US Elections 2008

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by kujoe

I think we all know that the road ahead will still be tough overall, and his new job will be no cakewalk, but I guess this is a start. The expectations however, are probably too freaking high.

It's astronomical.

Barack will have to do better than any other President to fulfill them all -- no, I think he'll do an excellent job, but it won't be nearly as good as the Messianic figure some people will ask him to be. I mean, people dancing in the streets, tears flowing? Oh boy.

Anyway, I wonder how non-Americans feel about the election today. Happy? Sad? Couldn't care less? Screw America? Welcome back to the world?

[james0246]

It is late at night, I am done partying, and now I am winding down and getting ready to sleep. But a nagging thought exists in the back of my mind, making sleep impossible: What more can Bush43 do, in these last months, to fuck over America even worse?

I have to say, I am really worried about what Bush43 might get the nation into before he is forced to hand over the presidency to Obama. Is there any way to stop Bush43 from starting a war with Iran, or arbitrarily attacking random nations across the world? I remember back in 1992 when Clinton won, Bush41 I started a war with Somalia, and started a carpet-bombing campaign against Iraq. So, are there any ways to prevent Bush43 from creating similar messes? Maybe Obama should publically announce that he will pursue war crime trials for Bush43 if he does not stop acting up? Or is that too far? Then again, maybe my sleep deprived mind is simply messing with me .

[TinyRedLeaf]

It's old news now, but the article sums up what I, and probably most Americans, feel.

Playing to the base proven unethical and unwise

By John Avlon (Nov 2, 2008)

We know one thing for certain: This election represents the repudiation of Karl Rove and his play-to-the-base strategy.

There was always something dicey about stoking the fires of hyper-partisanship as a campaign and governing strategy, treating 51-49 victories as ideological mandates instead of an obligation to form broader and more durable coalitions.

Now we have the data to judge the results: A president who tried to unite his party at the expense of uniting the nation and failed to do both, repudiated by both candidates who ran to succeed him.

It's an unprecedented condemnation of the president's politics as well as the effectiveness of his governance.

Now that Obama has won this election, and by a large margin, there is going to be a lot of talk about how the Obama team has rewritten the rules of modern politics. But the real question may be whether the rules were wrong all along.

Rove is a smart man and a student of history. He knows that a Republican president in wartime should be able to win re-election almost without campaigning. Richard Nixon won 49 states in a similar circumstance, and he did not have Bush's engaging personality, a massive domestic attack that briefly united the nation, or a stiff patrician opposition candidate like John Kerry.

In this campaign, the two candidates who tried to ape Rove's strategy most closely — Mitt Romney on the right and John Edwards on the left — fashioned hasty political facelifts, pandered to the base, spent enormous amounts of money and failed. Even in the essentially rigged system of closed partisan primaries, the play-to-the-base method wasn't working. The American people wanted something less cynical and divisive.

Barack Obama and John McCain both ran in opposition to the polarising establishment of their two parties, preaching the need to reach across the red-state and blue-state divide. They called upon Republicans, Democrats and Independents to join their cause to restore a new solutions-oriented civility to our politics.

Ironically, this had been McCain's riff back in the 2000 campaign, when he earned the admiration of centrists and Independents everywhere while running into Rove's buzz-saw. McCain detested the divisive and dishonorable personal attacks deployed against him in the South Carolina primary. The right-wing radio and evangelical base that Rove mobilised against McCain returned the favor, hating the Arizona Senator for his independence and bipartisan instincts. McCain won the 2008 nomination anyway, without their support — a win that was in itself a repudiation of the world according to Karl Rove.

The McCain campaign's mistake came in the transition to the general election, when they became surrounded by Republican operatives who had learned their trade from Rove. In effect, John McCain had been defeated by Karl Rove twice — because he's been tarred by the Bush brush and even if McCain pulled off a narrow upset win, his ability to unite the country would have been damaged from day one.

The lesson is that narrow hyper-partisan appeals are not enough to govern effectively or representatively in the 21st Century. Ignoring the centre is a sure path to political isolation. And dividing the American people in order to conquer them in campaigns is morally and practically bankrupt. Karl Rove's play-to-the-base strategy has been exposed as unethical and unwise.

- Politico.com

[Kaioshin Sama]

And Ted Stevens did indeed win his seat back. Unbelievable.....

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by Irenicus

Anyway, I wonder how non-Americans feel about the election today.

I wish the USA all the best. And I'm hopeful and confident that there will be less reasons to be preoccupied with a USA under a President Obama than there were with a USA under a President Bush.

[yezhanquan]

Originally Posted by Irenicus

It's astronomical.

Barack will have to do better than any other President to fulfill them all -- no, I think he'll do an excellent job, but it won't be nearly as good as the Messianic figure some people will ask him to be. I mean, people dancing in the streets, tears flowing? Oh boy.

Anyway, I wonder how non-Americans feel about the election today. Happy? Sad? Couldn't care less? Screw America? Welcome back to the world?

Best to catch some sleep, Irenicus. A new day is beginning.

For the sake of the US, let's hope that Obama can do the job.

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

I wish the USA all the best. And I'm hopeful and confident that there will be less reasons to be preoccupied with a USA under a President Obama than there were with a USA under a President Bush.

That's a nice way of putting it. Yes, I suppose the US will hopefully not dominate international airwaves without crazy unilateral wars against random countries provoking the world's outrage.

