Is Africa a Country?

I am not going to go down this road too much, there are tons of articles coming out about Sarah Palin and John McCain, but this one was a doozy that I just had to pass on.  I promise, I’ll stay positive after this.  But for those who want one more Sarah Palin data point, keep this in mind for 2012.  Let’s roll the video:

One Last Time For fun – My 13 September Prediction

This is the article I wrote on September 13th. I am highlighting (red and in bold) the accurate portions of the text. Keep in mind this when Palin was still climbing in popularity, McCain was ahead in the polls and the debates were two weeks away.  I keep bring this articule up because I am proud at how accurate it was.  The ‘one critical gaffe’ was supposed to be more symbolic than anything else – and in a way it was demonstrating her gaffes.  I was really only off on how the debates turned out.  Oh, at the end, discussing the economic situation. We didn’t have .1% growth, we had contraction – I guess I was optimistic.

November 5, 2008 – Washington, D.C.:

Barack Obama awoke this morning as President-Elect, after an evening that was less dramatic than one would have predicted two months ago.  With the returns in from California, Obama was declared the winner by all networks at midnight.  He swept through the Country with wins in states that have gone to the GOP the last two elections, including Ohio, Colorado, and Nevada.

The Turning Point

President-elect Obama’s win was less than assured after McCain had introduced Governor Palin as his running mate and a strong GOP convention in St. Paul back in September.  Governor Palin had taken a candidacy that was uninspired and wallowing well behind Obama and energized it.  The excitement, charisma and energy she brought to the campaign gave Senator McCain a much needed boost.  Coming out of the convention, Democrats were scrambling and pointing fingers at Obama, party faithful were heard muttering, ‘not again’, as the polls started to show McCain take a lead.

During most of September, McCain’s ‘maverick’ choice seemed to have hit the Hail Mary the candidate was hoping.  The Country and the media couldn’t get enough of her and she seemed to give McCain the boost he needed and a turning point that seemed to difficult for Obama to return.

As her star was rising, as was McCain’s fortunes, Obama didn’t take a knee-jerk reaction to events.  Similar to his approach during the primaries, he assessed and then re-engaged.  ”We had watched the mistakes of Kerry and Gore and were determined to take the time prior to responding to her presence and Senator McCain’s attacks.” Obama said early this morning.  The response?  Stay strong to the message, let the McCain/Palin ticket shoot themselves, and respond vigorously to ‘propaganda’ – but do not get in the mud with them.

As unpredictable as Sarah Palin’s rise was during the Convention and shortly thereafter, her fall was as much unexpected by pundits and media.  Looking back, she strengthened the base and did get evangelicals to the polls.  That, it now seems, was what provided the boost to the polling in September.  As the independents began to formalize their selection, Obama’s message began to resonate.

Except for one critical gaff when she stated that North Korea did not have the technology to enrich plutonium, she remained relatively steady and did hurt the campaign as many Democrats were hoping.  She did, however, continue to overshadow McCain and a,t times, it appeared she was running for President.

Obama’s tactic to stay on message worked.  ”We knew it was about the economy, stupid.  Too many Americans suffered too long and while they may have been tempted by Palin, when they looked into her record they realized she brought nothing more to the table than what John McCain had been preaching.” said Obama.  And in fact, that will be a big criticism of the McCain campaign – too long and too strong on attacks.  ”They forgot that while those tactics have worked in the past for Bush, he at least had policies to put in front of the American people.  McCain never gave the American people a plan and you can’t do that coming off of eight years of the same party and make the claim you are the agent of change.  Eventually people figured out it didn’t add up.” according to Paul Begala, Democratic Strategist.

It appears now that the best thing that could have happened to Obama, was Sarah Palin.  Not in as much as it forced the Democrats to not take the election for granted, but it blinded the media and particularly the McCain campaign.  Like a drug, it worked well early on to give the campaign a boost, but the more she was relied on to fixes the campaign’s problems; the more it hid the real issues facing the ticket.

McCain started realizing there was a problem late in September and started to develop a message.  During the debates, particularly the Town Hall, McCain began to articulate his message.  He won that debate after both him and Obama muddled through a draw in the first debate.  In the vice-presidential debate, Palin was able to hold her own with Senator Biden which was considered a win for her.  However, it had very little real impact in the polls.  Pundits believed this was a result of Obama and McCain taking control again during the debates and the voters recognizing they needed to watch the top of the ticket.

A Time for Change

President-elect Obama has a tough road ahead.  The latest unemployment numbers are highest they have been since 1980 and the economy has grown at an anemic .1% over the last quarter.  The time for change has come and the new President needs to get off to a quick start.  Already there is talk about cabinet positions – including Hillary Clinton as Secretary of Health and Human Services and discussions about bringing Collin Powell back to the State Department.

Wow

I am absolutely excited about the outcome of this election.  As a Democrat, I never ever let myself believe it would actually occur and what it would mean.  At 9:30 last night, I knew he had won – there simply wasn’t sufficient votes available to put McCain over the top.  It was nice to have the Champagne ready at 10:58pm, because you knew with the announcement of Californiat at 11:00, the race was over.

In the end, I was a bit surprised at how quickly this election ended, but it wasn’t unexpected.  There was even talk, prior to the election, that he could have had it called earlier if he had picked up North Carolina.  The Liberal Crab’s Poll of “Poll of Polls” was relatively accurate.  It predicted a 52% to 45% victory.  The actual election appears will finish at 52% to 46%.  The model predicted a 347 Electoral Vote margin for Obama, right now he’s at 349.  Although is total may got higher (and it looks like probably by 26).  However, my ‘gut’ projections were mixed.  I projected a 52% to 45% popular vote.  But my Electoral College projection was off.  I guess, next time, I will trust the polls.

The moment Obama was announced as the 44th President, the World changed for me.  It truly did.  I felt the shackles that bound us to poor policy and poor reputation had been cast aside.  I felt hope that I didn’t realize had been dormant for eight years.  I saw hope for my children that I didn’t realize I was neglecting.  This is an exaggeration or insincere grandeur.  I actually felt these things.  This morning, my hope had increased so much further.

The work ahead for Obama is tough and he needs to start Today.  I firmly believe that he has a unique opportunity that hasn’t existed since President Kennedy.  He is a sitting U.S. Senator.  He can go back to Congress, introduce legislation, rally the Senate, and make policy decisions.  He could conceivably co-author a stimulus bill (just for kicks – Obama-McCain Stimulus Bill) and then sign it on 20 January or really pressure the Bush administration to sign it.  This is an opportunity for the President-Elect to make a big impact.  He also needs to put his full cabinet together as soon as possible.  With the significant majorities for the Democrats in the House and Senate, he will have no trouble getting them confirmed and so, even prior to their nomination, they can start laying out agendas without risk that they will not be confirmed.  Finally, I believe it is important that he starts building relationships within Congress and beyond to the international community.