Keeping With Tradition, Holy Cross Political Science Professors Offer Post-Election Analysis

The election is over. The ballots have been counted, the electoral votes have been tallied, and President-elect Barack Obama is already announcing decisions about his administration. As we look back on a marathon campaign that lasted longer than two years, one of the most contentious series of primaries our country has seen, and a race in which neither candidate stood out as the clear frontrunner, one question emerges: Exactly what happened in the election of 2008?

On Monday, students and faculty gathered for a panel discussion in the Hogan Campus Center at Holy Cross to find out. Donald Brand, professor of political science and B. Jeffrey Reno, associate professor of political science participated in the panel that Reno called “a tradition among the American government faculty” at Holy Cross.

The political science department holds a similar panel every two years after major elections, but this year it held particular importance. “We felt there would be a lot of student interest in analyzing the election,” said Brand. “Students have been particularly involved in this election, so now it is time to step back and reflect on the process.”

The discussion began with an analysis of the numbers, as Brand looked at the results of the popular vote and the Electoral College. Comparing the electoral maps of past elections, he highlighted the relative continuity seen on the maps from 2000 to 2004, and the dramatic “flip” of nine states in 2008. “These states decided the margin of victory for Obama,” he said.

Reno also offered analysis about the results. He told students not to assume that Obama won due solely on the strength of his platform, or that McCain lost simply because he was outmaneuvered. “The winner is the candidate who has the best strategy coupled with the perception that he has the best ideas,” said Reno.

Other hot election topics were touched on, including the role of race, the economic crisis, and, yes, Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate. (For those concerned about Palin’s possible return to the lower forty-eight, Reno offered his perspective: “I’m not too optimistic about Sarah Palin’s future.”)

Most interesting was whether or not the election’s results give a mandate to the Obama administration. Each professor responded with a firm “no.”

“Since there is no clear mandate, the Democrats ought to follow John Kerry’s advice and not abandon the political process of debate and compromise in favor of relying on procedure to bully their agenda through the House and Senate,” said Reno.

Brand reminded the audience that the president has an independent constitutional authority that, if carried out correctly, does not require a mandate. “The American political system is not designed to be run on the basis of mandates,” he said.

Questions from the audience ranged from speculation about the influence of the Latino vote to the influence of “Saturday Night Live.”

Did students leave with a better understanding of the election? Ryan Hickey ’09, a political science major and a current student in classes taught by Brand and Reno, offered a positive review.

“Overall, I thought the talk provided some good insight into how the election unfolded, and what the Republican minority will do to rebuild between now and 2012,” he said. “Personally, I’m very optimistic about President-elect Obama and I’m looking forward to seeing how he will address our economy and the war in Iraq.”

Kaitlin Juleus ’09

Related Information:

• From Mount St. James to Washington, D.C., Election Night Excitement Grips Students