| Connor Threlkeld: We would like to welcome Augusta Chronicle editorial page editor Michael Ryan to our chat. |
| Michael Ryan: That's me! |
| Connor Threlkeld: Let's begin. AP and CNN just called the race. Give us your candid assessment of today. |
| Michael Ryan: They said it would be historic, but you can never prepare yourself for this level of history. One of the lines in our editorial for the morning is "It is, perhaps, the final emancipation." This newspaper's editorial page, as a conservative one, opposed Obama. But his election means so much to the African-American community, it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement. |
| Connor Threlkeld: It looks like Obama has been able to form a winning coalition of a large turnout among minorities and young voters, just enough Independents, white working class folks and moderate Republicans. Is this a coalition that the Democratic Party will be able to build on, or is this just a one time occurrence due to the unique nature of Obama’s candidacy and the errors made by McCain? |
| Michael Ryan: We all get caught up in the historic nature of this, but you're right: It's taken a diverse group to elect Barack Obama. Whether the coalition can hold depends on how he governs. If he banks to the left, it may fall apart quickly. It's interesting: party loyalty isn't what it used to be. Bill Clinton was elected largely on his own popularity, not his party's. Likewise, George W. Bush left a party in tatters. So it seems as if we're in a period in which personality is more powerful than party. |
| Connor Threlkeld: Reader GregoryJ submitted the following question in a previous chat: Will the winner of the election be able to deliver on all of the promises he made out on the campaign trail? |
| Michael Ryan: I certainly hope not! We need to stop asking what the country can do for us and start asking, as JFK implored us, what we can do for our country. Specifically, I'm not sure we can embark on any new spending programs. We're trillions in debt, and we face tens of trillions more in unfunded future liabilities from promises we've made to future retirees in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. I liked McCain's proposal of spending freezes, whether across the board or tailored to each government agency. That's just the start. We also need a constitutional amendment to prevent Washington from spending money on anything other than strict government functions under the Constitution. No more pork, no more earmarks, no more of congressional members buying each other's votes and buying our silence while they bleed us dry! |
| Michael Ryan: By the way, if you've got stock in John McCain, you just got rich: His concession speech was world class. |
| Connor Threlkeld: I was listening as well, it was very dignified, very classy. |
| Connor Threlkeld: Now that the election has been won, give me a number, in terms of electoral votes, that Obama needs to get to be able to claim a mandate? |
| Connor Threlkeld: As it stands, CNN has him holding 333 electoral votes. |
| Michael Ryan: I think his mandate will be disputed, given the closeness of the popular vote. But that's not as important as his congressional margin. He may not have the 60-vote filibuster-proof majority he'd like in the Senate, but he gained there and gained even more in the House. The lack of 60 votes -- the total needed to end debate in the Senate and take a vote on a bill -- will put a slight brake on his domestic agenda. But if he governs anything like Bill Clinton, he'll get a lot of what he wants. And there should be a honeymoon fit for a Hawaiian lad! |
| Michael Ryan: By the way, I WAS told there would be no math! |
| Connor Threlkeld: My apologies, we'll take this in a different direction. What should be the first thing Senator Obama does to unite what will be a pretty divided country? |
| Michael Ryan: Well... The first thing is that he should really want to do it. I believe he does, but with such a big majority in Congress there won't be a tremendous amount of pressure on him to reach across the aisle. And some Democrats may discourage him from doing so. One thing he can do is make a speech making it clear to conservatives that he believes in the Constitution, that he isn't the socialist many view him as, and that the government won't resemble France or Venezuela anytime soon. It will be a tall order. But McCain's supporters need to take his words to heart and extend their hand to the Obama camp as well. |
| mikewynn: If Obama holds on and wins Florida, Norh Carolina and Virginia, what will that mean the solid South can no longer be considered a given for Republicans? |
| Michael Ryan: With the shifting demographics in this country, nothing can be taken for granted. In fact, Republicans better see this night as a wakeup call: Their message of smaller government, self-reliance and low taxes is falling on deaf ears. They need to find ways to expand the tent, or the solid South will exist only in history books. |
| Michael Ryan: And, oh by the way, George W Bush and his cohorts in Congress did great violence to the GOP brand... |
| Connor Threlkeld: On that topic, what must the Republican Party do to be competitive again on a national level? |
| hba: When you look at the diversity of the crowd at Grant Park and the lack of diversity in the crowd at McCain's event, it's clear that the Republicans need to expand their tent. |
| Michael Ryan: 1. Hope that Obama falls on his face. 2. Groom some future leaders, with an eye toward diversity 3. Get the hell back to conservatism! The Constitution! Freedom from an overbearing government! I could go on... |
| mikewynn: How much finger-pointing is there going to be among Republicans about what happened today? |
| Michael Ryan: I agree hba! Republican leaders need to get three hours' sleep tonight and start working on that tent in the morning. Not by promising stuff, but by finding ways to prove that their message of individual freedoms and responsibility fits in well with traditions and needs in minority communities. |
| Michael Ryan: RE: fingerpointing. A lot. First at the McCain campaign's ineptness. Some at McCain himself for not going after Obama on his questionable associations. And conservatives will say this proves Republicans can't win by trying to imitate Democrats. |
| Michael Ryan: You know, Zell's book title "A National Party No More" was aimed at Democrats. It seems more apt tonight toward Republicans... |
| Connor Threlkeld: It looks like our hour is up, so I would like to thank editorial page editor Michael Ryan for stopping by. Our next chat will feature Mallory Millender, a Paine College journalism professor and community activist. |
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