Reasons Why Barack Obama Won The Presidential Election of 2008
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- Category: US Election News
- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 20:36
Reasons Why Barack Obama Won The Presidential
Election of 2008
Five Keys to Obama's Victory
 |
Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election by a 2 to 1 margin, which raises the question: "how was this relatively inexperienced politician from Illinois able to defeat a seasoned veteran like John McCain?".
There were several factors that contributed to his overwhelming victory and here they are:
There were several factors that contributed to his overwhelming victory and here they are:
- His Stance On The Iraq War
Before the war even began Barack Obama voiced his opposition to an invasion of Iraq but his voice was not heard along with many others who were against such a military action.
The initial victory (the removal of Saddam Hussein from power), was gained rapidly but the insuing insurgency of rebel factions opposed to the United States' occupation of the country dragged on for years which created an atmosphere of opposition to the war among Americans.
Barack Obama acted on that opposition during the presidential campaign by making his platform position to have troops removed from Iraq as soon as it could be safely done. A crafty veteran move from a rookie of sorts.A Damaged Republican Party
Eight years of leadership under George W. Bush did incalculable and irreparable damage to the Republican Party. By the time the 2008 presidential election rolled around Republican leaders were scrambling to find a candidate who could overcome the overwhelming dissatisfaction that Americans had with the party and George Bush in particular.
The Iraq War, the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina, and the fallout from former Attorney General Anthony Gonzalez's firing of U.S. attorneys were some of the incidents that occurred during the Bush administration that damaged the Republicans standing with American voters.
The party was unable to recover in time to make a good showing in the 2008 election and the results are the proof positive.
The Need For Change
In many polls taken during the lead up to the 2008 election the majority of Americans felt that the country was headed in the wrong direction. The message was clear there was a need to change where the country was going.
On the economy, the war in Iraq and most areas of concern, the consensus was unmistakable....America needs to change.
Barack Obama again seized on the sentiment of the country and adopted change as his campaign centerpiece.
During campaign stops Obama would declare that it was time for fresh ideas and new ways of doing things. In foreign affairs, with the economy and in health care he emphasized a change was necessary and the country was ready for it.
The Condition of the Economy
Up to this point the Illinois senator had just been holding his own with John McCain but when major banking institutions started to collapse Obama again rode the wave of opportunity and bolted ahead of his opponent never looking back.
The problems with the economy seemed to be a custom fit for Obama's campaign. It was his strongest ally and he used it to his advantage. Obama never looked more presidential than when he was dealing with the issues of the economy. And it was that look that helped him to win the election.
A Poor Republican Ticket
As if the climate of dissatisfaction that surrounded the Republican party wasn't enough they further handicapped themselves by selecting candidates that were unelectable. Choosing John McCain who had for the most part alienated himself from the conservative Republican base and Sarah Palin a relatively unknown, uninformed Governor from Alaska were monumental mistakes that all but guaranteed victory for the Democrats.
Senator McCain's abrasiveness when dealing with those of his party put him on the outer fringes of their support which he desparately needed in order to win the election. He was not the true party choice but he managed to rally it's members to win the nomination. Being the oldest candidate to ever run for the office of president did not help him either.
Governor Palin's liabilities showed up when she began to conduct interviews with the media. Her interviews with Katie Couric of CBS and Charles Gibson of ABC were disasterous. It was disclosed after the election by those close to the campaign, that Palin refused to be prepped for the Couric interview and it showed. Her lack of knowledge on domestic and foreign issues was glaring.
It was clear that she was not qualified or prepared to be vice president and certainly not president should something have happened to McCain.
The American electorate saw this and they made their decision.
In short, except for the presidencies of Jimmy Carter (1976-1980) and Bill Clinton (1992-2000), The White House had been dominated by Republicans for the last 40 years and very simply, as the Democratic Party proclaimed throughout it's campaign, it was time for a change.
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