For the first time since the election, President-elect Barack Obama met with his former rival, Senator John McCain.

Filed under: BlackSpin, Elections, News

Many conservatives felt that if Senator Barack Obama defeated Senator John McCain on November 4, there will be a lot of changes within the country.

A lot of deep, painful changes.

Now that we have formally ushered in the phrase "President-elect Barack Obama," many conservatives will now also usher in a new phrase into their political lexicon.

The End. ...



Namely, the Obama win has led to the end of the world as we know it.

Well, not necessarily the world that you're thinking of, but a particular world certainly is coming to an end. It's the one that the Republican Party has been living in for some time now.

President-elect Barack Obama's rise to power has been a testimony not to his decades-long tenure in public office to the country; (only four years ago, he was celebrating his victory as a new United States senator.) It has been an example of how to create a winning campaign that will resonate with the American voting base of the 21st century.

By uplifting an unknown candidate in 2004 to the presidency within 4 years, the Democrats have shown that there is a desire within America for voters to discover, engage, and work with their candidates of choice in a new fashion. Some of this is through new technology such as blogging, text messaging, online commercials, and online fundraising.

Other methods include doing things outside of the typical images and molds that we have cast for our politicians. After all, the last Democratic wunderkind to claim the White House (President Bill Clinton) was seen by America playing a saxophone on the then-popular "Arsenio Hall Show" in 1992. It shouldn't be a surprise that the president-elect was shooting ball with the UNC Tar Heels while on the campaign trail.

(He probably could have done better by hooping it up with Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats, but I digress...)

The most that Republicans could do to "break the mold" was to appear several times on "Saturday Night Live," although much of that was a damage control effort to buffer the Tina Fey effect in this election.

So, did the 2008 election teach Republicans that America no longer buys the Republican message?

I would say no. Looking at the final numbers, the president-elect won crucial states through slim margins despite some forecast of big wins in those areas. States such as Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia turned from red to blue, albeit somewhat begrudgingly, as some larger leads dwindled away as Election Day moved on.

The Republicans lost this election because their message (a message, even with a marginal candidate such as 2-term President George W. Bush, plays well to an America best described as being center-right politically) was packaged by a wrapping that illustrated its worse tactical qualities and under-emphasized its benefits.

The Republicans did not just lose the presidential election. If local, state, and congressional races were any indication throughout the country (as it was here in North Carolina), the Republican Party may have lost its connection to the American people.

With a historic candidate now taking over the White House and congressional control for his party, it could be a long time coming before the GOP has a chance to reclaim a significant portion of new voters, minority voters, and disenchanted independent voters.

Of course, a good butt-kicking may be the best lesson for our party if we are serious about being relevant during the Obama Presidency.

In order for the Republican Party to recoup from November 4, we will have to begin reevaluating the way we articulate the Republican mantra to the American voting public. Gone are the days of scaring voters towards the GOP through ads about godlessness (ask Senator Elizabeth Dole if that had any effect in her race in North Carolina), speeches about "pro-American parts of the country" (ask Governor Palin if that gained enough votes in North Carolina), and forfeiting segments of the electorate because "they don't traditionally vote" (those lines did look awful long on Tuesday.)

Conservative messages resonate with American voters. Current conservative campaigning does not.

Conservative principles and practices transcend racial and gender demographics.
Current conservative exhibitions of racial insensitivity and lack of diversity translate into alienation from the media, new voters, and independent voters, at least in this election cycle.

Conservative imagery of fiscal responsibility, strong military strength, and sound pride in our domestic abilities and production make the Republican Party the one that held the White House for two-thirds of my young life. The conservative image presented by the GOP allowed Barack Obama to look more presidential in 2008, thus allowing the Democrats to garner the White House for the first time this century.

It may not take a Barack Obama-type figure in the GOP to reclaim past glory, but it will certainly take more message-, image-, and era-conscious conservatives to do so. Either we will do that or Republicans will continue to experience the end of the world as they knew it.

Talk about feeling blue.
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Lenny McAllister is the Political Guru for Fox News - Charlotte and blogs the Republican side of the election for BlackVoices. He is a frequent contributor to The Charlotte Post and The North Carolina Conservative.

 

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Filed under: BlackSpin, Elections, News

If Senator Barack Obama defeats Senator John McCain on November 4, it will be due to strong emotionalism - distain for President Bush and euphoria for history - not records and accomplishments.

