--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In any case, open-seat presidential…" description: "\"In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent reelects, and I think that's the most important ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/william-kristol-9091_acceptable_in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elect_36353.jpg" --- # In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008… ![“In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent reelects, and I think that's the most important thing about this election - is that once there's an incumbent running for reelection, most of the debate is about, "Has he [Barack Obama] done a…” quote by William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/william-kristol-9091_acceptable_in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elect_36353.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/william-kristol-9091_acceptable_in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elect_36353.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/william-kristol-9091_acceptable_in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elect_36353.jpg) > “In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent reelects, and I think that's the most important thing about this election - is that once there's an incumbent running for reelection, most of the debate is about, "Has he \[Barack Obama\] done a good job?" Most of the judgment is, "Do you want to keep him or do you want to replace him?" Now, the opponent has to also be acceptable and has to make his own case.” [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Open-seat elections shift focus from incumbent performance to evaluating alternatives, making candidate acceptability crucial. **In simple terms:** Incumbent vs. challenger dynamics Key Takeaway Candidate quality matters more in open races Themes political strategy voter behavior election dynamics campaign messaging Mood analytical critical Type analytical explanatory When to use this quote - voter decision‑making - campaign planning - media analysis Key Concepts incumbency candidate evaluation public opinion Practical Applications - political consulting - civic education Questions to Reflect On - How does incumbent presence shape campaign narratives? - What criteria should voters prioritize when no incumbent runs? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Presidential election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidential-election/) [Reelection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reelection/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [If you're running for reelection in the House of Representatives race, you know, it's very important to you that you be on fairly good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-re-running-for-reelection-in-the-house-of-representatives-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When someone is running for reelection in Texas, they're not looking for votes in California or New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-g-levin/when-someone-is-running-for-reelection-in-texas-they-re-not-looking/) [Ezra G. 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I'll just rely on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/so-i-d-be-quite-happy-to-have-a-three-hour-lincoln-douglas-style/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The joke I always make is I'm either running for reelection, running for Senate, running for governor, or running for my life. The latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/the-joke-i-always-make-is-i-m-either-running-for-reelection-running/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“This is a classic ploy familiar to revolutionary leaders throughout history: the failure of the revolution proves the need to radicalize it. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lilla/this-is-a-classic-ploy-familiar-to-revolutionary-leaders-throughout/) [Mark Lilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lilla/) > [ I think the whole dynamic is different. 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Donald Trump needs a lot of competent people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/first-of-all-legally-it-s-hard-to-do-these-things-get-rid-of/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [The liberal media were never that powerful, and the whole thing was often used as an excuse by conservatives for conservative failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/the-liberal-media-were-never-that-powerful-and-the-whole-thing-was/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [ I think that's what's - one of the things that is alarming to me is \[Donald\] Trump, and I think Trump supporters seem to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/i-think-that-s-what-s-one-of-the-things-that-is-alarming-to-me-is/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [ I'm disappointed, depressed, and demoralized. \[...\] It is very hard to avoid the conclusion that President Bush flinched from a fight on constitutional philosophy.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/i-m-disappointed-depressed-and-demoralized-it-is-very-hard-to-avoid/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [ I think \[Donald Trump\] will do something on immigration. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/i-think-donald-trump-will-do-something-on-immigration/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [If you look at the polls - the conservatives are fine.I think there will be a fair amount of enthusiasm, or at least motivation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/if-you-look-at-the-polls-the-conservatives-are-fine-i-think-there/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [I don't think you want political parties that are entirely driven by some extremely doctrinal ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/i-don-t-think-you-want-political-parties-that-are-entirely-driven-by/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [The trouble with politics and political coverage today is that there's too much liberal bias… There's too much tilt toward the left-wing agenda. 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Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) Browse all 750 Acceptable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent reelects, and I think that's the most important thing about this election - is that once there's an incumbent running for reelection, most of the debate is about, \"Has he [Barack Obama] done a good job?\" Most of the judgment is, \"Do you want to keep him or do you want to replace him?\" Now, the opponent has to also be acceptable and has to make his own case.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Kristol" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elections-like-2008-just-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acceptable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elections-like-2008-just-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/william-kristol-9091_acceptable_in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elect_36353.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/william-kristol-9091_acceptable_in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elect_36353.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/william-kristol-9091_acceptable_in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elect_36353.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent…” — William Kristol", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William Kristol", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In any case, open-seat presidential elections...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elections-like-2008-just-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elections-like-2008-just-are/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```