Obama, Newsom and other Election Winners and LosersRandy Shawbyline‚ Nov. 06‚ 2008The people of the United States and the entire world were the big winners this week, with Barack Obama’s victory being compared to the first man on the moon and the ending of slavery. My daughter teaches at a middle school in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, and on the morning after the election the teary-eyed principal played Obama’s victory speech while the students--all of color--chanted “Yes We Can.” Similar inspiring scenes are occurring across the country, as the sense of a new beginning is palpable. But there were also losers this week, and topping the list is the Republican Party and its media allies. Also high on this list is gay marriage advocates and their champion, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose gubernatorial ambitions took a major hit with Prop 8’s victory. Here is an analysis of why some of my election predictions failed, as well as my list of the top five winners and losers for November 2008. |