If you are an American, you should be very proud of the man you have here.
John F. Kennedy once said that a great president must be a visionary and a pragmatist at the same time. You have to have a vision for the country, but you have to have the pragmatic skills to put it together.
That's exactly what Barack Obama has shown in this campaign. He is a great visionary. He has inspired Americans like no Democrat since John F. Kennedy.
I voted for the first time yesterday as well, and I must say it was a bit more fun than I had expected. I will say my man won, but other than that, nothing!
Well, moving on from personal votes I was surprised to find that only once have the Democrats virtually swept the board, that was in 1964 with the post-Kennedy assassination election, getting them the sympathy vote and also you had LBJ turning the traditionally Republican Southern States. The whole of the US was blue.
But after that, never. The Republicans however swept the board some years later with Nixon getting into power and then again with Reagan. Since then, even with Clinton and then Obama doing very well, you still have Mid-America mostly red come what may. Interesting.
Well, moving on from personal votes I was surprised to find that only once have the Democrats virtually swept the board, that was in 1964 with the post-Kennedy assassination election, getting them the sympathy vote and also you had LBJ turning the traditionally Republican Southern States. The whole of the US was blue.
But after that, never. The Republicans however swept the board some years later with Nixon getting into power and then again with Reagan. Since then, even with Clinton and then Obama doing very well, you still have Mid-America mostly red come what may. Interesting.
It's also interesting to note that for the presidential election, Obama spent 900% more money then McCain, but still only eked out 7% more votes. For better or for worse, America has primarily been a leaning-red nation lately, with a modicum of "independents" that vacillate between red and blue and often making the difference at election time.
Actually, Napoleon, the U.S. was solidily Democrat at the time LBJ was elected--largely because southerners would never join Lincoln's party and because (painful truth here, people) Democrats were more solidly behind segregation laws. It wasn't until Nixon's "southern strategy"--appealing to evangelical voters--that the tide began to turn, and it was Reagan who brought the south firmly into Republican hands.
Really? I didn't know that. But wasn't it the Dems who turned against the segregationist laws with JFK and LBJ managing to push it thru after his death. Did that alienate some Southern states at the time then?
Didn't realise the Southern states were that evangelical - or that Nixon would be the guy to play that card!
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Edited to link (Alex)
John F. Kennedy once said that a great president must be a visionary and a pragmatist at the same time. You have to have a vision for the country, but you have to have the pragmatic skills to put it together.
That's exactly what Barack Obama has shown in this campaign. He is a great visionary. He has inspired Americans like no Democrat since John F. Kennedy.
I wish him all the best moving forward.
But after that, never. The Republicans however swept the board some years later with Nixon getting into power and then again with Reagan. Since then, even with Clinton and then Obama doing very well, you still have Mid-America mostly red come what may. Interesting.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
It's also interesting to note that for the presidential election, Obama spent 900% more money then McCain, but still only eked out 7% more votes. For better or for worse, America has primarily been a leaning-red nation lately, with a modicum of "independents" that vacillate between red and blue and often making the difference at election time.
Didn't realise the Southern states were that evangelical - or that Nixon would be the guy to play that card!
Roger Moore 1927-2017