Media: Profs, students speak about elections

Profs assess New North’s red-to-blue shift in 2008
Across the country yesterday, traditionally Republican areas voted for Democrats, national media reported. Northeastern Wisconsin was no different. “What you’re seeing is a similar pattern, which is lots of areas that used to be red are going blue,” Prof. Michael Kraft told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “A lot of exit polls are telling us it’s the economy. People feel at a real loss with the state of the economy — we’re in a recession that could be a severe, long-lasting recession. I think people sense that. … They’re not at all happy with the current occupant of the White House or with the current Congress. In many ways, Brown County is sort of typical of some of these states we’re looking at.” Prof. Tim Meyer told the paper that the shift may or may not be permanent. “This only positions the Democrats, at this point, in kind of a temporary position,” Meyer was quoted. “They’ve got the ball, and what’ll they do with it? … If they drop the ball, it’s pretty easy to think about how it might revert back.”
Read article.

Coverage includes student views
Two UW-Green Bay students spoke to the Green Bay Press-Gazette on Election Day. Read what Kathy Koehne and Jeff Boness thought about President-Elect Barack Obama. Go to article.

Kraft on WPR
Prof. Michael Kraft spent an hour Wednesday morning on the Joy Cardin show on Wisconsin Public Radio, talking about the elections and Obama’s “early” win. Click here.
Or open the Real Audio link.