Inside Media: Election 2008 with Tony Blankley
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- Tony Blankley talks about the expectation that Obama will win and gives his prediction on the number of seats the Democrats will win in the House and Senate.
- Blankley discusses whether this election foreshadows a sea change in the political landscape.
- Blankley discusses the implications of John McCain choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate.
- Blankley characterizes McCain's campaign team as 'instant response experts”; says no one is crafting a message that conveys a vision for the future.
Guest: Tony Blankley
Washington Times columnist Tony Blankley said it would have surprised him if Sen. Barack Obama didn’t win the 2008 election.
"Anything other than that would shock every professional I know," said Blankley on the Sunday before the historic vote for the presidency of the United States.
The one-time speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan said Obama "has done everything right," pointing to his impressive use of the Internet to raise campaign funds. He said other politicians, namely Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton, never really understood how to use the Web to their advantage.
McCain managed to gain some momentum after choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a vice presidential pick. Blankley believes Palin "brought life to the Republican Party."
But how huge has the Palin factor been?
"The NRA was staying out of the campaign, but when she got the nomination, they threw their support her way," said Blankley, who believes McCain’s biggest problem has always been "his lack of vision for the future."
"The American people want to know what’s ahead for the next four years, not where we’ve been. It was "a very backwards-looking campaign," he added.
Although critical of McCain’s message, Blankley’s assessment of the election coverage was far less disparaging.
"I would give the media a pass. It does get into moods about what it thinks is important or not important. It’s all a matter of taste," he said.
Blankley also cautioned that an Obama presidency doesn’t mean the end of the Republican Party, especially if history is any indicator.
Elections are won in cycles, so look for "the Democrats to take the White House and hold it for two elections and the Republicans will be back in 2016," he predicted.
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