My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

New Hampshire's first in the nation primary has been a decider and an oracle for a long time. It's been a quirky American tradition surprising to outsiders. In recent decades, though, in today's light-speed politics, it has suffered some setbacks as a selector of the President. We look at NH's history and what it means for today's battle between Romney, Santorum, Paul and Gingrich

We look at one GOP candidate's father, his race for the Presidency because it is both an interesting look at early campaign dynamics in an election of American's past, and because it may provide insights into one candidate's drive to run today. The fact that there are only two candidates who can trace their name into 20th century national politics at all is also discussed.

The whole world was watching Chicago in 1968 and it seems, the whole political world may be watching the protests now in New York and other areas. Chicago '68 ruined the incumbent Democratic Party's chances for reelection and didn't stop the war immediately as organizers wanted. Yet it certainly had an impact on public opinion. We see a large group of protests now, albeit smaller in number than in the late sixties. We look at Occupy protests in comparison to Chicago and the cities.

A look at former President George W. Bush's memoir "Decision Points" with a bit of historical context. As in several aspects of his Presidency, President Bush took a different path from his own father's reticence about memoirs. George H.W. Bush didn't write a memoir, though he did publish a book of letters. George W. Bush went immediately to writing his memoir days after his Presidency ended. While little in the book is a surprise, it does add some perspective that will be part of the discussion as current voices and historians look at his Presidency.