Presidential+Election+2008


 * __The Campaign [[image:electoral_vote_map.gif width="389" height="336" align="right"]] __**

The Presidential campaign of 2008 was the longest and costliest campaign. In his fund-raising, Obama set a record of $700 million. He overwhelmed McCain in advertising on televisions and set up multiple field offices in battleground states to his advantage. In contrast, due to slower fund-raising, McCain accepted public financing. He struggled to keep up with Obama's thriving campaign. Since Obama's fund-raising was so successful, he became the first major-party candidate to decline public endowment.

 One of the best qualities of Obama was his skills in oration. His audience during his speech was filled with enthusiasm. On the other hand, although McCain appealed as a freedom fighter who served during the Vietnam War, he struggled to win support from the major Republican party, because they didn’t believe his ideas held their party’s principles.


 * __Bush’s Failure, Obama’s Success __**

President George W. Bush’s ineffective and unpopular presidency boosted the candidate Obama’s campaign. Dissatisfied Americans who were upset with the nation’s worst financial crisis in decades voted for Obama. Even though McCain and other Republican candidates tried to keep themselves away from the negative image of Bush’s Presidency, Obama’s campaign was successful in gaining recognition from the people with the popular slogan, “Hope” and “Change.” These mottoes appealed to many Americans because they were so discontented with Republicans’ performance during Bush’s presidency. Due to multiple factors that aided him, Barack Obama gained 53% of popular votes, 364 electoral votes, and won the election by landslide.

**__Obama Under Attack__**

McCain accused Obama of having close relations with William Ayers, a man who co-founded a domestic terrorist group called the “Weather Underground” in 1969, and is now a professor of education in Chicago. Obama had worked with Ayers on the boards of local charities, but he denied that he had close associations with Ayers.

Also, there were false rumors that quickly went public which accused Obama of being a Muslim and not being born in the United States. These were extreme accusations and some even went further accusing Obama as a terrorist. Many of these skeptics formed their opinions because Obama's middle name was "Hussein," which has Islamic origins. But Obama simply inherited his name from his father, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., who was born in Kenya and worked as the Kenyan senior governmental economist.

**__The Democratic Surge__**

There was an increase of Democrats both chambers of Congress between 1993 and 1995, during President Clinton's first two years of his first term. This trend continued in 2006, when Democrats took over both the White House and Congress, ending the Republican majority. By the time of the election of 2008, 40% voters identified themselves as Democrats; 32%; Republicans.

 **__The Record __** Obama became the first Democrat to win more than 50% of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Winning electoral votes from states, such as from Virginia and North Carolina, served to be shocking because those states formerly had a dominant Republican influence since 1964 and 1976. Additionally, what had been Republican strongholds, such as Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada, voted for Obama as well. Obama’s racial background and his promise to improve Immigration Laws appealed to many African Americans and other minorities, such as Hispanics. 96% of African Americans, and two thirds of the young Hispanic population, 18 to 29, voted for Obama.

**__Winning the Election __** When Barack Obama became the first African American president of the United States, it signified a remarkable point in history. It was a very emotional moment for many Americans, especially African Americans who reminisced about the past when their ancestors and they once fought for their civil rights. After the election, President Obama commented on the momentous night in Chicago, “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.” His speech filled pride in many people, noting that anything was possible in America.

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<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">In Phoenix, Arizona, McCain congratulated Obama’s victory at night after the election. He respected the outcome of the election, and noted, “These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.” Although his fans and supporters were upset, McCain beseeched for their cooperation in order to "restore American prosperity."



**__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">A Global Influence __** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">November 4th of 2008 was indeed a “change” in American history. The first African American president, Barack Obama, embarked “hope” in many Americans of improving the national financial crisis. But even leaders and people of other nations hoped that the new appearance in the American government would improve international cooperation. The Iraq War and Bush polices have damaged the nation’s reputation, but Obama promised to make a “change” in that as well “ To all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.” <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Not only America, but countries around world had their eyes and hope on the 44th president of the United States. But Obama realized that “change” was a long way to come.

<span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.5in;">Works Cited Facts On File. “Democratic Senator Barack Obama Wins U.S. Presidential Election, Defeating Republican Senator John McCain; Obama to Be U.S.’s First Black President.” //Facts On File//. Facts On File News Services, 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <httphttp://www.2facts.com/‌wnd_story.aspx?PIN=2008472580&term=presidential+election+of+2008>.// // - - -. “2008 Election: Final Presidential Vote Totals.” //Facts On File//. Facts On File News Services, 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.2facts.com/‌wnd_story.aspx?PIN=2009500550&term=presidential+election+of+2008>.// // Fitzpatrick, Laura. “How Obama Rewrote the Book.” //Time //5 Nov. 2008: n. pag.// TIME Magazines Archives//. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.time.com/‌time/‌politics/‌article/‌0,8599,1856914-1,00.html>.//

__**Videos**__:

// McCain, John. “Senator John McCain Election Night Speech (Full Video) .” Phoenix. 4 Nov. 2008. //YouTube//. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/‌watch?v=NvgqRKYapU8>.// // Obama, Barack. “President-Elect Barack Obama in Chicago .” Chicago. 4 Nov. 2008. //YouTube//. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/‌watch?v=Jll5baCAaQU>.//

__**Images**__:

// Obama’s Audience. N.d. //The New York Times//. The New York Times Company, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/‌2008/‌10/‌31/‌us/‌politics/‌31taxes.html?_r=1>.// // Obama’s Speech. N.d. //The Huffington Post//. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/‌andy-ostroy/‌heres-the-campaign-speech_b_652724.html>.// 2008 Presidential Election: The Electoral Vote//. N.d.// Facts On File//. Facts On File News Services, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.2facts.com/‌wnd_story.aspx?PIN=2008472580&term=presidential+election+of+2008>.