Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The morning after

Americans woke up with a hangover this morning. Supporters of Barack Obama felt euphoria while John McCain supporters were in disbelief.

How could a senator with over 20 years experience lose to a neophyte? One answer - during the campaign McCain failed to show leadership.

Obama was able to overwhelm the airwaves because he refused to take government campaign support, thus raising many more times in donations than did the conservative McCain.

McCain abandoned his cozy relationship with the press for a strategy of attack ads. McCain was seen as too negative. Pundits will have to revise their belief that attack ads work. They obviously don't.

Finally, McCain supported the financial bailout. The incumbent Republican congressman where I live voted against the bailout and defeated his liberal opponent by 2 to 1. McCain never could bring together the conservative coalitions needed to elect a Republican. He was seen as too far left. His support for the bailout and corporate welfarism proved his socialistic leanings.

For the few of us who supported third party candidates, we didn't have hangovers. We refused to go to the party.

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