Election 2008: OBAMA WINS PRESIDENCY
Barack Obama becomes the 44th president of the United States by landslide victory; makes history as the first African-American to win post
Obama promises new foreign policy; will Hillary Clinton lead that new direction as Sec. of State?
See below for CountryWatch's Final Election Forecast and Actual Results
Summary
As the election of 2008 in the United States entered its final stretch, the Democratic presidential ticket of Barack Obama and Joseph Biden was leading in the national polls against the Republican presidential ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin. In Congress, Republicans were on the defense trying to protect the seats they held in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, while Democrats were on the offensive and seeking to make further gains in both congressional chambers.
Heavy voter turnout marked Election Day -- Nov. 4, 2008 -- as Americans cast their ballots for a new president. As polls closed on the west coast of the United States, it was clear that Barack Obama would carry enough states to cross the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to win the presidency of the United States. In this way, he made history by becoming the first African American to win that post. As the votes continued to be counted from state to state, it was clear that he was on track for a landslide victory.
Indeed, the Democratic ticket of Obama-Biden decisively carried the Kerry coalition of states, including the highly coveted state of Pennsylvania, as well as the following Bush states: Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa, Indiana, North Carolina, Colorado and New Mexico, Nevada, and one congressional district in Nebraska, for a landslide victory of 365 electoral votes. McCain-Palin carried only 173 electoral votes.
In terms of the popular vote, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden on the Democratic ticket won a decisive victory over their Republican counterparts John McCain and Sarah Palin on Nov. 4, 2008, with 52.7 percent of the vote share to 46 percent. Obama-Biden also garnered a record popular vote count of close to 67 million with McCain-Palin acquiring 58 million.
Note: In the both Houses of Congress, the ongoing repudiation of Republican rule ensured that the Democrats could extend their majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The balance of power among the governors' mansions shifted slightly in favor of the Democrats via one state.
Victory –
Obama-Biden's stunning slate of victories in most of the key battleground states was proof that the country was in the mood for change; it also presented evidence that the American political landscape was in a state of transformation.
With the outcome uncontestable, John McCain conceded defeat graciously from the Biltmore Hotel grounds in his home state of Arizona. In his speech, he acknowledged the historic candidacy of Obama and expressed congratulations and goodwill to his rival.
Soon after, President-Elect Obama delivered a short but moving victory speech at Grant Park in Chicago amidst an audience of more than 100,000. President-Elect Obama emphasized the people-powered campaign that had propelled him toward his historic victory and acknowledged that a tough road lay ahead. He also paid homage to McCain's service to the country, and he struck a conciliatory note as he called for Democrats and Republicans to come together for the good of the nation. Tacitly acknowledging that his speech was addressing a transnational audience, President-Elect Obama indicated that his presidency would deal strongly with enemies, but that it would foreground diplomacy and goodwill in the international arena.
Key excerpt of President-Elect Obama's victory speech –
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
President-Elect Obama on Future Policy --
In his first television interview since Nov. 4, 2008, President-Elect Barack Obama painted a portrait of his incoming administration on the CBS show, 60 Minutes. Signaling a sharp change on the foreign policy front, President-Elect Obama said that he intended to withdraw United States troops from Iraq and strengthen the military effort against al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
On the first matter, President-Elect Obama said that upon taking office, he would call in the Joint Chiefs of Staff and national security apparatus to execute a phased troop withdrawal plan from Iraq. On the second matter, he noted that with a worsening security situation in Afghanistan, there was a need to "shore up those efforts." The incoming United States president also asserted that a top priority for his administration would be "to stamp out al-Qaida once and for all," including the capture or killing of Osama Bin Laden.
President-Elect Obama also said that he intended to repair the United States' moral standing on the world stage. In a move both symbolically and concretely focused on such an end, the incoming president of the United States said that he would close Guantanamo Bay -- the prison camp that has been at the center of controversy and legal debate. Moreover, President-Elect Obama made clear that his administration would act in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. He said, "I'm going to make sure that we don't torture." Those two measures, said President-Elect Obama, "are part and parcel of an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world."
In regard to the most pressing issue of the day, President-Elect Obama said he would do "whatever it takes" to stabilize his country's struggling economy. To that end, he emphasized the need to work with the automobile industry, which was in dire need of both assistance and reform. He also indicated the importance of helping homeowners who were having trouble in paying their mortgages.
