Profs analyze election results

Political Science professor Rogers Smith noted that Tuesday's "election marks a historic juncture," at a panel yesterday in Houston Hall. And while it is still too early to analyze the triumphs and problems that will accompany this election, Smith and his colleagues tried to demystify the results.

Political Science professors John DiIulio, Marie Gottschalk, Richard Johnston and Smith participated in a panel entitled, "What Just Happened? Making Sense of the 2008 Presidential Election in Real Time," hosted by Political Science Department chairman Avery Goldstein.

Smith started the conversation by speculating why John McCain fell far behind on election night. The end of McCain's campaign was focused on "Joe the Plumber," but this tactic was not successful because McCain's selection of Joe as the iconic American was flawed, according to Smith. Many Americans instead believed in the change that Barack Obama promised.

Smith added that both the McCain and Obama campaigns contributed to making 2008 a historic election. He believes McCain's loss was also attributed to America becoming more of a mixed nation in terms of both race and religion.

Because Obama speaks to this evolving nation, he proved victorious, Smith concluded. He also cited new voters, minorities and youths as important factors.

Gottschalk argued that the election consisted of "evasive campaigns." She emphasized that the top three issues - the economy, health care and the Iraq war-were not fully addressed by the candidates.

Comparing the success of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and that of Obama, she said that while both were rhetorically gifted, a key factor was that both ran for the presidency when the current president was viewed negatively by the public`.

Johnston added that Obama won by a landslide by means of electoral votes. He thinks that this was partially due to McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate and that she greatly compromised his chances of being elected.

DiIulio also noted that Republicans alienated populations, such as Latinos, during the campaign. Republicans failed to garner the votes needed because they "forgot to count, and when you forget how to count, you lose elections," he said.

Even with students' busy schedules, many made time to hear these professors' opinions.

College freshman Cornelius Range said the discussion was intellectually stimulating. As an Obama supporter, he was very happy with the election results.

College senior Jomar Thompson said he thought it was interesting to see both sides represented. He was impressed by the panel's agreement on many issues, even though they endorse different political parties.

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