How Much Have WE Changed?

Not very much, apparently.

How did Obama reach his 5% victory? With a slight shift, not a massive landslide:

Senator Obama ran four points better nationally than John Kerry did in 2004 and 2.5 points better than Al Gore did in 2000. These small changes on the margin meant all the difference between winning and losing

It is a tribute to his skills that Mr. Obama, the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate, won in a country that remains center-right. Most pre-election polls and the wiggly exits indicate America remains ideologically stable, with 34% of voters saying they are conservative — unchanged from 2004. Moderates went to 44% from 45% of the electorate, while liberals went to 22% from 21%.

Considering he outspent his opponent by more than 2-1, that is not such an impressive margin of victory at all...

We are still a center-right country, and if Obama and the Democrats forget it, they will get a sharp reminder in 2010 (remember 1994?).

Keys to victory next time - a candidate that can clearly ennunciate the conservative philosophy (something neither Bush I, Dole, Bush II or McCain could adequately do), better internet grassroots fund-raising, and a stronger ground presence. A swing of a few thousand voters in a handful of states is all it will take to put an end to the direction that Obama and the Democrats want to take this nation.

Incidentally, how about a quick review on how wrong the exit polls were, again:

The raw numbers forecast an 18-point Obama win, news organizations who underwrote the poll arbitrarily dialed it down to a 10-point Obama edge, and the actual margin was six.

Remember this too for 2010/12 - never believe the polls!