Acknowledging that the United States was faced with one of the greatest economic challenges in recent times, as evidenced by the sharp rise in unemployment in recent months, President-Elect Obama also called on Congress to work on a rescue plan that would create jobs. He noted that economists on the right and left sides of the political divide agreed that economic stimulus was needed immediately. President-Elect Obama said, "We're going to have to spend money now." He added, "And that we shouldn't worry about the deficit next year or even the year after; that short term, the most important thing is that we avoid a deepening recession."
The incoming American president was asked why Treasury Secretary Paulson's initiatives, including the $700 billion bail out package to alleviate the credit crisis, had not yielded optimal results. In answering that question, Obama suggested that without such strong action, it was possible that the financial scenario could have been far worse.
Will Hillary Clinton be in an Obama's Cabinet?
During the interview on the CBS television show, 60 Minutes, President-Elect Obama discussed future cabinet appointments, indicating that some announcement would come "soon." He noted that one of his top priorities would be to assemble a national security team since transition periods are potentially times of vulnerability to a terrorist attack."
President-Elect Obama acknowledged that he had convened discussions with Senator Hillary Clinton, whose name emerged as a front-runner for the marquee role of Secretary of State. While President-Elect Obama refused to discuss Clinton's possible appointment to his cabinet, he earnestly noted that she was one of the most thoughtful voices in politics today.
While some analysts have suggested that Clinton's stance on the war in 2003 might be at odds with Obama and present something of an ideological disconnect, Obama himself has repeatedly noted that he is not interested in ideology but rather in results. To that end, it is possible that Clinton's name recognition, the global acclaim she still commands along with her husband [former President Bill Clinton], as well as her strong reputation on the issue of human rights, could well commend her for the job of Secretary of State. To be sure, Clinton is credited for pioneering the view that women's rights are human rights and that the very status of women globally is an indicator human progress. Indeed, on these merits, a Secretary of State Clinton might be a powerful force for repairing the United States' "moral stature in the world," which President-Elect Obama has said is a vitally important objective.
Clinton aside, President-Elect Obama indicated that his cabinet would include at least one Republican, although he declined to discuss the composition of his administration in further detail.
Note:
President-Elect Obama will be inaugurated into office as the 44th president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2009.
Other Election Results
Senate
CountryWatch projected that the Democrats will have a net pick-up of at least four seats and as many of eight seats. Since Democrats and two Independents currently control 51 seats, even victory in eight seats would place them just short of the ninth seat needed to secure a filibuster-proof super-majority.
Final Result:
Democrats held their only vulnerable seat in Louisiana (Landrieu) while winning the following five seats -- Virginia (Warner), New Hampshire (Shaheen), New Mexico (Udall), Colorado (Udall), North Carolina (Hagen), and Oregon (Merkeley) -- for a total of 57 seats in the Senate. At the time of writing, two seats were undecided -- Minnesota (Franken) and Alaska (Begich) and could yet advance Democratic gains in the Senate. In Georgia, the race against the Republican (Chambliss) and the Democrat (Martin) resulted in a run-off since no candidate achieved the state-required 50 percent majority. The outcome of these three races would determine if the Democrats would have a filibuster-proof super-majority. Nevertheless, the Democrats consolidated their control over the upper chamber.
House of Representatives
CountryWatch projected that Democrats would easily hold the House of Representatives and pick up around 15 to 20 seats.
Final Result:
Republicans lost 24 seats while Democrats gained 19 seats for a net result of Republicans holding 175 seats in the lower house of Congress and Democrats extending their majority to 255.
Governors
The current 6 (Democratic) to 5 (Republican) split in the races up for election was expected to continue.
Final Result:
With Missouri falling to the Democrats and all other races maintaining the status quo, there was a 7 (Democratic) to 4 (Republican) split in the governors' races at stake. Thus, across the country, there are Democratic governors in 29 states and Republican governors in 21 states as of November 2008.
-- Denise Youngblood Coleman Ph.D.
Houston, Texas
November 16, 2008
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For the most recent developments across the globe, see the CountryWatch News Wire.
For information and analysis about Election 2008 in the United States, see the "Special Report: Road to the White House 2008," available from the "Special Reports" tab located on the front page of the Country Watch website.
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