Now, this is not to take anything away from the historical significance, personal character, or persuasive nature of the junior senator from Illinois. He has been able to blend a unique potion of charisma, appeal, and energy into his campaign over the last 2 years in order to be on the brink of winning the 2008 presidential election on Tuesday. At the same time, though, we should admit (although many will not do so) that the Obama Phenomenon that may lead to an Obama Celebration on Tuesday night is a lot more of an affair of the heart than an exercise of anything else.



How many of us would be behind a presidential candidate that won his only senatorial race by default after two more experienced candidates lagged behind or dropped out of the race after publicized family issues?

Or how many of us would vote for a charismatic orator that had not served at the federal level for more than 23 months total before throwing his hat into the ring for the highest office in the land and the most influential job in the world?

Now, make the candidate a White man instead of a young Black one and tell me that Black America would be all for it.

And before you say, "Bill Clinton", remember that Mr. Clinton was the chief executive - twice - of a small Southern state of 2.3 million people as well as its attorney general beforehand.

And after you say, "Harvard Law" about Senator Obama, I'll remind you that Yale Law isn't too shabby, either; (President Clinton is a Yale Law grad.)

To be fair, Mr. Obama's accomplishments to date may not measure up in an executive preparatory comparison with President Clinton (pre-1992 election) at this time.

Our tie to Senator Obama is not just due to our emotional heartstrings for history, however. It is also due to the fire in the pit of our stomachs after 8 years of the emotional rollercoaster that started with President Bush's controversial victory over then-Vice President Al Gore in 2000. Not long after America was finally able to tolerate the bitter taste of a nasty election cycle and its subsequent allegations of voter fraud and suppression, the attacks of September 11 rocked us all to our collective core.

Over the course of the Bush Administration, the ground has never been settled beneath our feet, largely because of the set of challenges before us (including 9-11, the economic and social aftermath of the attacks, and the War on Terror), but also because of our inability to connect with this president. Because of the 2000 election, the trust level and sense of newness that often comes with a new presidency never came into focus for the American people with President Bush. Some would say that this is rightly so, considering the issues of Halliburton, WMDs, water-boarding, and domestic surveillance, among others. This brew of continued controversy, coupled with the image of a president that is not well-spoken, not well-thought of, and not well-received, plays against the potential of an Obama presidency that, at the very least, will assume the office at a higher clip on these three fronts that its predecessor never truly enjoyed.

Given all of this, it's always been a steep upward climb for Senator John McCain, especially when considering his Republican affiliation. It has become tougher still considering the recent economic crisis that has been pinned (in many ways, incorrectly) on Republican leadership.

Of course, he hasn't helped himself in this process, either, making the Obama effort easier. Selecting Governor Sarah Palin seemed like a great move until we learned that her successes in Alaska did not translate into national and international adeptness. Being a moderate Republican that had bipartisan success made McCain appear well-positioned until he began to strongly play for the hard-core conservative base, thus leaving out the independent voters he needs to win. Of course, referring to Obama as "that one" was an absolute no-no that only reinforced stereotypes about those "racist Republicans" in a presidential cycle where race is as much of an issue as electoral votes.

Despite all of these things falling into place - along with historic amounts of campaign funding (that, according to Senator Obama's own "promise", should have never been accumulated) - Senator Obama has not been able to knock out his opponent politically, just as he was not able to do with Senator Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries. Senator McCain was able to make Senator Obama backtrack on issues such as off-shore drilling. McCain has contrasted his plans to cut spending with Obama's plans to introduce $1 trillion in new spending, making an effective case in both debates and on the campaign trial. McCain has made a Republican cult hero (and quite possibly a future candidate) out of "Joe the Plumber" because of Obama's "spread the wealth" misstep.

Heck, even Senator Obama's own running mate - a 36-year veteran - said that the job was not one that afforded "on the job training."

Ouch.

So, if Senator Obama becomes President-elect November 5, it will be because our charge of emotionalism - a heightened combination of a desire for someone new and disgust for the current leadership - overtook our charge to look further into federal accomplishments, bipartisanship, and experience.

America may get what we are collectively asking for, but will we really know what we're getting?

After all, if Senator Obama is the newcomer in the White House, the change in leadership, tax policy, and budgetary oversight may lead to a change in fortune or just less change in our pockets.

____________________
Lenny McAllister is the Political Guru for Fox News - Charlotte and blogs the Republican side of the election for BlackVoices. He is a frequent contributor to The Charlotte Post and The North Carolina Conservative.

