Posted by
Rich from NW Indiana on Saturday, November 08, 2008 6:56:52 PM
Another thing you won't hear much about from the mainstream media is the voter turnout. Most if asked would say it was way higher then normal.
THEY WOULD BE WRONG!
After the endless stories about the high turnout for Obama.
After all the stories of new voter registrations and huge calls for voting.
The turnout was barely higher then 2004!
American Universities Center for the Study of the American Electorate concluded the turnout was the same in percentage as the last presidential election. Not even a rise of 1%. Wow, it wasn't huge at all, just different voters?
Was it that so many were not interested in voting for McCain that they stayed home counteracting the additional Obama voters? It looks like it.
It does show that trying to elect a center-moderate candidate was a mistake for the Republicans. Even adding Palin was too late. It could be argued that the media forced McCain on the Republicans as well. It does show that if a more conservative candidate is put up by Republicans in 2012 it will be better for them. Those voters could be back, making for actual bigger turnout?
Even though Obama won this time the reality is there are still more conservative voters out there. The proof is the passing of the pop. 8 in California and two other states. Some conservatives may have sat this one out, but many Obama voters support conservative ideas. So if there is a candidate that they are excited about, reelection will be harder for Obama. He really cannot make the sharp left turn that some of his hard left voters want. He was elected more by the center left with some moderate right.
McCain did pretty well for the cards he was dealt. It still was close. A Republican party headed by Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin and other conservatives show much promise. Obama will have the nearly impossible task of keeping his high popularity. It will be interesting.