Blogging From The Future: John McCain Wins The Presidency (Or How The Clintons Gave John McCain The White House)

By BlackJack

The White House - Washington, D.C. (November 5, 2008) - While it went unsaid in any speech or press release from the newly elected John McCain or his staff, many within his inner circle will privately admit they owe much to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) for their victory yesterday. As has been rumored since Clinton won the Democratic Party nomination, the McCain campaign was delighted to face Mrs. Clinton, the former First Lady and current New York Senator, instead of the highly popular Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).

America rejected the Democratic candidate who campaigned on a platform of change even in the face of a deepening recession, unpopular war and record federal deficits - all attributable to the Republican Administration of McCain's predecessor, George W. Bush. With all of those factors, Americans distrust and apparent hatred of Hillary Clinton, whether deserved or not, was enough to give John McCain an easy victory after months of intense and sometimes bitter campaigning.

Sen. Obama's supporters are left wondering what could have been. Many of them will be talking about the probability that their candidate could have won the election - pointing to the fact that the first-term Senator from Illinois was able to bring throngs of young voters to his campaign unlike any candidate in recent memory. His appeal was wide and was even able to bring many Republicans and Independent voters to his camp.

For the Obama faithful the now infamous "dirty tricks" of the Clinton campaign machine leading up to the Democratic Convention in Colorado was enough to fracture the party into two separate factions and cause irreparable harm to the party's prospects for victory in the election. They will undoubtedly point to the fact that Obama won the popular vote leading up to the nomination and, until after Clinton's Ohio victory in early March, held more delegates and super-delegates.

When Sen. Obama gave his primary night speech in San Antonio, TX on March 4th, congratulating Mrs. Clinton on her apparent victory in Ohio, many in the media were quick to point out the difference in the campaigning style of the two candidates. Whereas Mrs. Clinton had been using fear tactics in her TV ads and complaining loudly that the media was biased towards the young Senator, Obama was seen as being both dignified and "presidential" in his campaigning.

In the days leading up to the pivotal Democratic primaries in Ohio and Texas, Sen. Clinton's husband and former President Bill Clinton had said the the campaign would most likely end if they lost either state. But as early returns from Ohio began to point towards a probable victory the campaign quickly spun the win into a need to press on and continue the bitter fight.

Following the Ohio and Texas battle many Democratic leaders privately and publicly asked the Clinton campaign to concede the race to Obama, who at that point had a majority of party delegates and had a seemingly clear path to the nomination in Denver. Instead the campaign increased it's pressure on the party super-delegates to go against the popular vote.

Using traditionally Republican tactics, the Clinton camp used every tool in it's box to turn both the party and the media against Sen. Obama. Many insiders admit that Obama was unable to effectively campaign spending a majority of his time playing defense against what have proven to be false accusations and slanderous rumours - most of which are directly attributable to the Clinton's themselves.

Tonight the McCain campaign celebrates it's victory, thanking Clinton in whispers and chuckles, and begins it's preparations for the next 4 years in the White House. And tonight the Obama faithful are left to wonder what could have been and, perhaps, begin planning for the election season of 2012.