Candidates' electability

The 2008 Presidential campaign is a surprised. Indeed, based on the controversial results of the Bush administration partly because of the Iraq war, a democratic victory seemed to be easy. In Europe, we are used to what we call alternance or the change in power. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, people think that belonging to the same political party than George W. Bush is a handicap. It makes no doubt that a democratic candidate is going to win, and it is the reason why the European media are largely covering Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s campaigns. Yet, the campaign is widely more open than it appears to be and, like in every presidential race, candidates have to prove their ability to resolve people’s issues. Democratic candidates have no advantage over republican ones. A January-14 article published in the New York Times points out that Senators Clinton and Obama have both to fight to prove their electability. Obama’s victory in Iowa and Clinton’s one in New Hampshire have shown democratic voters’ confidence in the two candidates for competing against a republican. Surprisingly, republican candidates don’t have this electability issue. More substantial issues seem to be at stake according to a survey conducted by the New York Times. Americans’ prime concern is no longer the Iraq war, but the economy; 62 percent said they believe that the economy is getting worse. For republican sympathizers, now the question is which candidate will be able to improve the country’s economy. This survey points out the role played by voters in setting the agenda; if the Iraq war is no longer their main concern, it is going to help republican candidates to put a distance between them and the Bush administration.

Post inspired by article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/us/politics/14poll.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin