Election 2008 – News Stories About Election 2008 - Page 12

Conservatism Dead
by Its Own Hand:
O'Rourke

OPINION

Nov 10, 2008 6:05 PM CST

Conservatism Dead by Its Own Hand: O'Rourke

Bloated government is only one (though huge) legacy of GOP reign

(Newser) - Modern conservatism is dead, and conservatives are to blame, PJ O’Rourke writes for the Weekly Standard. “Anyone who is still on the left is obviously insane and not responsible for his or her actions,” he contends. “No, we on the right did it.” Ideal after...

How Obama Won

GLOSSIES

Nov 10, 2008 4:23 PM CST

How Obama Won

Campaign strategists decided early on to own the economy and to define the Democrat as a change agent.

(Newser) - Barack Obama succeeded in his bid for the presidency because he became the anti-Bush, Ryan Lizza writes in the New Yorker. Campaign advisers agreed early on to keep it simple: own the economy and emphasize bringing change to Washington. Little did they know how well the financial crisis and...

Obamas Check Out
White House

UPDATED

Nov 10, 2008 3:17 PM CST

Obamas Check Out White House

Obamas wrap up White House visit, though details are scarce

(Newser) - The First Couple and the First Couple-elect met at the White House this afternoon. After the Bushes greeted the Obamas, President Bush took Barack Obama to the Oval Office for a private meeting, while Laura Bush showed Michelle Obama around the residence. The meetings lasted about an hour, the Chicago ...

Franken Thiiis Close, Down 204 in Minn. Vote Count

Nov 10, 2008 1:33 PM CST

Franken Thiiis Close, Down 204 in Minn. Vote Count

Unofficial tally has Senate race just about neck and neck

(Newser) - Al Franken’s razor-thin margin of defeat in Minnesota’s Senate race is even thinner today, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The latest count has Franken trailing incumbent Norm Coleman by 204 votes, down from 221 over the weekend. Coleman appeared to have won by 725 votes last Wednesday, but...

Obamas Arrive at White House

Nov 10, 2008 1:17 PM CST

Obamas Arrive at White House

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, have arrived at the White House for a visit, his first since last week's landslide election victory. President Bush and first lady Laura Bush were at the North Portico of the White House to greet the Obamas on a sunny fall day with...

Obama Follows Path Laid Out
by Reagan

analysis

Nov 10, 2008 10:51 AM CST

Obama Follows Path Laid Out by Reagan

Similarities helped in victory; challenge now is governing: pollster

(Newser) - Barack Obama's election was an affirmation, not a rejection, of Ronald Reagan’s principles, writes pollster Scott Rasmussen in the Wall Street Journal. Both espoused platforms of hope and tax cuts during administrations that disgusted voters with economic mismanagement. Obama's challenge now is "attempting to govern with a message...

Palin Blames Bush
for GOP Loss

Nov 10, 2008 9:51 AM CST

Palin Blames Bush for GOP Loss

Ticket too closely resembled debt-riddled, wartime status quo

(Newser) - Sarah Palin tells the Anchorage Daily News her presidential ticket failed because it too closely reflected the Republican status quo. “Americans were kind of shaking their heads like … how did we run up a $10 trillion debt in a Republican administration? How have there been blunders with war...

Massive Voter Turnout
Not So Massive After All

Nov 9, 2008 9:59 AM CST

Massive Voter Turnout Not So Massive After All

Election sees only a modest increase in participation among eligible voters

(Newser) - Contrary to hype about massive turnout on Election Day, roughly the same percentage of eligible voters hit the polls in 2008 as in 2004, reports Politico. While a record number of ballots were cast—up to 128.5 million votes— the increase in the percentage of eligible voters in the...

Gen X to Boomers:
We Get It Now

OPINION

Nov 9, 2008 5:09 AM CST

Gen X to Boomers: We Get It Now

With Obam's election, Gen X sees the political light

(Newser) - Sorry, boomers, for taking so long to drop the cynicism and eye-rolling, writes Heather Havrilesky in Salon. But to those who "became rational adults at the exact moment a reckless frat boy boomer became president," your generation's idealism and tales of '60s radicalism fell flat, she spills. Barack...

Please Kill Our
Hopes 'Gently,' Obama

OPINION

Nov 8, 2008 7:40 PM CST

Please Kill Our Hopes 'Gently,' Obama

(Newser) - People the world over are investing their hopes in Barack Obama's warm, intelligent persona, but the president-elect is destined to disappoint, Matthew Parris writes in the London Times. Like any pop star or religious icon, he represents more myth than reality. The turning point will come when "Yes we...