Originally Posted by yezhanquan

Best to catch some sleep, Irenicus. A new day is beginning.

Haha, I suppose so.

Come to think of it, I have Japanese test tomorrow...erm, today, technically. Oh well, what can you do, it's Election Day.

[yezhanquan]

However, I'll feel somewhat disappointed if Obama becomes the ONLY African-American president I see in my lifetime. Then, to think about it, there hasn't been an Italian-American President yet...

As T.L. Friedman said it, let Reconstruction resume.

[MrTerrorist]

Originally Posted by yezhanquan

Then, to think about it, there hasn't been an Italian-American President yet...

How about voting for Jay Leno?

[solomon]

NY TImes has bitching county by county results.

What surprises me is PA. Obama KILLED in eastern PA, not only Delaware Valley and Leihigh Valley but also the lower Pocono mountains and and the Wyoming Valley which houses post industry towns Scranton and Wilks Barre.

CONVERSLY, Metro Pittsburg was rather MEH. Allegheny County which houses Pittsburgh didn't surprise me, but the surrounding counties were either farily even or slightly-moderately republican which is strange scine the area has been overall pretty easily democratic scince Kennedy.

[yezhanquan]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

How about voting for Jay Leno?

Well, not just him. A Latino-American for president, anyone?

I just changed my MSN display message: 62 million votes + 338 electoral votes = PWNage.

[xxmimixx]

Originally Posted by Mgz

now I know why obama win, he is this awesome

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/1...7919004ez1.jpg

Yes, he is this awsome!!! HE WON AND I HAPPY!!!!!

I got worried at first, but when the east was closing there baliots (I watched to WHOLE thing), he had a very big combat in electoral votes like WOW! Penny was the biggest for him because that was where OLD GUY lost. God, I cried, I screamed for every place that said Obama, and ate lots of cookies. This day is REALLY really historical, and brings change in the whitehouse not by race and diversity, but everything else in between.

EDIT
I'm curious to know that the kids at school are gonna do. Dance? Yell BARACK? I might just have to see.

[iKumdo]

Originally Posted by Irenicus

Barack will have to do better than any other President to fulfill them all -- no, I think he'll do an excellent job, but it won't be nearly as good as the Messianic figure some people will ask him to be. I mean, people dancing in the streets, tears flowing? Oh boy.

Obama has himself to blame for the "hype" he generated for himself. The man is incredibly intelligent and charismatic. Add the fact that times are really tough right now, and you get the whole "Messianic figure" thing going on for him.

I'm also hoping Obama does a terrific job in his (hopefully) eight years of office. Partly because I've been "preaching" that, despite his lack of experience, Obama is/was the most competent candidate we've had in a long time.

[yezhanquan]

Originally Posted by iKumdo

Obama has himself to blame for the "hype" he generated for himself. The man is incredibly intelligent and charismatic. Add the fact that times are really tough right now, and you get the whole "Messianic figure" thing going on for him.

I'm also hoping Obama does a terrific job in his (hopefully) eight years of office. Partly because I've been "preaching" that, despite his lack of experience, Obama is/was the most competent candidate we've had in a long time.

Waiting for his inauguration speech come Jan 2009.

[konstargirl]

Congrads to OBAMA!! I know that he will ger it I just knew it.

And I found this. I think its funny and so true. <3:

[TooPurePureBoy]

Wow. I'm glad so many are happy, but am I like the only person in the world who foresees Barack Obama as an unmitigated disaster in the years to come? Not that I was a huge fan of McCain but....socialism...in America? I mean really? The two seem so incongruous.

[yezhanquan]

Originally Posted by Nine-Tails-Nin

Wow. I'm glad so many are happy, but am I like the only person in the world who foresees Barack Obama as an unmitigated disaster in the years to come? Not that I was a huge fan of McCain but....socialism...in America? I mean really? The two seem so incongruous.

It wouldn't go to that stage. Seriously, he WILL temper expectations. He has to. Besides, which president did manage to achieve all that he promised during the campaign?

Now that he's President, the Republicans may resort to all sorts of tricks.

[Neki Ecko]

Originally Posted by Nine-Tails-Nin

Wow. I'm glad so many are happy, but am I like the only person in the world who foresees Barack Obama as an unmitigated disaster in the years to come? Not that I was a huge fan of McCain but....socialism...in America? I mean really? The two seem so incongruous.

But we do have some socialism already in America, some of good (Medicare, Soc Security) and some of bad (700B Bail-out), we just have to see what the Obama Administration will do with that.

[yezhanquan]

More importantly, if America still believes that she's entitled to spend beyond her means, I think Obama will have a very tough time ahead.

[SeedFreedom]

Originally Posted by Nine-Tails-Nin

Wow. I'm glad so many are happy, but am I like the only person in the world who foresees Barack Obama as an unmitigated disaster in the years to come? Not that I was a huge fan of McCain but....socialism...in America? I mean really? The two seem so incongruous.

I live in Canada. Our taxes are high. Our health Care is free. Our social net help give to those with no money. By american definition, im a communist.

Seriously, get over it. Taxing does not mean redistributing the wealth and it does not equal socialism. Less people die waiting for a doctor than people in america die not having the money. Our tax structure increases based on how much you make so the top pay more. Does that mean nobody in canada is rich, or the american dream ends at a certain point? NO

There is no way america, under anyone, will be socialist. That was a lame attack from the republicans that didnt stick.