In this month's edition on the campaign trail: Wikinews interviews the  vice presidential nominee, analysts react to the Republican choice for vice president, and Wikinews updates readers on the candidates who challenged President Barack Obama in the  primaries. Summary August began with the Obama re-election campaign's continued attacks on presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney's decision to not release his tax records from previous years. Democratic Senator  alleged that an unnamed investor from Romney's former business advised him Romney had not paid any taxes in the undisclosed years. The Romney campaign rejected the validity of Reid's comments, and Republican Senator  accused Reid of lying. Thereafter, the Obama campaign began airing a new advertisement that referred to Romney's tax plan as " in reverse" or "Romney Hood". The Romney campaign countered that it was actually Obama, and not Romney, who wished to increase taxes. Further controversy spawned from the Obama-allied , which ran ads connecting Romney to the cancer death of the wife of a Union leader at . The leader said he lost healthcare coverage after Bain, which had operated the plant for a short period, shut it down. The Romney campaign claimed the shutdown occurred while Romney was running the 2002 Winter Olympics in , and asked the Obama campaign to disavow the ad; however, an Obama spokesman claimed no involvement and refused to denounce the ad. In response, Romney debuted an ad that attacked Obama as someone "who will say or do anything to stay in power", arguing he had "squandered...one of his key attributes...[as] a different kind of politician who was going to take us to a better place." The Obama campaign offered to end the ads attacking Romney for his tax records if he released his records from the previous five years; Romney declined. His spokesman argued, "It is clear that President Obama wants nothing more than to talk about Governor Romney's tax returns instead of the issues that matter to voters". A report from early August suggested Obama's ads were negatively affecting Romney's likability rating and his position in the polls. Nevertheless, analysis of the previous month's receipts showed that despite the attacks, for the third straight month, the Romney campaign raised more money than Obama. Paul Ryan prepares to deliver his acceptance speech after Mitt Romney introduces him as his running mate. On August 11 during an event in front of the in  , , Romney named Congressman  of Wisconsin as his running mate. After an introduction, Ryan, the chairman of the and author of the budget proposal , argued the ticket "won't duck the tough issues — we will lead." In response to the selection, Obama staffers remarked it "makes clear that Romney would be a rubber stamp for the congressional GOP" and the choice provides the Obama campaign with "clear advantages". Shortly thereafter, Obama's running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, himself made headlines after commenting to a partly African American audience in Virginia, "in the first 100 days, [Romney's] going to let the big banks write their own rules — unchain . They’re going to put y’all back in chains." Romney cited this as an example of the Obama presidency's "angry and desperate" state and called on Obama to "take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago". Biden's were not the only controversial remarks connected with the August campaign. Discussing , Republican Senate candidate and Congressman of Missouri told a local radio program, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." The comment drew condemnation from Republicans including Romney, who labeled it "inexcusable" and asked that Akin step down from the race. Obama described the remarks as "offensive" and his campaign attempted to use it to revive the "" rhetoric; chairwoman Representative argued, "Akin’s choice of words isn’t the real issue here. The real issue is a Republican Party — led by Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan — whose policies on women and their health are dangerously wrong." Prior to the Republican National Convention, then- was projected to make landfall near the event in ,  . Though it eventually made landfall as a near , the first day of the convention was largely cancelled and Louisiana's Governor decided not to attend. Nevertheless, the convention was held. On the first regular day: the Romney-Ryan ticket was officially nominated; though it attracted controversy as most of the Maine delegation walked out of the proceedings as ten of the state's twenty delegates were given to Romney instead of Congressman Ron Paul. Paul had held an event before 10,000 spectators at the 's Sun Dome a day prior to the scheduled start of the convention, where he proclaimed that his continued. After the nomination, nominee's wife and New Jersey  addressed the convention in prime time speeches. The next day, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and governor spoke to the delegates before Paul Ryan officially accepted the vice presidential nomination in a speech that notably included the line, "College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life." On the final day of the convention, actor and former , Mayor made a surprise appearance and delivered an impromptu speech, which included an interview of a chair representing Obama, emphasizing his unmet promises as president. After addressing attendees, Senator  of Florida introduced Romney, who took the stage and formally accepted the Republican Party presidential nomination. In his speech, Romney discussed his family, recalled some personal anecdotes, and criticized Obama, arguing the "centerpiece of the president’s entire re-election campaign is attacking success." Addressing Obama supporters, Romney agreed "hope and change had a powerful appeal" but asked, "If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn’t you feel that way now that he’s President Obama? You know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he’s done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him." In response to the convention, Obama remarked, "what they offered over those three days was more often than not an agenda better suited for the last century. ... We might as well have watched it on a black-and-white TV." Early polling analysis showed the convention improved Romney's likability ratings, and in the national average for August 31, Romney edged closer with 45.9 percent support, behind Obama's 46.4 percent. Peace and Freedom Party VP nominee speaks to Wikinews Cindy Sheehan in 2007. In August, comedienne , star