His 'Bedrock Decency'
Will Be Missed

OPINION

Nov 8, 2008 2:31 PM CST

His 'Bedrock Decency' Will Be Missed

(Newser) - George W. Bush may not be judged kindly by history, but he was faithful, consistent, and above all compassionate, writes former White House official Jim Towey in the Wall Street Journal. It was “little acts behind the curtain” that “inspired intense loyalty by staff members." To those...

Prop 8 Splits California's
Gays, Blacks

Nov 8, 2008 11:14 AM CST

Prop 8 Splits California's Gays, Blacks

African-Americans argue gay marriage isn't a civil rights issue

(Newser) - California's narrowly passed ban on gay marriage has divided many of the state's gays and blacks on the issue, the Los Angeles Times reports. Exit polls show that black voters—who turned out in record numbers—backed the ban by around 70%, the biggest margin of any ethnic group. Some...

Novak:
Newt in 2012

Nov 8, 2008 10:49 AM CST

Novak: Newt in 2012

Newt ready and willing

(Newser) - Shell-shocked Republicans are casting about for a savior for 2012, and believe it or not, the name most often floated for this Moses-like role is none other than Newt Gingrich, writes Bob Novak of the Chicago Sun-Times. It’s a “very risky choice,” admits one strong Newt-booster, but...

Obama's Youth Mandate
Far Greater Than JFK's

Nov 8, 2008 9:42 AM CST

Obama's Youth Mandate Far Greater Than JFK's

His lead with under-30s is biggest in 'modern American history'

(Newser) - Barack Obama enters office with the biggest youth mandate in modern political history, Politico reports. He outpolled John McCain by 34 points—66% to 32%—among voters younger than 30. That's four times the margin that led John F. Kennedy to say, “The torch has been passed to a...

Palin: 'Those Guys Are Jerks'

Nov 8, 2008 4:08 AM CST

Palin: 'Those Guys Are Jerks'

Governor says critics took her remarks out of context for smears

(Newser) - Sarah Palin went back to work yesterday and blasted the wave of critical post-election stories from anonymous GOP sources that have appeared in the press, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The governor said stories that she had greedily grabbed pricey clothes were way off and she never asked for anything...

Leno Gets First McCain Interview on Veterans Day

Nov 7, 2008 5:39 PM CST

Leno Gets First McCain Interview on Veterans Day

GOP candidate has kept off of TV since Election Day loss

(Newser) - John McCain will help Jay Leno celebrate Veterans Day by appearing on NBC’s “Tonight Show,” Monsters & Critics reports today. The Tuesday appearance will mark the Republican’s first TV interview since his loss to Barack Obama in the Nov. 4 election.

Fox's Van Susteren Nabs
First Post-Election Palin Chat

Nov 7, 2008 4:14 PM CST

Fox's Van Susteren Nabs First Post-Election Palin Chat

Host has bashed sniping at Alaska governor by unnamed McCain sources

(Newser) - Fox News host Greta Van Susteren beat out a slew of prominent journalists for the first post-election interview with Sarah Palin, the Los Angeles Times reports. Van Susteren has defended the Alaska governor against a recent storm of criticism from unnamed McCain aides, and will allow the former candidate to...

McCains Urge Unity, 'Good Will'

Nov 7, 2008 2:56 PM CST

McCains Urge Unity, 'Good Will'

Vanquished GOP candidate presses supporters to 'get our country moving again'

(Newser) - John McCain released his first public statement today since conceding the election, congratulating President-elect Barack Obama and urging supporters to work together with the new administration, the Hill reports. “Although we were disappointed with the results,” the joint statement with wife Cindy said, “we must move beyond...

No Quick Fix
on Economy: Obama

UPDATED

Nov 7, 2008 2:39 PM CST

No Quick Fix on Economy: Obama

US 'strong and resilient,' president-elect says at first news conference

(Newser) - Barack Obama addressed the nation today for the first time since his presidential victory, focusing his remarks on the economy, the New York Times reports. “It is not going to be quick and it’s not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole...

How He Almost Didn't Run

Nov 7, 2008 2:20 PM CST

How He Almost Didn't Run

Obamas struggled for months about Barack's White House bid

(Newser) - Barack Obama needed months to be persuaded that he should run for the White House, and wife Michelle, who had veto power, finally agreed on one condition: that he give up smoking. The tidbit appears in Part 1 of a seven-installment Newsweek series reported along the campaign trail on...