Community Discussion

Did Anyone Expect A Landslide?
"YEP...two weeks ago I said that Obama was going to get at least 335 electoral votes." - Deep-Cover

Jesse Jackson Tears
"Now I don't want to offend anyone but I cant help feeling Jessie Jackson's tears were fake! I feel he was crying more cause he wished it would of been him and not President Obama! I don't no but that's the impression I got when the cameras kept zooming in on him! Just my evaluation!!!" - natalie29115

Juan Williams Tears Up on Fox News
"I was crying along with him. I don't know if you watch ABC or not but Steve Osunsumi (sp?) also lost it last night when he talked about how people of his father's generation said it would never happen." - mephistolesnc

Don't Entertain Idiots Today
"Very well said! I keep wondering why otherwise intelligent and astute posters would engage the negativity as if those people even matter...I just don't get it...NOTHING is going to dampen my pride and happiness today (save for a loss...LOL!)." - mslj920

 

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Senator John McCain has not answered questions from the audience since facing a belligerent crowd in Lakeville, Minnesota.

Filed under: BlackSpin, Elections, Barack Obama, John McCain, News

Proof that the McCain campaign is now running on fumes, the scare tactics continue to inexhaustibly be thrown around. Senator John McCain is banking on the fact that the American people will make the obvious association that Senator Barack Obama is in fact a socialist terrorist who either wants to spread American wealth or secretly gives passports to terrorists the world over.

With the semblance of any real issue being thrown out the window, this campaign has taken to being strategically xenophobic in it's approach to politics. It is despicable that this campaign continues to run on the notion that American public will put their hated of the outside ahead of their economic needs.

The newest strategy happens to be the sudden emergence of Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi, a supporter of Palestinian rights. The McCain campaign (alongside its other mouth pieces and cohorts) are demanding that the Los Angeles Times release a tape which supposedly shows Khalidi lavishing Obama with praise at a dinner with Bill Ayers present. ...

Despite Kalidi's past denial, McCain and Governor Palin have referred him as a former spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization. And although Khalidi has publicly criticized Israel, he and Obama have both said they hold very different views on Israel.

Welcome to the the return of the mysterious, scary, terrorist-friendly , Barack Obama that the McCain campaign would love for the American public to somehow eat up despite every other source outside of Fox News pointing to the contrary.

The Times contends that it in fact broke this story several months ago about Obama's connection to Khalidi, and will not revisit a story which it had already covered. In addition, the tape was given to them by an anonymous source under the conditions that they not release it to the public. Typical of this liberal media with it's journalistic integrity.

As is symptomatic of this campaign, McCain has ties to Khalidi which may lead you to believe that he has a thoroughly inept political team or that he believes that the American people have bought into his us against the media dynamic.

Back in the 1990's, while chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI), McCain distributed grants to the Palestinian research center co-founded by Khalidi, with one being worth half a million dollars.

The relationship extends back as far as 1993, when John McCain joined IRI as chairman in January. Foreign Affairs noted in September of that year that IRI had helped fund several extensive studies in Palestine run by Khalidi's group, including over 30 public opinion polls and a study of "sociopolitical attitudes." --According to the Huffington Post.

Throughout this election season, the McCain campaign has been scrutinizing, bemoaning and attempting to manipulate the media when the issues haven't been able to stand up. For every Bill Ayers, there is a G. Gordon Liddy and for every cry of socialist, there is Palin saying to the New Yorker's Philip Gourevitch, "We're set up, unlike other states in the union, where it's collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs."

In the midst of his 2000 campaign, McCain went on MSNBC's 'Hardball' and was asked by a woman whether it was socialism that her father should be taxed more for being in a larger tax bracket, to which he responded, "Here's what I really believe: When you reach a certain level of comfort, there's nothing wrong with paying somewhat more.

Maybe it's that part of the American spirit that loves to see a good fight that has allowed McCain's attacks to go unmolested into the public drinking pool. Truth be told, Barack Obama has run such a near flawless campaign that he dominates on the issues. Win or lose, he will go down of one of the greatest political forces in history because of the tremendous power of this campaign.

The American people have heard accusations of betraying the troops, teaching kindergartners all about sex, putting lipstick on a pig, being a proponent of infanticide, wanting to spread American dollars and being a friend of terrorists and would still prefer a president with a level head, a strong plan for the economy, and who talks about issues... that they care about; go figure.

 

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