2008: A Year of Change

At the end of 2008 we now know that America was ready to elect an African American president.

We know that younger Americans can and will vote but they have to be inspired by a dynamic candidate.

Yes, Barack Obama won the Presidential election. That alone would make 2008 the year of “change”. The President isn’t the only thing that changed in 2008, however.

Politics
This morning I was thinking back to the beginning of 2008. Back when the frontrunners for the Presidential election were Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. The Giuliani campaign may have fizzled out early in the year, but Clinton surged toward the end of the primary season.

Ultimately, however, change won out. The Mavericky John McCain won out over the candidate who was little more than a noun a verb and 9/11. Barack Obama won out over the more experienced and inevitable Clinton machine.

There are many in the media – and even friends I talk to – who believe that Obama won the general election only because of the economic crisis. I would prefer to believe, however, that America was ready for something new and different. A President who listens and thinks more that he decides and who can manage to rule through consensus with former rivals.

We also learned that the coattails from the Presidential Candidate extend only so far. Many Congressional candidates and Gubernatorial candidates coasted into office in the wake of Obama’s campaign, but the control of State Legislatures remained mostly unchanged.

Economics
In 2008 we learned that bankers aren’t geniuses. We’ve learned that they didn’t know any more about the economy or their wildly complex investment and risk strategies than we did. The straw castle that they had built on the backs of American homeowners was exposed only after it had collapsed and smothered the rest of the World Economy.

We saw our Congressional leaders move quickly to shore up the companies that had destroyed the economy but refuse to help Americans who make up the backbone of our nations manufacturing base.

Americans now know that we are active participants in our own economy. A drop in value of our homes can collapse the world’s economy. Our spending habits can make or break large corporations. Our economic power has turned voodoo economics on its head causing our new leaders to begin talking about trickle UP economics.

Media
The mass media was changing for years before 2008, but in the past year, large media outlets have learned that they must keep up with changing dynamics if they are to maintain their impact on the American political psyche.

In 2008, one of the greatest political commentators and perhaps the greatest interviewer still regularly appearing on television died suddenly. Tim Russert was looking forward to covering the 2008 Presidential Election and may have been the first national media figure to say that this would be an election like no other. Russert was such a powerhouse that it took three people to fill his shoes.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

MSNBC became the yin to Fox News’ yang. In what became the most savvy business moves of 2008, MSNBC filled their evening lineup with progressive commentators who consistently outperformed their conservative counterparts. Who would have guessed at the height of Fox’s dominance that another 24 hour news channel would hire a sports journalist and radio talk show host, and that they would become the public voice and face of progressive America. Many of us were thrilled to finally see the emergence of the mainstream liberal media.

2008 was certainly a year of change and I can’t help but feel sad and relieved that it’s finally over. I’m relieved that now my 401K may begin to recover along with the greater world economy. I’m sad that many of the in-depth policy discussions that powered this election year will begin to diminish as Americans leave policy decisions up to their new elected officials.