The Daily Report » mike+muller

From truck drivers and Mensa members, to Satanists and Druids, the “other" candidates for president list in the hundreds. Other, more prominent names flesh out these lists as well, such as Ralph Nader and Alan Keyes. And a number of smaller party activists from the likes of the Green and Libertarian Parties also fill its ranks. So, do any of these American citizens making use of their freedom to run for president have anything to say about the nation’s cities? 

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The idea that the government can condemn private property for what it views as the public good has been a source of contention for years. But when the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 in Kelo v. New London that the city in Connecticut could use its powers of eminent domain to take private land for another private development, a new national debate raged.

John McCain latched on to the issue for a while. In August, he pledged “To appoint strict constructionist judges who respect the…

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The GOP candidates present something more of a unified front about how to deal with the foreclosure crisis than the Democrats. The candidates remaining usually offer cautious support for the Bush Administration’s efforts when asked how they propose to address the issue. And they all call for limited government involvement—if any.

The current administration’s foreclosure measures mostly revolve around the Hope Now plan. It is a coalition of mortgage industry players—responsible for 62…

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Gotham Gazette on the Presidential Candidates

Monday, Gotham Gazette took an extensive look a the remaining candidates and their positions on urban issues. It begins with a history of presidential policies for cities starting in the 60s and ending with today’s candidates. The piece then lays out the positions of the Democrats and Republicans in issue tables for easy comparison.

Streetsblog on the Candidates’ Transportation Stances

Starting with the GOP candidates, the blog says,…

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A recent discussion on what an urban agenda is and whether candidates are talking about it gave the rare opportunity for some contrarian viewpoints on the topic. (Click here for the podcast.) On The Forum, a talk radio show from the Bay Area on KQED, a public broadcasting station, one guest took to task the idea that urban issues are not being addressed. Mark Barabak, from the Los Angeles Times, said, “It’s an urban legend, the idea that the candidates are not talking about urban…

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As the mayor of Cleveland in 1978, Denis Kucinich resisted the privatization of the city’s publicly owned municipal electric system. As a result, banks pushed the city into financial default and his political career was ruined. But fifteen years later, the utility underwent an expansion and he was recognized for keeping the city’s electricity costs down in the end run.

Now, Kucinich sees a lack of wisdom in the the war in Iraq and its continuation. And in an end to the war, he sees the…

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The correctional facilities in the state of Arkansas during Mike Huckabee’s 11 years as governor were the focus of a series of controversies. There were allegations that inmates had been punished by being transfered to facilities where their race was a minority and his numerous pardons have been questioned by many.

But the most poignant incident was the rape by broom handle of a sixteen year old boy in state custody. The rape was just one of a series of sordid anecdotes unveiled by a (more)

As he stood before the National Rifle Association in September, Sen. John Mccain accused big city mayors of using gun manufacturers as a scapegoat for their inability to control crime in their cities. They “decided it was more important to blame the manufacturers of a legal product than it was to control crime in their own cities,” he scolded as he took his turn trying to woo this powerful constituency.

“Instead of increasing police patrols, instituting tough sentences for lawbreakers…

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As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Ron Paul has been a cosponsor of legislation to offer tax deductions for commuters who use their bike or take public transportation to get to work. He is also cosponsor of a bill to increase and extend deductions for buildings that use less energy.

But his support for these measures is more likely about reducing the federal tax burden, rather than an attempt to cut energy use in cities and the nation. As a self-identifying…

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Halting illegal immigration; Encouraging legal immigration; A long (sometimes conflicting) record on the subject.

The Texas-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley served as the backdrop for former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani this Monday as he spoke about his plans to deal with illegal immigration. Giuliani’s goals are to secure the border, document all non-citizens coming into and out of America, and focus on deporting criminal immigrants here illegally. But while the…

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