The Electoral Landscape Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Electoral Landscape - Essay Example While it is nothing new for voters to want for a change in political leadership, the 2008 presidential election represented an important change in American politics. Barack Obama broke a major racial barrier for African-Americans by becoming the first black American president. Race is likely to be a much less important issue in the future than it has been in the past because Obama has proven that race is no longer an absolute barrier to electability. Obama was able to overcome racial prejudice and the disadvantages of being a little known senator by taking advantage of the growing influence of the Internet and social media. The 2008 election was the first presidential election in which communication through the Internet played a major role (NPR). Lastly, between 2004 and 2008 the economy became the dominant election issue over issues of national security and terrorism. While the Republican Party is generally seen as stronger on economic issues, the economic collapse in 2008 was blame d on the economic policies of Bush by a wide margin (Hagerty 1), and the War on Terror fell out of favor. Works Cited Hagerty, Barbara. â€Å"Exit polls link Obama victory to economic fears.† 4 Nov. 2008.