Correlation does not prove causation, but…

The most significant achievement of the 2008 campaign is just how pervasive and interwoven it became in our global society. The Deanie babies planted the seeds in 2004. This year, the United States presidential campaign turned into veritable kudzu. It consumed many an attention span and schedule for months and even years. As exhausted as anyone who followed much less covered the whole process may be now, it must be acknowledged what an amazing time it was. That candidate (now president-elect) Obama could turn his political message into a worldwide social outreach is awesome (truly, and not in the surfer sense). As everyone has said in every way possible, Obama registered such success because he seized the opportunities of the Internet and social media. This was the ground-breaking moment for the beginning of what our country needs – change.
I think what surprised me most was a dual discovery. The first element of this is that polls of voter disposition are gathered mainly through calling landline phones. Coupled with the fact that 30% of the youth-voter demographic only owns mobile phones, and that youth swings liberal and Democrat, I was stunned to realize that there existed such a swath of un-polled and un-targeted opinions. The second element of my surprise was the apparent discrepancy with how the two political parties treated this 30% of youth. I hesitate to say that Obama won because his campaign collected the cell phone numbers of his supporters to further target them. Correlation does not prove causation, so I will say this: Obama’s campaign collected and used cell phone numbers. Obama’s campaign won. McCain’s campaign did not collect nearly as many cell phone numbers. McCain’s campaign did not win. Again, perhaps the Republican ticket did not lose because it did not take advantage of current technology, but: the Republican campaign did not take advantage of current technology. The Republican campaign did not win the election. I am surprised that the Republican Party did not learn this earlier in the campaign, and so was not able to adjust or fix this issue.
Truly, though, what surprised me most is that my (ultra conservative) uncle Charlie did not move out of the country when Obama won the election, as he swore up and down he would. Uncle Charlie also thinks that the District of Columbia should revert to a ten-block federal city encompassing the White House and Capitol buildings, and that all the rest of the land and residents should turn back into Maryland. Best of luck there, Charles.