Top 10 Moments of Campaign '08

This post, submitted by TNG Editorial Assistant Corey, is part of a series of political countdowns through November 5th.



There are a few days left in this long campaign, but we've already had plenty of moments to reflect on. It has been one of the most wide-open races in decades, with no incumbent president or vice president running and lots at stake. As usual, American democracy proved a catalyst for many twists and turns as the race unfolded.

Here are my top 10 moments in the campaign - those that were most hilarious, shocking, and ultimately game-changing. Think I left something out? The comments section awaits your picks!


10. Fred Thompson's (Non)Entry
I know it was awhile back, but see if you can recall the summer of 2007, when the Republican race was still wide open. A former senator from Tennessee and television actor, Fred Thompson, became a conservative favorite to jump into the race - especially after he made this hilarious video saying he "didn't have time" to debate Michael Moore. Little did voters know that he also didn't have much time to run for president, and when he finally jumped in, he seemed pretty content to sit around and watch himself lose.

9. Going Squirrely Over ACORN
For me this has been the craziest story of the campaign. The McCain campaign has been going wild over accusations that ACORN - a group that registers low-income people to vote - has committed "voter fraud" by registering fake voters with names like Mickey Mouse. What they fail to tell you is that voter fraud is when someone actually votes illegally; this is voter registration fraud, an important difference given that in this case, no votes will actually be cast illegally. Why not? Unless people have identification proving that they are indeed Jon Bon Jovi and that they live at their stated address, they are not actually going to vote.

8. Tim Russert: "We Now Know" Obama is Nominee
I was living in Turkey in May, and stayed up past sunrise to watch as Clinton lost North Carolina to Barack Obama by a large margin, and barely held onto Indiana. This prompted Tim Russert, may he rest in peace, to defiantly announce, "We now know who the Democratic nominee will be, and nobody's going to dispute it." Russert opened the floodgate for pundits to start risking an appearance of bias and to state the inevitable. Even many of her supporters were glad to finally have a clear sign that, like it or not, things were definitely over.

7. "A More Perfect Union"
After the Jeremiah Wright scandal, Obama's political future was in serious question. His response - a speech called "A More Perfect Union" - was instantly received as being one of the best American commentaries on race in many years. It earned him the endorsement of former Clinton administration member Bill Richardson (D-N.M.), and helped him bounce back from what could have been a knock-out punch to his campaign.

6. Joe the F-ing Plumber
When John McCain first mentioned Joe the Plumber at the third presidential debate, I thought it was a good line. When he wouldn't change the subject, I thought it was a little weird. And when he made Joe the centerpiece of his campaign, I thought it was beyond disastrous. Honestly, there is no one in America I am more sick of hearing about than Joe the Plumber, and so it figures that he is pondering a campaign for congress in 2010. This guy could give the Lohan family a run for their money on opportunism.

5. Obama "1984" Ad
When Obama was still polling 20 points behind Senator Clinton, someone created this ad, itself a take on an old Apple Computers ad that played on themes from the novel "1984." I have a lot of respect for Clinton, and was fairly supportive of her at the time, but this ad made me - and a lot of people - stop and think about considering alternatives. Clinton ran her campaign largely on the idea that she would inevitably be the nominee, and this ad, in retrospect, is a perfect commentary on the fallibility of that argument.

4. McCain "Tied Up at the Time"
In Fall 2007, and in need of a big debate win, John McCain made hay over Hillary Clinton's effort to fund the Woodstock Concert Museum. After saying that he wasn't present at the concert but was sure it was a "cultural and pharmaceutical event," McCain gave the best line of the entire 2008 campaign: "I was tied up at the time," a reference to his being a POW during the Summer of Love. Not only was it hilarious, but it brought the audience to their feet cheering, and reminded Americans just how remarkable McCain's story was. Unfortunately, it was also foreshadowing of his reluctance to move beyond character issues in this campaign.

3. Meet the Palins
Even before the Couric interview - before the impeccable Tina Fey sketch - and before she thought the "GOP platform" was a metaphor for a sturdy stage of planks - McCain's announcement of Palin as his VP was one of the best moments of the whole election cycle. It was shocking and surreal, and sent the political world stumbling for answers. Soon came the questions about the parenthood of her youngest child, and the revelation that her daughter Bristol was pregnant, and from there it all started to unravel. But few moments of this long campaign were as unexpected or exciting as when the world first met Governor Sarah Palin.

2. McCain Suspends Campaign
The financial meltdown on Wall Street and John McCain's decision to suspend his campaign were surely the late-in-the-game shockers of this presidential cycle. He and Obama entered into a blinking match, with McCain saying he wouldn't attend a debate unless he had solved the financial mess first. In the end, McCain made the financial mess worse, was forced to participate in the debate, and saw his small lead in the polls drop faster than the Dow Index. The suspension infuriated David Letterman, whom McCain stood up as he suspended his campaign. Letterman called it an irresponsible stunt, and pointed out that a president needs to be able to do more than one thing at once - or at least have a VP who can take the reigns. This move may well have cost McCain the election.

1. The New Hampshire Primary
Going into the January primary in New Hampshire, Barack Obama - fresh off a big victory over Hillary Clinton - looked like the soon-to-be winner not just of the Granite State's primary, but of the Democratic nomination. On the Republican side Mitt Romney had been polling strong, and if he eked out a win, Michigan, Nevada, and the nomination would follow. That's when Hillary Clinton pulled an upset win for the Democrats, and John McCain - whose campaign had been called D.O.A. only months before - won for the Republicans. The result? The most fascinating primary election cycle in decades. For McCain, it marked one of the most stunning political comebacks in modern times. For Clinton, it was part of a long, historic, and admirable effort that eventually ended in defeat. And for Obama, it was a major setback in a primary season which ultimately made him a much better candidate - but one with more battle scars and party divisions. Win or lose next week, it might well be due to those 7500 voters who cost Obama the Granite State and turned the primary on its head.