|
If the Palin we saw at the RNC (competent, knowledgeable, moderate, genuine fiscal conservative) was the true Palin, the race would have been close, if not a victory for McCain even in this Democratic year.
The only question that would remain is if he still could have managed the storm caused by the economic crash. Would his reaction have been different if he had a runningmate knowlegeable about the economy? We'll never know, but his reaction was the nail in the coffin. The timing was perfect for Obama. It was pure luck. The crash could have come a month after the election rather than before it.
The voting demographics/percentages were pretty similar to previous elections (eg. most blacks and women voted Democratic, slightly over half of whites voted Republican) with the exception of the Latino and youth vote which gave Obama a much needed advantage.
Aside from the Palin choice, this election was shaped largely by circumstances outside of each candidate's control. The economic crisis, the changes in the electorate, generational gap (Obama the young/new, McCain the old guard).
It's interesting that war veterans running for President haven't faired well in the past 20 years.
|