2008 Mock Election

[Republican_Carpetbagger]

I suspect that this topic has already been done before, but how did John McCain win this site’s 2008 mock presidential election? Considering the left-leaning character of this site, Barack Obama’s near-landslide victory in the actual election, and the overall anti-neocon/anti-Bush/anti-evangelical sympathies that I imagine that most Internet forum posters circa 2008 had, I initially expected Obama to win overwhelmingly. Did the Atlas’s politically savvy users dislike Obama’s attitude (which many found to be irreverent or irresponsible)? Were they drawn to McCain’s professionalism, experience, and moderate politics? Was the character of the Atlas just more right-wing in 2008 than it is now (The hard-right was also arguably a mainstay in the early days of Internet forums)? It’s probably a combination of these if not one that includes other factors that I forgot to mention.

[Sestak]

First of all, I don't think this forum was nearly as tilted towards the left/Dems then as it is now; a lot of the current alignment comes from 2016 and Trump-era joiners, and even more from circa 2012.  Also, a lot more longtime posters seemingly have shifted left than shifted right. Obviously I'm not the most qualified to fill in the details, but the forum's political leans weren't always this obtuse.

Well nvm I was wrong lol

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Basically, (a) voting in mock elections is limited to registered members of Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas, and (b) that is not the same thing as being a poster on Atlas Forum (though there is obviously some overlap). In 2008 IIRC, the mock election was flooded by non-forumites who joined Atlas specifically to vote for McCain.

[IceSpear]

I think it got Freeped. Just like the 2012 one got Daily Paul'd.

[Grassroots]

I think it got Freeped. Just like the 2012 one got Daily Paul'd.

This. We got a shoutout from partisan sites both times.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Atlas lol may just have a tradition of supporting the losing candidates

[OSR stands with Israel]

First of all, I don't think this forum was nearly as tilted towards the left/Dems then as it is now; a lot of the current alignment comes from 2016 and Trump-era joiners, and even more from circa 2012.  Also, a lot more longtime posters seemingly have shifted left than shifted right. Obviously I'm not the most qualified to fill in the details, but the forum's political leans weren't always this obtuse.

Well nvm I was wrong lol

Nope its true I did an interactive TL in 2016 and the results of every election was super close every time and Republicans won many times as well(I believe mine went from 1988-2012) . It happened on many Interactive TL's as well.


Then I did a similar one in 2017 and Democrats won every time