The 72-year-old Reverend Ian Paisley, the leader of the one big political party to refuse to take part in peace talks, continues to hold many would-be moderates in check.
Visiting fans and their energy get absorbed and lost in the mix of a huge city, while less populous ones make much better venues, because the event takes over and transforms them into one big Super Bowl party.
At one of the bashes, the birthday granny wore a ruby- and diamond-studded necklace so big that one party-goer described it as looking like a bib.
Sports gaming is legal virtually no place outside of Nevada, and even if you are not betting, no one throws a big game party like Las Vegas (see below).
"We haven't seen that big a vote for one party among independents since exit polling began about 30 years ago, " said Schneider.
It is his big subject and one of his party's biggest challenges if it is going to pick up Latino votes.
But by 1924, three years after he became ill, he had emerged again as one of the big beasts of the Democratic Party.
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Further in the future looms another big challenge for his party, one that could have a bearing on Mrs Merkel's future.
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"I think there is one issue that really plays big in the Republican Party right now, and that's morality in government, " said Yepsen.
Such evidence was one influence behind the big shift in the Labour Party's education policies after Tony Blair became its leader in 1994 and appointed David Blunkett as education spokesman.
That adds credence to previous speculation that an Alliance member would get the job, even though the party is not one of the big four that together make up the executive.
Party unity has been one of the big themes at the Democrat's convention this week.
Given a rush of state elections over the next year, ahead of the general one, it is hard to see the party implementing the big reforms that it has failed to push since 2009.
If one thing is guaranteed to unite a divided and warring Labour party it is just such a Tory challenge to one of their big hitters.
That could lead either to a three-party combination (the Greens and Free Democrats plus one of the big parties) or, more likely, to yet another unloved grand coalition.
Even big shifts in power within the Lords, such as the one that made Labour the largest party there in 2005, go largely unremarked on.
We're not quite sure what kind of high-def party went down overseas this past week, but boy, was it a big one.
"Bill's back in business, big time, " said one strategist, who adds that the former President has made it clear to party insiders that he wants to be very active politically in both the 2001 and 2002 elections.
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