of the popular '90s sitcom , won the presidential nomination of the left-wing Peace and Freedom Party. She named peace activist  as her running mate. Wikinews reached out to Sheehan to discuss the campaign. Sheehan is best known for her active opposition to the  following the loss of her son Casey there in 2004. In protest of the war, she set up camp outside President George W. Bush's ranch in , Texas, demanding a pullout of U.S. troops and prosecution of Bush administration officials for war crimes. According to her website, Sheehan also advocates , believing it to be key to loosening the "Imperialist/Capitalist two-party stranglehold" on U.S. and world politics. This campaign is not Sheehan's first foray into electoral politics. In , she challenged then-House Nancy Pelosi for Congress as the nominee of the  , finishing second in a field of seven candidates. During the campaign, she championed the reduction of U.S. troops abroad, and endorsed , bank , , education subsidies, , alternative fuels, and electoral reform. Judy sees the selection of Ryan as a positive for the Romney campaign. He feels that as "one of the few serious policy thinkers in either party", Ryan will shift the campaign into "a more serious, solutions-oriented campaign that will make President Obama's campaign, which has focused almost solely on personal attacks against Mitt Romney, look petty and small." Moreover, he believes Ryan can help Romney win in the swing state of Wisconsin, which no Republican presidential candidate has won since President  was re-elected in . Update on 2012 Democratic candidates With the looming, Wikinews decided to update on some of the candidates who challenged President Barack Obama during the Democratic primaries earlier this year. Of the three candidates chronicled: one is actively continuing his presidential campaign, one is backing a third party ticket, and another recently encountered a major roadblock to his goal of preventing Obama's unanimous nomination. Time Warner Cable Center, the venue for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Anti-abortion activist  of West Virginia, who received 22,734 votes in the Democratic primaries overall and who, after a strong second-place showing in the primary, qualified for delegates that the state party later denied, has been waging an independent campaign in several states to appear on the November ballot. According to Terry, he has ballot access in West Virginia, and has attained official write-in status in Colorado. Currently, he is petitioning to appear on the Kentucky and Nebraska ballots, and is hoping to be certified as a write-in candidate in Virginia, Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.
In this month's edition on the campaign trail: Wikinews interviews the Peace and Freedom Party vice presidential nominee, analysts react to the Republican choice for vice president, and Wikinews updates readers on the candidates who challenged President Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries. Summary August began with the Obama re-election campaign's continued attacks on presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney's decision to not release his tax records from previous years. Democratic Senator Harry Reid alleged that an unnamed investor from Romney's former business advised him Romney had not paid any taxes in the undisclosed years. The Romney campaign rejected the validity of Reid's comments, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham accused Reid of lying. Thereafter, the Obama campaign began airing a new advertisement that referred to Romney's tax plan as " in reverse" or "Romney Hood". The Romney campaign countered that it was actually Obama, and not Romney, who wished to increase taxes. Further controversy spawned from the Obama-allied , which ran ads connecting Romney to the cancer death of the wife of a Union leader at . The leader said he lost healthcare coverage after Bain, which had operated the plant for a short period, shut it down. The Romney campaign claimed the shutdown occurred while Romney was running the 2002 Winter Olympics in , and asked the Obama campaign to disavow the ad; however, an Obama spokesman claimed no involvement and refused to denounce the ad. In response, Romney debuted an ad that attacked Obama as someone "who will say or do anything to stay in power", arguing he had "squandered...one of his key attributes...[as] a different kind of politician who was going to take us to a better place." The Obama campaign offered to end the ads attacking Romney for his tax records if he released his records from the previous five years; Romney declined. His spokesman argued, "It is clear that President Obama wants nothing more than to talk about Governor Romney's tax returns instead of the issues that matter to voters". A report from early August suggested Obama's ads were negatively affecting Romney's likability rating and his position in the polls. Nevertheless, analysis of the previous month's receipts showed that despite the attacks, for the third straight month, the Romney campaign raised more money than Obama. Paul Ryan prepares to deliver his acceptance speech after Mitt Romney introduces him as his running mate. On August 11 during an event in front of the in Norfolk , , Romney named Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate. After an introduction, Ryan, the chairman of the and author of the budget proposal , argued the ticket "won't duck the tough issues — we will lead." In response to the selection, Obama staffers remarked it "makes clear that Romney would be a rubber stamp for the congressional GOP" and the choice provides the Obama campaign with "clear advantages". Shortly thereafter, Obama's running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, himself made headlines after commenting to a partly African American audience in Virginia, "in the first 100 days, [Romney's] going to let the big banks write their own rules — unchain . They’re going to put y’all back in chains." Romney cited this as an example of the Obama presidency's "angry and desperate" state and called on Obama to "take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago". Biden's were not the only controversial remarks connected with the August campaign. Discussing , Republican Senate candidate and Congressman of Missouri told a local radio program, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." The comment drew condemnation from Republicans including Romney, who labeled it "inexcusable" and asked that Akin step down from the race. Obama described the remarks as "offensive" and his campaign attempted