Go Figure
Has anyone compiled a list of the ways this election campaign has broken the mold? As Barack Obama closes in the on the Democratic nomination and we prepare for the general election campaign, perhaps it’s time for us to consider how this campaign already has proven unlike any other. It may help prepare us for the the precedents yet to be broken. Here’s my basic calculus:
– First African-American nominee of a major political party;
– First woman to come within a hair’s breadth of a major party nomination;
– First campaign for President by a former First Lady;
– Oldest non-incumbent nominee of a major party;
– Greatest age difference (24 years) between the two major candidates;
– Greatest number of voters participating in primaries and caucuses (33 million among the Democrats alone);
– Greatest number of debates among candidates of the major parties during the primary campaign (47 by my count);
– Most money spent by candidates prior to the start of the general election campaign ($1 billion by all candidates and their parties so far);
– Most money raised by a candidate within a 24-hour period (via the Internet);
– First contest in which the final three candidates were all standing members of the U.S. Senate;
– First election since 1952 in which neither the incumbent President nor Vice President sought the Presidential nomination of his own party;
– First campaign in which citizen-journalists (via blogs and YouTube) broke news stories, disclosed candidates’ gaffes, and questioned candidates directly.
– First wartime candidate for President whose own son served on the field of battle.
– Lowest approval ratings by an outgoing President (31 per cent).