So America and the world celebrate Obama’s victory, another orderly and lawful power transition in the United States. Many heralded the end of racism in the country and proof that in America, you can reach your dreams no matter your skin color and background.
As of this posting Obama/Biden won 349 electoral votes vs. McCain/Palin’s 163. Things started to look gloomy for MacCain last night when Ohio and Virginia turned blue. In popular votes, Obama/Biden captured 52% against McCain/Palin’s 47%. Some would categorize this as a landslide win, but I beg to differ. Maybe in the Electoral College, but not among the population.
The result of the senate races did not give the Democrats a mandate, either. First, Harry Reid’s hope of leading a filibuster-proof senate is dashed. The Democrats’ plan to unseat minority leader Mitch McConnell also fizzled as he won re-election by a comfortable margin (53% against Lunsford’s 47%). In the hotly contested Minnesota senate race, Republican Norm Coleman held a slim lead to win over Democrat and entertainer Al Franken. The race is still tight in Alaska where convicted Republican Ted Stevens holds the lead, but whether he is actually seated is still questionable; and in Georgia, incumbent Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss may have a run-off against Democrat Jim Martin if neither garner 50% of votes (Chambliss leads a slim margin right now). Overall it looks like Democrats will pick up five more senate seats.
There’s a lot of talk about a change in the electoral landscape. Yet that isn’t really the case. We still have a Red South, Red Midwest, and Red Prairie. With the exception of Virginia and North Carolina, the other battleground states have traditionally been toss-ups. The GOP needs to refocus on why support in the south has slipped. Although Georgia went for McCain/Palin overwhelmingly, it was troubling that the state became a toss-up in the latter weeks of the campaign.