to use it to revive the "" rhetoric; chairwoman Representative argued, "Akin’s choice of words isn’t the real issue here. The real issue is a Republican Party — led by Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan — whose policies on women and their health are dangerously wrong." Prior to the Republican National Convention, then- was projected to make landfall near the event in , Florida . Though it eventually made landfall as a near , the first day of the convention was largely cancelled and Louisiana's Governor decided not to attend. Nevertheless, the convention was held. On the first regular day: the Romney-Ryan ticket was officially nominated; though it attracted controversy as most of the Maine delegation walked out of the proceedings as ten of the state's twenty delegates were given to Romney instead of Congressman Ron Paul. Paul had held an event before 10,000 spectators at the 's Sun Dome a day prior to the scheduled start of the convention, where he proclaimed that his continued. After the nomination, nominee's wife and New Jersey Chris Christie addressed the convention in prime time speeches. The next day, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and governor spoke to the delegates before Paul Ryan officially accepted the vice presidential nomination in a speech that notably included the line, "College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life." On the final day of the convention, actor and former , California Mayor Clint Eastwood made a surprise appearance and delivered an impromptu speech, which included an interview of a chair representing Obama, emphasizing his unmet promises as president. After addressing attendees, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida introduced Romney, who took the stage and formally accepted the Republican Party presidential nomination. In his speech, Romney discussed his family, recalled some personal anecdotes, and criticized Obama, arguing the "centerpiece of the president’s entire re-election campaign is attacking success." Addressing Obama supporters, Romney agreed "hope and change had a powerful appeal" but asked, "If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn’t you feel that way now that he’s President Obama? You know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he’s done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him." In response to the convention, Obama remarked, "what they offered over those three days was more often than not an agenda better suited for the last century. ... We might as well have watched it on a black-and-white TV." Early polling analysis showed the convention improved Romney's likability ratings, and in the national average for August 31, Romney edged closer with 45.9 percent support, behind Obama's 46.4 percent. Peace and Freedom Party VP nominee speaks to Wikinews Cindy Sheehan in 2007. In August, comedienne , star of the popular '90s sitcom , won the presidential nomination of the left-wing Peace and Freedom Party. She named peace activist Cindy Sheehan as her running mate. Wikinews reached out to Sheehan to discuss the campaign. Sheehan is best known for her active opposition to the War in Iraq following the loss of her son Casey there in 2004. In protest of the war, she set up camp outside President George W. Bush's ranch in , Texas, demanding a pullout of U.S. troops and prosecution of Bush administration officials for war crimes. According to her website, Sheehan also advocates , believing it to be key to loosening the "Imperialist/Capitalist two-party stranglehold" on U.S. and world politics. This campaign is not Sheehan's first foray into electoral politics. In , she challenged then-House Nancy Pelosi for Congress as the nominee of the Green Party , finishing second in a field of seven candidates. During the campaign, she championed the reduction of U.S. troops abroad, and endorsed , bank , , education subsidies, , alternative fuels, and electoral reform. Judy sees the selection of Ryan as a positive for the Romney campaign. He feels that as "one of the few serious policy thinkers in either party", Ryan will shift the campaign into "a more serious, solutions-oriented campaign that will make President Obama's campaign, which has focused almost solely on personal attacks against Mitt Romney, look petty and small." Moreover, he believes Ryan can help Romney win in the swing state of Wisconsin, which no Republican presidential candidate has won since President Ronald Reagan was re-elected in . Update on 2012 Democratic candidates With the looming, Wikinews decided to update on some of the candidates who challenged President Barack Obama during the Democratic primaries earlier this year. Of the three candidates chronicled: one is actively continuing his presidential campaign, one is backing a third party ticket, and another recently encountered a major roadblock to his goal of preventing Obama's unanimous nomination. Time Warner Cable Center, the venue for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry of West Virginia, who received 22,734 votes in the Democratic primaries overall and who, after a strong second-place showing in the primary, qualified for delegates that the state party later denied, has been waging an independent campaign in several states to appear on the November ballot. According to Terry, he has ballot access in West Virginia, and has attained official write-in status in Colorado. Currently, he is petitioning to appear on the Kentucky and Nebraska ballots, and is hoping to be certified as a write-in candidate in Virginia, Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.
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Peace and Freedom Party
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Democratic
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Harry Reid
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Lindsey Graham
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Norfolk
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Paul Ryan
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Florida
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Chris Christie
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Mayor
California Mayor Clint Eastwood
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Marco Rubio
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Cindy Sheehan
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War in Iraq
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Green Party
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Ronald Reagan
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Randall Terry