Is It Over Yet?

As many of you know Barack Obama aired a thirty minute multimillion dollar infomercial on over seven different television stations on October 29. Why would he do such a thing when it seems as though he has already locked up the 2008 presidential election? Perhaps it is because democrats have a reputation for losing on election day when it previously seemed clear they had shored up the victory. Or maybe it is because the Democratic party still has a bad taste from Florida in the 2000 election. But I believe that the real reason Barack Obama decided to run this thirty minute infomercial is because of doubt. The doubt that his campaign intelligently recognizes still exists in many voters minds. Barack Obama is an untested man when it comes to executive experience, rightfully so some people are hesitant to vote for him because they don’t know enough about him. That is why he chose to air this infomercial. His performance clearly erased the doubt that might remain in potential voter’s minds. He achieved this by identifying one by one the different issues at the table and telling people what he would solve them.

Do I think that this infomercial is going to help Obama edge out a win? Probably not. I think Obama would still win regardless because he has run a very good campaign while McCain has not. Obama has been criticized for not having enough foreign policy experience so he put Joe Biden, who has lots of foreign policy experience, on the ticket as VP to compensate for this. John McCain is thought to lack on economic policy, but instead of selecting a VP candidate that would counter this weakness he chose to nominate someone with hardly any experience at all. Someone he thought would help pull in votes but might actually be hurting his campaign more than helping it. Obama has made all the right moves and has surrounded himself with the proper people to be successful in the Presidential race. McCain hasn't quite done this.

This is why the infomercial isn’t going to help that much. If Barack Obama wins this election, I believe, the only purpose his infomercial would have done is increase the margin of victory. Barack Obama doesn’t want to just win. I think he wants a landslide victory, to make a statement that the Democrats ARE the right party for change.

Regardless of who wins I hope that the next president is actually the right person for change.