How Obama Won by SMU Student Linwood Fields

Each generation has a call to duty.For me it was the 1980"s with the apartheid movement.For this upcoming generation of young Democrats ,they now live in the age of Obama.I have been back at my alma Mater Southern Methodist University and I have found some astute political commentary on campus.Today's featured blog is from one of the young leaders on campus. Linwoood Fields ,SMU student.
Why Obama Won By Linwood Fields


During the 2008 presidential election, history was made here in the United States of America. Sen. Barack Obama, the young U.S. Senator from Illinois, was elected the 44th President of the United States. Not only did President Obama become the first African American to hold this office, he won the presidency in convincing fashion. Many have said that President Obama’s campaign was the most well-done campaign that ever occurred in the history of presidential elections in the United States. Due to his determined and optimistic demeanor to reach all American citizens regardless of race or economic status, President Obama won not the support of the people for voted for him, but their confidence to lead this nation into the next chapter of its history.
When looking at the Electoral College , I was very close in determining the exact number of electoral votes for each of the candidates. The final tally of my votes was in favor of President Obama defeating Sen. McCain 374-167. For the majority of the states I chose for each candidate, I chose the right state that each candidate were projected to win. Yet, there were five states that I chose that were incorrect and caused my final count to be more than what was actually verified. The five states were Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Utah, and Virginia.
Virginia, normally a Republican state, went to President Obama; he spent much of the end of his campaign in that state, and it proved to be a factor in winning it. Nebraska ended up going to Sen. McCain; the state split its electoral votes because it is written in their state constitution that the presidential candidate who wins the majority of the state’s votes will get the majority of their electoral votes. Idaho and Utah went to Sen. McCain ; both Idaho and Utah have been constant states of the Republican Party in previous election in 2000 and 2004. Finally, Missouri took the longest time determining the victor of that state. After almost 3 weeks of counting the votes because of the close margin, Missouri was awarded to Sen. McCain .
The 2008 Presidential Election was an event that changed the landscape of America. An African American was elected President of the United States; this accomplishment has never been achieved before November 4, 2008 by a man of color. Before anyone knew who Barack Obama was, no one including myself never thought that a man of color would become the President of the United States this early in my lifetime.
The significance of this historic election is momentous; yet, there were many factors that placed President Obama into the most powerful position in the free world. According to the exit polls from various and creditable news sources, President Obama was able to gain the support of many groups that many figured would be impossible obtained to help him be elected. From the exit polls on CNN.com, the margin of men who voted for Obama and McCain was very slim in comparison of the number of women who voted for President Obama in larger numbers than for Sen. McCain. As it relates to age, people who were 18-29 years old had the highest percentage rate out of any other age range. This is very huge because the 18-29 age range only represents 18 percent of the general population in the United States. This meant that many college students and young professionals made it a point to get out and express their interest in selecting President Obama as their president.

From the race point of view, minorities who included African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans came out in full force for President Obama. There was a large majority of African Americans who voted for the President, over 90 percent of eligible voters. Hispanic and Asian Americans had a good turnout with over 60 percent of their votes going for President Obama. Another eye popping statistic is the first time voters’ percentage. Many of the first time voters decided that President Obama was best suited to handle the challenges that lie ahead for the new President. About 50 percent of first-time voters decided weeks before Election Day that the President Obama was their right choice. All of these exit polls indicate that President’s appeal to the younger generation of voters was a primary factor in him winning this momentous election. In the end, I believe that President Obama will bring honor and respectability back to this country .