Politicians win elections and earn their salaries by promising their constituents things and then explaining later why those promises were broken. This is in the Constitution, or Federalist 35 or something. But what happens to voters when they've been pushed to the very brink of insanity by a corrupt, inane political system and a rotten economy? According to new polling by the ABC News/The Washington Post, we're about to find out in 2012! The data shows it will involve a lot of misery, culminating in a campaign that is "a dramatic shift from the hope-and-change enthusiasm generated by Obama's first run for the White House." more ›

In a major speech tonight, President Obama is announcing a jobs and growth package that could top $400 billion, CBS reports. Excerpts of the speech were given to the press, and in addition to signature soaring rhetoric, Obama is outlining specific spending increases and tax cuts that he hopes will, among other things, lead to the hiring of one million unemployed construction workers. According to a copy obtained by CNN, Obama will tell the American people and Congress: more ›

In 2007, the Post made a huge deal of Bryant Park hotel doorman Gregory Smith switching his allegiance from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. After covering "exhausted" Obama fan last week, the Post catches up with Smith, who says after the excitement of volunteering for Obama's campaign, "Two years later, I'm living a more sober reality. My life is not better. I'm a college graduate and I still can't get a good job." more ›

Is everyone excited for Poem in Your Pocket Day today? Mayor Bloomberg is! Though he already implored his Twitter followers to write 140-character poems for a chance to be published in Metro New York, Bloomberg decided to show off a little with a poem inspired by the first line of Emily Dickinson's "Hope is the Thing with Feathers." You can barely tell whose is whose! more ›

When Tyra sent her would-be top models out on the streets to pose as part of the homeless masses, never did we think the Gray Lady would follow her lead. But last night, the NY Times's Natasha Lennard went into the night to pose as a homeless person, as did 200 others, to test the system. Would she and her fellow faux-hobos get counted by the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) census takers? The count takes place one winter night a year... and (spoiler alert) she was counted by the organization (at which time she told them she was a decoy). more ›

Artist Robert Indiana's HOPE sculpture is coming to Times Square. From June 4th to 10th the 6-foot, one-and-one-half ton piece will be on display at 44th and Broadway. His LOVE sculpture was exhibited in New York in 1966, and a version of it resides on 6th Avenue now. This is his followup, of which the now 80-year-old says, “I wanted to help name and empower the next generation,” Indiana, now 80, says, “and I felt that HOPE encompassed the needs of our time.” To help celebrate the opening, there will be a Hope Dance, along with a string quartet, this Thursday at noon. more ›

Hackers and tourists unite this summer as hackers from around the world track themselves, and others, in NYC. Confused? Terrified? Read on...

As part of a social experiment, attendees at a hacker conference in July will be issued badges with electronic tracking devices. Large displays will show in real-time where people go, with whom they associate, for how long and how often. more ›