Second in a series.

A lot has been written about this election, in our pages and on our blog, since Obama (finally) wrapped up the nomination. While we hurtle toward the next big plot point, the convention, we’re recapping what’s been said since the last moment when everyone was paying attention.

Here is Jen Graves writing in the Aug. 6 Stranger on the explosion of Obama art.

Barack Obama is visual culture’s number-one subject right now. Combining fine art, street art, and folk art— YouTube seems as good a folk medium as any—the output is unprecedented: There has never been this much art made about a presidential candidate.

And here is Dominic Holden foreshadowing, just before the end of the primaries, the coming debate (or, just as likely, non-debate) on real drug policy reform:

Early in the donkey race, Obama and Clinton bickered via their spokespeople about the crack-cocaine sentencing reforms, they took wimpy positions opposing medical-marijuana raids, and presses slipped pages about Obama’s support for marijuana decriminalization (he later recanted). But both Democratic candidates fell short of any bold position to strong-arm the DEA or legalize pot—or directly debate the issue—lest they give the GOP ammunition in the general election. I mean, imagine the GOP attack ads: “Barack Obama said we need to decriminalize marijuana, but do you want more drug addicts in the hallways of our schools?” But now the Democratic primary is essentially over. And drug-law reform is an issue in presidential politics—starting today.