The Obama victory : how media, money, and message shaped the 2008 election / Kate Kenski, Bruce W. Hardy, Kathleen Hall Jamieson.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [319]-368) and index.

The economy and the unpopular incumbent -- McSame versus the tax-and-spend liberal -- McCain: out of touch/too old -- Obama: not ready to lead -- Period one:McCain gains energy (June 7-August 22) -- Period two: impact of the vice presidential selections and conventions (August 23-September 9) -- The impact of Sarah Palin and Joseph Biden -- Period three: the campaigns confront the economic collapse (September 10-October 14) -- Period four: the McCain surge (October 15-28) -- Period five: be very, very afraid/be reassured (October 29-November 4) -- Absentee and early voting in the 2008 campaign -- Spending differences and the role of microtargeting -- The effect of messages.

Barack Obama's stunning victory in the 2008 presidential election will go down as one of the more pivotal in American history. Given America's legacy of racism, how could a relatively untested first-term senator with an African father defeat some of the giants of American politics? In The Obama Victory, Kate Kenski, Bruce Hardy, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson draw upon the best voter data available, The National Annenberg Election Survey, as well as interviews with key advisors to each campaign, to illuminate how media, money, and messages shaped the 2008 election. They explain how both sides worked the media to reinforce or combat images of McCain as too old and Obama as not ready; how Obama used a very effective rough-and-tumble radio and cable campaign that was largely unnoticed by the mainstream media; how the Vice Presidential nominees impacted the campaign; how McCain's age and Obama's race affected the final vote, and much more.