the buzz log

Will former secretary of state Colin Powell endorse Barack Obama at next week's Democratic National Convention? Powell's camp issued denials last week, but the rumors persist from two very different sources:

On the Republican side: Bill Kristol, a former Dan Quayle aide and currently a Fox News Channel commentator and New York Times Op-Ed columnist. He launched the speculative fervor last week when he told Fox, "We all talk to people who talk to people." But does Powell think that people who need people are the luckiest people in the world? He says piffle, he's not Denver-bound.

Then, on the Democratic side: Willie Brown, former speaker of California State Assembly and ex-San Francisco mayor. In a Sunday column, Brown suggested Powell wouldn't fly to Denver, but a thumbs' up may still be in the works.

Regardless, Powell is now on the political watchdog list: His searches have popped 707% in the past week to make the top 30,000 terms. At least one thing may be certain: If Powell's not going to Denver, people who talk to people can take that one very special person off the Veep List.

Filed under: Politics, Predictions, News, Elections, Presidents

Just when are voters supposed to buy their bumper stickers?

With the Democratic primaries at last concluded, the citizenry is now supposed to concentrate on the candidates' message... except they're distracted by the gaping hole where a vice president should be standing. Impatient toe-tapping over "obama vice president candidates" (+540%) and, less so, "mccain vice president" has reverberated throughout Search. 

You can probably hold off waxing the car bumper until after the Fourth of July weekend, though. The earliest that recent veepstake winners have been announced was July 6, when Democratic nominee John Kerry anointed then-Senator John Edwards as his political mate for the 2004 campaign. Twelve years before, Bill Clinton touted Al Gore on July 9. President George W. Bush made room on his 2000 presidential seat for Dick Cheney on July 25.

Moving even later into the season, Gore took until August 8 (2000) to present Joe Lieberman, and 1996 Republican nominee Robert Dole waited as long as August 16 to put Jack Kemp in the picture. Surely, neither John McCain nor Barack Obama will wait until the dog days of summer to put constituents out of their misery... right?

In the meantime, the 2008 rumor mill runs on steroids, what with Internet speculation on top of the 24-7 news cycle. Names now being tossed about for the Democratic  ticket include "Wall Streeter" Bob Rubin as panacea for America's economic woes or Elizabeth Edwards as a likeable, female cancer survivor. House representative Nancy Pelosi has singled out Chet Edwards.

Some even want to revive an Al Gore ticket, a not unpopular recycling notion, but a distant second to Hillary Clinton among searchers. Gore barely aces out short-list candidate Senator Sam Nunn. (Speaking of former vice presidents, Dan Quayle isn't being suggested, but he's into heavy-set punditry now.)

Republican voters who feel a woman's place is in the White House consider three females as serious contenders, but Alaska governor Sarah Palin finds the most favor among searchers. However, hints are strong that McCain has already decided in favor of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

For the Democratic cult worshippers, however, a humorist proposes the dream of all dream tickets: Obama-Obama. No, not Michelle... Barack Obama, squared. While backroom strategists figure out that Constitutional amendment, below are the veep possibilities generating the most online curiosity.

Filed under: Politics, History, Elections, Presidents, Barack Obama

For years, political pundits have been wringing their hands over dismal voter turnout. Now, with the most energized Democratic presidential primary race in decades, they've been nagging the candidates to wrap up their show, for the good of the party.

Well, the voters aren't ready to stop voting. In poll after poll, citizens are saying that they want their say. If the record turnouts haven't clued in political observers, this might: Searches for "register to vote" this year have more than doubled those in 2006 and 2007 combined.

People love their suffrage, whether it's choosing a president or anointing a celebrity. Speaking of which, two reality shows wrapping up this week have built their success on supersizing the democratic process. Forget the milquetoasty appeal of "one person, one vote."'ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and FOX's "American Idol" welcome ballot-box stuffing with the glee of a penny-ante dictator.

Yes, the ABC ballroom competition does temper voters' passions with the judges' more measured expertise, like a pop-culture echo chamber of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The FOX singing contest, on the other hand, injects steroids into its audience's voting muscle—although unlike its creative progenitor, "Pop Idol," the judges winnow the hopefuls down to 12 before America gets to dial in.

That these two shows dominate this week's voting-related queries doesn't speak less of people's more sober civic duties, not even the negative campaigning that occupies the number one slot below. Instead, as the recent spike for "clinton supporters count too" underscores, it shows that the impulse to stand up and be counted shouldn't be counted out too soon.

Filed under: American Idol, Politics, Dancing With the Stars, Elections, Presidents