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Kerwick's Corner: Why Barack Obama Won

Tuesday November 18, 2008
A stack of t-shirts celebrating the victory of President-elect Barack Obama offered for sale at a shop on Michigan Avenue Nov. 17, 2008 in Chicago.

I offered my opinion, and you had your say.

Now, About.com guest writer Jack Kerwick offers his two cents about the factors that contributed to Democrat Barack Obama's victory over Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Kerwick seems to agree that the deck was stacked against McCain from the very beginning, and what chances he did have, he squandered. Kerwick also apparently believes that McCain's lack of solid conservative credentials might have had a role in the election's outcome.

From the column:

McCain and Obama differ in degree, not in kind. The latter is an out and out leftist, but the former leans left on several issues also: there is a fine line between “centrism” and “leftism.” A left-leaning Republican candidate, or “RINO” (Republican In Name Only), especially one like McCain who had long ago fallen out of favor with the base of his party, can’t but fail to elicit the type of passion and excitement characteristic of Obama’s supporters. It is true that his pick of Sarah Palin breathed life back into his base, but the inescapable fact is that McCain was at the top of the ticket, not Palin.

Photo © Scott Olson/Getty Images

More from Kerwick:

Dear Mr. President-Elect

Monday November 17, 2008
A painting of Barack Obama by artist David Choe hangs on a wall October 9, 2008 as part of ' Outsiders,' an art exhibition brought to New York City by Lazarides Gallery of London. Graffiti and street art of Obama spread throughout New York City during the presidential campaign, and in the waning days, was bolstered by well-known artists Shepard Fairey, David Choe and Chico.

Dear Mr. President-Elect,

Among the millions of Americans who voted for you in the Nov. 4 general election, I was not one.

That doesn't mean, however, that I will not support your presidency. When you take office in January, I will bear steadfast allegiance to you and everything I believe you represent. To me, you represent renewed hope for our country, and I therefore ask the following of you:

Read more...

Kerwick's Corner: The Death of Racism & the Return of the True Conservatives

Wednesday November 12, 2008
A Mural of Barack Obama

What's to like about a Barack Obama presidency? More than you think if you're a conservative.

In the wake of Obama's historic victory over Republican nominee John McCain, About.com guest commentator Jack Kerwick examines the upside about the Democrat's win and what conservatives can hope it will mean for America and the future of the movement.

From the column:

An Obama presidency could, and no doubt does, signify to some the passing of “the old order,” or what has more cynically been described as “white dispossession.” To others, it is a symbol that blacks have, at long last, “overcome.” Yet to me, and no doubt to everyone else who has thrills over the reality of an Obama presidency that would eclipse even those that overtake Chris Mathews’ whenever he catches a glimpse of Obama, Obama’s election is a resounding repudiation of the poisonous, but profitable, fiction that America is a “racist” country.

Photo © Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images

Related:

How Will Conservatives Fare With a Democratic Congress in 2009?

Monday November 10, 2008
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd hold a news conference at the U.S. Captiol September 28, 2008 in Washington, DC.

As they watch Democrats sharpen their claws and prepare to implement one of the most liberal agendas in American history, conservatives are understandably nervous.

Will Republicans be able to stop the more liberal aspects of the Democratic agenda? Will the new Congress become a rubber stamp for the Barack Obama administration's legislative initiatives? What are the Democratic priorities facing Congress in Obama's first 100 days?

In the coming weeks, we'll attempt to answer the most frequently asked questions about the fallout from last week's election. Today, we analyze the legislative priorities of Democratic leaders to find out what conservatives can expect in the first year of the 111th Congress.

Photo © Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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