Why Obama won?

[LA]

There are many reasons put forward as to why Obama won the election.

These include that he was black thus gained the vote of all non-white voters. He is a democrat, thus gained a huge democrat vote.

But, there is always one answer I never see. It is quite possible that Obama was voted in because the American public no longer wanted George Bush.

I say George Bush because; even though McCain will be running, he will most likely continue on from where George Bush left.

So, what do you politics forum goers think? Did Obama win entirely on merit?

[Albion 69]

There is a lot of truth in the 'Oppositions don't win elections , Governments lose them ' argument . In fact i can't think of an example in the US or UK when an Opposition party won the day through shear force of argument/better policies ... but i could be wrong !

Obama was the right man in the right place at the right time , but i am sure Hillary would have one as well.

[Midas]

But, there is always one answer I never see. It is quite possible that Obama was voted in because the American public no longer wanted George Bush.

By and large I'd agree with you LA. Mind you, Obama does have a bit more charisma than Bush which has undoubtedly helped, but as far as what he'll actually do for the country, who knows...

[LA]

By and large I'd agree with you LA. Mind you, Obama does have a bit more charisma than Bush which has undoubtedly helped, but as far as what he'll actually do for the country, who knows...

I doubt his ability to be a good president.

His whole campaign was about withdrawing from Iraq and recently what did he do? Promise to send more troops in.

[DougieG]

I doubt his ability to be a good president.

His whole campaign was about withdrawing from Iraq and recently what did he do? Promise to send more troops in.

Oh dear, you've rattled the cage of Obamaniacs like myself now

For the record, I never jumped on the bandwagon. I read a short article about him, and a piece written himself, in 2005 and since then followed his progress. I was enthusiastic about his campaign from the start, and was hopefully watching him dismantle that liar Hillary Clinton during the primaries with joy.

I'm now doing my A2 Politics research essay on this very subject, and it's been very interesting. Here are the key points (in my opinion) categorised into Why Obama Won and Why McCain Lost:

Why did Obama win?

1. Campaign Machine. David Plouffe ran one of the most effective organisations in the history of politics, raising more money for a campaign than has ever happened before. Given the extremely influential role that money has to play in US Politics (and in the country generally), this massive fund of $600m just swamped the McCain campaign, targeting the strongest Republican states even, allowing for the infamous 30-minute advert, and securing Obama's win.
2. Technology. Again, part of the campaign involved them emailing supporters, allowing small donations through the website, getting a huge facebook movement going, and even texting people to remind them to vote.
3. 'Change'. The enthusiasm from his supporters was testimony to just how bad Bush was as a President. 'Dubya' has a 71% disapproval rating, 67% of whom voted for Obama. This grassroots support ended up generating the enormous 'warchest' that accumulated.
4. Personal charictaristics. It is undeniable that Obama in a phenomenally intelligent and articulate individual who has always had the knack of getting people to like/help him. He also has a strong grasp of the economy, which is currently the most vital issue.

Why did McCain lose?

1. He was a Republican. After 8 years of Bush, people NEEDED a change from the same failed economic policy. He would have been a better President from Bush, but probably not better enough.
2. Negative Campaigning. People got totally sick of 'old politics' where McCain just tried to sling mud at Obama. I don't necessarily think that McCain sanctioned it himself, because he is essentially a good person, but the Republican party is full of vindictive, spiteful leaders. That isn't to categorise the party faithful as such, but the RNC has a way of winning elections, and it ain't pretty. It failed because people saw through the ridiculous claims that 'Obama is a Muslim' and 'Obama is a Communist'.
3. Bad choices. Consistently. For example, Palin enthused the party faithful, but drove away the independants.

If you'd like an example of the sort of thing the GOP were trying to stick onto Obama, you need look no further than this article from the most biased site on the web (except probably Faux News and the BNP site ) : Barack Obama - Conservapedia

[LA]

Oh dear, you've rattled the cage of Obamaniacs like myself now

...

the BNP site ) : Barack Obama - Conservapedia

Here is my theory as to why Obama won:

1. Obama is not a middle ages white man. This means he appeals to younger voters as well as voters of ethic Minorities.
2. Obama has Spirit. I cannot lie, Obama does have that sort of character about him. He is a good speech-man.
3. He was not a republican. After Bush, people did not care who they voted for as long as it was not another republican
4. During the economic crisis, democrats are happy to mess with the economy to get it back on track - Republicans are notorious for leaving the economy to its own devices.

Here is my theory as to why McCain lost:

1. He is old - Though he is a great politician, his age put many people off.
2. Palin. He may have possibly chosen the worst vice-president in history.
3. He is republican. After 8 years of Bush and vindictive republicanism the American people needed change.
4. War - Alot of younger Americans just wanted the war over. McCain would never leave a war until America has won. Whether or not Obama is willing to give up, we will see.

[DougieG]

I'd dispute very much the age and race factors actually. Obama won the enormous majority of black votes, but no more than any other Democrat normally does. He didn't quite beat McCain on white votes, but he was damn close, and the hispanic/atheist vote (which is always a majority Dem anyway) swung it in his favour.

On age, I'm really not sure people voted for/against McCain because of it. It's one of those things that's impossible to tell, but with Obama winning everywhere else that you would expect him to, I think people were voting for the policies and the party.

[LA]

I think people were voting for the policies and the party.

This could just be me being cynical but I personally believe it was more that they didn't want another republican rather than they wanted Obama.

[DougieG]

This could just be me being cynical but I personally believe it was more that they didn't want another republican rather than they wanted Obama.

A combination, methinks. If the Obama of today had gone up against Bush in '04, I personally think that there would have been the same result as we saw this time. But that's all speculation. You have to consider an enormous number of factors. It may be the case that many voters saw him as a Change, but his attempts to paint McCain as another Bush never REALLY resounded with the public. They knew it was a clever scheme, and had seen McCain fight Bush over a large number of bills. You can't put the victory down purely to Bush, especially since Obama was such a strong candidate, and his campaign was flawless. As probably came across in my main post, I consider his organisation to have been the best thing about the election, and probably the reason that he won.

[LA]

A combination, methinks. If the Obama of today had gone up against Bush in '04, I personally think that there would have been the same result as we saw this time. But that's all speculation. You have to consider an enormous number of factors. It may be the case that many voters saw him as a Change, but his attempts to paint McCain as another Bush never REALLY resounded with the public. They knew it was a clever scheme, and had seen McCain fight Bush over a large number of bills. You can't put the victory down purely to Bush, especially since Obama was such a strong candidate, and his campaign was flawless. As probably came across in my main post, I consider his organisation to have been the best thing about the election, and probably the reason that he won.

I was not putting it all down to push. I am merely stating that I believe the decider was the issue of George Bush.