Crystina Riffel
JUS494
November 9, 2008
Election Blog
The 2008 Presidential election was an exciting adventure to say the least.
Crystina Riffel
JUS494
November 9, 2008
Election Blog
The 2008 Presidential election was an exciting adventure to say the least.
PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Needed to Win: 270 | Electoral Votes Remaining: 11
|
|
Obama |
Electoral Votes 364 |
Popular Vote 53% |
65,431,955 |
|
McCAIN |
Electoral Votes 163 |
Popular Vote 46% |
57,434,084 |
|
» Full Presidential Ballot |
Roll over map to view live state results
*Maine and Nebraska each award two Electoral Votes to the overall statewide winner and one for the winner in each of their congressional districts. |
After almost two years of campaigning, Obama won the election. Obama took the lead with 364 electoral votes and 53% (65,431,955 votes) of the popular vote, and McCain with 163 electoral votes and 46% (57,434,084 votes) of the popular vote. The night was historical, with America electing the first African American as president. This election was the most important election of our times. With a troubled economy, Americans were looking for a change, and kept hope that Obama would be the one to do that for them. Obama’s campaign went from a campaign to a movement.
This election was the largest turnout percentage since 1964. One hundred twenty three million voted, 73 million voted for Obama. More people voted for Obama than any other President in the United States. This election had the second highest youth turnout since 1972 (ratification of the 26th Amendment) **.
The McCain campaign assumed the campaign was about Obama. The reality is that it was about the people. They assumed only Black people would vote for Obama. This was a huge miscalculation of the capacity of the American people. More white people in real number voted for Obama than anybody else in the United States ever. It’s quite compelling that Indiana, the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan, and Virginia, the capital of the Confederate, voted for Obama **.
This election was quite moving. When Obama gave his acceptance speech, cameras panned to faces in the crowd, showing the excitement and joy they felt. The most moving were the tears running down the faces of African Americans. To them, this was an even more historic. From slavery to President of the United States, African Americans have come a long way. People try to shy away from the race issue but the fact is that having elected the first African American into Presidency is an unprecedented event. It seems Americans, too, have come a long way.
*Map from cbsnew.com
**Other sources from Professor Quan, ASU, November 6, 2008.
After almost two years of campaigning, Obama won the election. Obama took the lead with 364 electoral votes and 53% (65,431,955 votes) of the popular vote, and McCain with 163 electoral votes and 46% (57,434,084 votes) of the popular vote. The night was historical, with America electing the first African American as president. This election was the most important election of our times. With a troubled economy, Americans were looking for a change, and kept hope that Obama would be the one to do that for them. Obama’s campaign went from a campaign to a movement.
This election was the largest turnout percentage since 1964. One hundred twenty three million voted, 73 million voted for Obama. More people voted for Obama than any other President in the United States. This election had the second highest youth turnout since 1972 (ratification of the 26th Amendment) **.
The McCain campaign assumed the campaign was about Obama. The reality is that it was about the people. They assumed only Black people would vote for Obama. This was a huge miscalculation of the capacity of the American people. More white people in real number voted for Obama than anybody else in the United States ever. It’s quite compelling that Indiana, the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan, and Virginia, the capital of the Confederate, voted for Obama **.
This election was quite moving. When Obama gave his acceptance speech, cameras panned to faces in the crowd, showing the excitement and joy they felt. The most moving were the tears running down the faces of African Americans. To them, this was an even more historic. From slavery to President of the United States, African Americans have come a long way. People try to shy away from the race issue but the fact is that having elected the first African American into Presidency is an unprecedented event. It seems Americans, too, have come a long way.
*Map from cbsnews.com
**Other sources from Professor Quan, ASU, November 6, 2008.