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Sat 11 Nov 2008Election result reflects a cultural shift from brawn to brain
CULTURE SHOCK: FROM A cultural perspective, the most interesting thing about the American elections is that they were not dominated by culture. The idea, pioneered by Lee Atwater and perfected by Karl Rove, that "culture wars" could replace economic interests, failed this time. This was not for want of trying, of course, writes Fintan O'Toole
The Republicans, with their attempts to paint Obama as "elitist" and "un-American" and their attempts to woo the white working-class with Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber, did their damndest to repeat the strategy that has been so successful in the past. But they couldn't make it work well enough to win.
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