America has come a long way on the road to equality with gender and race
Government funding of elections is on life-support, if not terminal, as Senator McCain was hoisted on his own petard
Organization is the key
Organization in caucuses trumps name recognition
A disciplined, focused campaign can beat an unfocused, undisciplined campaign (Clinton 1992 v. George H. W. Bush)
Do not bypass Iowa or New Hampshire (Giuliani)
As usual, the pre-primary frontrunners failed to win the nominations
A tsunami drowns out all other issues
External events, the totally unexpected, often control campaigns
October surprises may have increasingly less significance in light of early voting
The mainstream media is still more powerful than talk radio, but talk radio can level the playing field
The New York Times does what it does because it can
Money doesn’t always buy electoral success (Giuliani, Connally, Forbes)
Open primaries can give a party a nominee unwanted by the party faithful
Polls are still bunk
Anger trumps reason
Snake oil sells, and voters may be seduced, even for relatively few dollars
Never underestimate the power of a free lunch offered voters in taxing economic times
Vice Presidential candidates can make a difference
It’s difficult to run with the aura of an unpopular incumbent draped around your neck (Gore 2000, McCain 2008, and partially Ford 1976)
Whether McCain or Obama wins, Governor Sarah Palin is the future of the Republican Party, just as Ronald Reagan emerged from the ashes of the 1964 Goldwater campaign
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