The Obama Effect


The release of the film “dub-ya” is not the only reason America is on everyone’s lips, if you didn’t know it, America has been trying to elect a new President. The most exciting and electrifying presidential campaign the world has ever seen took place this year, and Obama the orator, the professor of law at Harvard, the author of the no1 selling book “The audacity of hope”, the community worker of Chicago, the democrat, the mixed race African-American, Obama the sexy won! And thank God he did because I’m not sure what Palin would have done once McCain croaked it, give Bush a run for his money that’s for sure. Jokes aside McCain conceded defeat graciously, saying to the angry boo-hooing supporters “Obama is my president” who of course booed and said “nooooo”, “never”. The cliché winner keepers losers weepers seems appropriate here. Yes, and now that the election is over those republicans can stop with those outlandish jokes, their stand up comedy was starting to give Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross a run for their money in the category of hilariously UN-FUNNY. No but seriously I’m over the moon the Americans never landed on that Obama won. These unfunny jokes should stop.

Many of us have heard of the Greenhouse effect but what about the Bradley effect?  Which was hypo said might affect Barack Obama.  The Bradley effect basically stems from an example that when black candidate ran against white opponent, there was a disparity between the polls and the result.  Meaning that many people in public said “Oh yeah, sure I’m gon’ vote for him” and polls suggested that  the black candidate looked likely to win, but when it actually came to voting  it was a different story and the white candidate Bradley won.  This definitely did not happen in this election, Obama won 349 of the electoral college votes, whereas his white opponent received a meagre 162; that being said Obama only need 270 of the electoral college votes so perhaps America has come a long way.  Obama had an eclectic range of voters:  first time voters, Catholics, Jews, people from urban and suburban areas, women, whites and African Americans, who are known to usually not vote and 95% the black vote went to Obama.  Interestingly enough McCain received 62% of the gun owners vote, 74% of the Evangelical Christian vote and 53% of the over 65’s vote.  The numbers say a lot.

So then out with Bradley and in with Barack.  He will be a magnificent president and will perhaps make America a Utopian society, but he has a lot of hurdles to face before he is totally accepted.  And I and a large proportion of America are optimistic that “Yes he can”, “Yes he can”, “Yes he can”.