Journos Will Look Dumb if Mac Wins

If John McCain pulls off a surprise victory, reporters who predicted a landslide for Barack Obama are going to look for head-space in the sand, writes Jack Shafer in the Washington Post—unless they quickly whip off one of these articles:

• "McCain's Michigan Miracle." When McCain pulled out of the state, Obama assumed he'd won, and voters decided to reconsider.
• "The Economy Boomerang." Bailout plans in the US and Europe calmed Americans' fears, so they voted against "change" after all.

• "New Voter No-Shows." New voters, who skew heavily Democrat, stayed home on election day—as they often do.
• "The Curse of Bob Shrum." Campaign consultant Shrum has never gotten a candidate elected. His prediction of an Obama victory was enough to kill his chances.
• "The Obama Bubble." The real estate and stock market were both bubbles; Obama's lead in the polls was just another one waiting to pop.

For more reasons why Obama lost, click on the link below.
(More Election 2008 stories.)