In case you missed it, Herman Cain sang on demand at today's National Press Club luncheon. It was a hymn, and it wasn't about pizza.

Republican presidential contender and (sometime frontrunner), Herman Cain is out with a new ad that features his campaign chief of staff, Mark Block raving about the campaign while taking a drag on a cigarette. The bizzare ad has gone viral, and has even spawned a few parodies - notably one in which Cain "Chief of Staff, Jay Smooth' is charged with "keep Herman Cain in the news for another three, four months" so he can get a gig on cable TV.

Sometimes political truth is stranger than political fiction, but the fiction is always more fun.

For that reason, It's A Free Country brings you Video Club with Brian Lehrer, in which our veteran analysts looks at the fun-house mirrors of our government's (in)action: television and the silver screen. What did the writers get right, and where did they flop? Why were the fictional characters more sympathetic, or more detestable? How did the political theater play out in real life? More often than not, it's the reality that looks funny.

The major GOP candidates for president (save for Jon Huntsman) gathered in Las Vegas on Tuesday, October 18th for a televised debate. The It's A Free Country politics team and your fellow WNYC political junkies watched and chatted.

Track the developments in the protest on Wall Street using WNYC's interactive timeline, which chronicles the key moments from the demonstrations since they began on September 17. Here you'll find original reporting from our politics, culture and news desks, segments from WNYC's radio programs as well as opinion and analysis pieces from our team of bloggers.

What are we missing? Send your suggested news stories, photos and videos in the comments below.

On Tuesday, October 11th, Bloomberg and the Washington Post hosted a GOP debate focused on the US economy. The debate took place at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

Amid speculation that he will decline to run for president, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has scheduled a news conference Tuesday afternoon at the New Jersey statehouse, a last minute addition to his schedule. 

The news conference will be held at the governor's office inside the Statehouse in Trenton. Christie has avoided reporters in recent days as those close to him say he has been reconsidering his earlier decision not to make a bid. Christie has been receiving encouragement from top Republicans and GOP donors to jump into the race.

On September 22nd, the Republican Party of Florida hosted a Fox News/Google debate between candidates for the GOP presidential nomination. It's a Free Country reporter Anna Sale was joined by Nicole Gelinas of the Manhattan Institute, libertarian journalist Dorian Davis and fellow political junkies for a live chat.

On Wednesday, September 7th, candidates for the GOP Presidential nomination gathered in Simi Valley, California for a debate hosted by Politico and NBC, co-moderated by Brian Williams and John Harris.

All this month, It's A Free Country's Anna Sale has been searching for the Independent Voters - that key part of the electorate that brought Obama to office in 2008 and Republicans to Congress in 2010. In 2012, they'll once again play a critical role - or they may stay home entirely. Join Anna and the rest of the IAFC politics team on Thursday, August 18th for a live chat about independent voters.

Whether you're left, right, center or everywhere, join in Thursday, August 18th at 12noon!

All August, It's A Free Country's Anna Sale is searching for America's Independent voters. They helped decide the 2008 and 2010 elections, and they'll be courted heavily come 2012. But who are they, exactly?

In this video, Anna explains how President Obama is losing support among independents, and there’s a mad dash among political organizers to grab them as they peel off.

The Iowa Republican Party, Fox News, and The Washington Examiner hosted the first Iowa presidential debate on Thursday, August 11th, at Iowa State University in Ames. The debate set the stage for the Ames Straw Poll to follow the next weekend, an important test for several would-be nominees in the 2012 Republican field.

Sometimes political truth is stranger than political fiction, but the fiction is always more fun.

For that reason, It's A Free Country brings you Video Club with Brian Lehrer, in which our veteran analyst looks at the fun-house mirrors of our government's (in)action: television and the silver screen. What did the writers get right, and where did they flop? Why were the fictional characters more sympathetic, or more detestable? How did the political theater play out in real life? More often than not, it's the reality that looks funny.

To launch our new club, Brian watches the budget debacle unfold on The West Wing Season Five in an episode called "Shutdown." Then, Brooke Gladstone, co-host and managing editor of WNYC's On the Media,  gives her take. You'll get a chance to weigh in as well. 

The first GOP debate from New Hampshire took place on Monday, June 13th. It's a Free Country contributors and readers, WNYC fans, and political junkies from around the country discussed the debate in real time.

On May 5th, 2011, five Republican presidential hopefuls gathered in Greenville, South Carolina for the first of an excruciating number of debates in the 2012 campaign cycle.