Let the game of "what if?" begin. Political analysts are now looking at the lessons learned following the end of 2008's Presidential campaign.
The big question: What did Obama's campaign do well enough to win?
"Barack Obama proved that investing in grassroots organization so that you can mobilize your base of supporters is a very important way of winning elections," Jeff Blodgett said.
Blodgett, Obama's Minnesota Campaign Director, was part of a bi-partisan, "day after" discussion at the U of M's Humphrey Institute. He was joined by former Republican Congressman Vin Weber.
Weber agreed with Blodgett's assessment. "I also think the Democrats had a huge advantage organizationally and technologically which they've been building for years. That really showed in the end," Weber said.
Webber also added that McCain was in an uphill fight. "A party cannot really prosper when the leader of the party is as unpopular as President Bush has been."
While both of the presidential candidates pitched the concept of change to voters, the way they campaigned will forever "change" the campaigning landscape.
"You might think of it as sort of the creation of the cyber precinct," Weber explained. "The Democrats have done a much better job of utilizing it (technology) and Republicans have got to catch up on that," he added.
Blodgett says another lesson learned has to do with campaigning on the ground, not over the airwaves.
"I think that's a very important lesson for all candidates going forward. You can't just take money and put it all on television and television ads because people are tuning those out," Blodgett said.
Before the candidates move forward, they've got clean up what's left of Campaign 2008. For the first time in many months, both Obama and McCain's Minnesota Headquarters in St. Paul were void of people, noise, and excitement.
They were full? of old campaign signs, fliers and bumper stickers.
(Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
