It seems as though the 2008 Obama/McCain election was the longest campaign in history. Remember in January 2007 when Hillary announced her intent to seek the White House bid. Shortly after, in February 2007 Obama announced his intent to run for president. In April 2007 McCain announced his candidacy.
And the battle began.
For months until Obama officially secured the nomination, the spotlight was on the Democratic prospects. What was going to be a historic result, regardless of the outcome, the coverage that surrounded Clinton and Obama seemed to saturate every media outlet around the country.
Eventually however the Democratic and Republican candidates were settled and in February 2008, McCain and Obama went head-to-head in a 10-month campaign that would certainly be remembered forever as one of the most historic elections in American history.
The slew of campaign advertisements on TV:
Obama’s “Still” Ad:
McCain Fires Back:
Obama’s historic speeches:
The thought of Hillary being named VP and the shocking announcement of Sarah Palin:
Obama’s text message announcing Biden as his running mate:
The number of celebrities and young voters who supported each of the candidates:
The countless parodies:
The emergence of technology tools to engage voters around the country:
And, the announcement of the country’s first African American president:
Of course, the list of examples could go on forever as can the number of historic breakthroughs. Personally I will never forget (and especially after taking this class) the role technology and social media played in the campaign. I can only imagine the reach the Internet will have on future elections. Clearly, as Obama demonstrated time and time again – the possibilities are endless.
