Presidential Elections of 2008



Presidential Elections of 2008

Introduction

The presidential election, which took place in 2008, turned out holding a remarkable proportion, as it was the first time in the United States of America that a black man became the president of the United States. The victory of President Barack Obama occurred in a dramatic manner, with non-conventional account participation rates, exceptionally competitive party primaries, party candidates, spikes in voter registration, aggressive grassroots mobilization efforts, individual campaign contributions and high Election Day turnout. In addition to this, the elections of 2008 were the first after the implementation of the recent system of presidential nomination through primaries. In this system, none of the leading party has the candidate's name on the Ballot paper.

Apart from the historic significance which Obama's victory gained, it also procreated a number debates which are worth-noticing. On the top of these debates, the topic of race and discrimination exist. Precisely, some commentators argue that the issues of racial discrimination are over within the United States, and the victory of Barak Obama is an evidence of it. In particular, some commentators suggested that Obama's victory has marked the beginning of a new era called the post-racial era in which the significance and consequences of race is very low (Luo, 2008).

Discussion

A recent article discussed the aspects of an on-going debate on the topic of racially polarized voting in the presidential elections of 2008. The comments available on the electoral success of Barak Obama offer some insights to the attitudes prevailing in the United States related to the pace of racial progression. However, there are more pragmatic and immediate issues for people who study and impeach the claims of vote dilution under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The value of presidential elections of 2008 challenges the future efforts for ...