Republicans won Election 2004 because they have better political skills and have done a better job of framing issues, Atlantic Monthly national correspondent James Fallows told a crowd of about 100 people Monday in the McCormick Tribune Center.

Fallows said he supported Sen. John F. Kerry in the election, but President Bush exhibited more “tactical and strategic ability” in campaigning and was more successful at casting his opponent in a negative light.

“This election was won by Republicans, not lost by Democrats,” Fallows said in the speech, which was presented by the Medill School of Journalism as part of the Crain Lecture Series. “Republicans made dishonest arguments, but they were more convincing.”

Several misconceptions threaten to confuse the public’s understanding of the election results, Fallows said. In particular, Bush did not win the election because of increased turnout of “values voters.”

Although exit polls showed that the most important issue influencing voters was moral values, Fallows said Iraq and the war on terrorism were actually more important. They were given as separate options on the exit polls, but adding them together makes them the foremost issue on voters’ minds.

Bush’s actions over the next four years are difficult to determine and predict, Fallows said. The president likes the idea of surprising people, but what kind of gamble he will take is uncertain.

“There will inevitably be second term blues,” Fallows said. “But we don’t know if there will be scandals or infighting or something else.”

Fallows also commented on the media’s role in the election, saying he was disappointed by the increasing partisanship that has led to differences in voters’ conceptions of the facts.

“A large number of voters believed we found (weapons of mass destruction) in Iraq and a direct link between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 terror attacks,” Fallows said. “Medill students should go into the business and attempt to make it better.”

Fallows said the journalism field has become more market-driven since it was deregulated and since cable television introduced more options. Though some change is inevitable, he said he hopes more “good journalists” will enter the field.

Communication sophomore Elizabeth Byorick said she thought Fallows’ speech was well-structured, but it left her wanting to know more.

“I think Fallows’ insight was valuable, but only in the sense of retrospect,” she said. “I wanted to know what could have been done differently.”

Reach David Spett at [email protected].

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patrick markan/the daily northwestern

Jim Fallows, national correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly, discusses the recent election at Monday’s Crain Lecture Series event.