ANALYSIS
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Change Has Already Been Delivered—to Campaigning
The '08 version redrew the political map and ruptured the financing system, and more
By Gabriel Winant
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Posted Nov 3, 08 9:27 AM CST
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(Newser)
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We can't be sure what kind of change the next president will bring, but we do know that presidential campaigns themselves will never be the same, writes Gerald F. Seib in the Wall Street Journal. Among this year’s innovations:
- The campaigns have redrawn the political map, making previously locked states competitive, like Virginia, and placing increasing emphasis on the Mountain West.
- The Internet has become central to spreading campaign messages and responding to attacks immediately—sometimes before the other side even launches them.
- Democrats have also used the web to short-circuit the old financing system, and may prompt a rewrite of campaign-finance law.
- FDR and Ronald Reagan might not recognize their parties anymore: Democrats are winning among those earning over $75,000 a year and gaining ground with evangelicals, while the GOP’s best segment of the workforce wears blue collars.