then things got interesting. Rather than select his own running mate, Stevenson left the choice to the delegates. The scene was both electric and chaotic as Sens. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee and John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts quickly emerged as the major contenders. The band blared, banners were waved, and the numbers changed constantly on the screen as each state cast its vote. Kefauver achieved the needed delegate majority after the second ballot… and I could see my future, following conventions in particular and the electoral process in general.]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-26668850.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Fleeing Congress</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:48:34 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2012/8/27/fleeing-congress.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:25651186</guid><description><![CDATA[What is happening these days on Capitol Hill?

Since the beginning of July, three House members have abruptly quit while another made a surprise announcement that he would not be running for reelection after all. No waiting around for the election for any of them; merely a simple and quick good bye.]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-25651186.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Southern Democrats: It's Happened Again</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 10 Aug 2012 22:31:42 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2012/8/10/southern-democrats-its-happened-again.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:22563907</guid><description><![CDATA[It is hard to escape the conclusion that Democrats in the South – on the skids for the last generation or two – have not hit bottom yet. For the second time in two election cycles, a state party in the region has a Senate nominee who it is embarrassed to embrace.]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-22563907.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Americans Elect to Stay with Two Options</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:04:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2012/6/5/americans-elect-to-stay-with-two-options.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:16580627</guid><description><![CDATA[About half of the presidential elections over the last half century have been impacted by a significant third party or independent candidate. This election is unlikely to be one of them.]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-16580627.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>WI Recall: Process Aids Walker</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 May 2012 15:31:10 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2012/5/22/wi-recall-process-aids-walker.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:16393148</guid><description><![CDATA[At this point, the Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election June 5 appears to be Republican incumbent Scott Walker’s to lose.]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-16393148.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Incumbents Beware</title><dc:creator>Rhodes Cook</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2012 00:54:32 +0000</pubDate><link>http://rhodescook.com/blog/2012/5/3/incumbents-beware.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">464071:5230061:16117038</guid><description><![CDATA[The 2012 congressional primary season is barely under way. But it is already a virtual certainty that the number of incumbent House casualties in this nominating season will be the highest in 20 years.]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://rhodescook.com/blog/rss-comments-entry-16117038.xml</wfw:commentRss></item></channel></rss>