[media-credit name=’LUKAS KEAPPROTH/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]

University of Wisconsin political science professors and community members discussed the challenges President-elect Barack Obama will face, from social environment to campaign finances.

Political science professor Byron Shafer discussed the importance of the economy, which was the No. 1 issue among voters.

“If the credit crisis can make Obama president, maybe it can make his presidency, too,” Shafer said.

Shafer said Republicans did not foresee the economy being front and center, but instead would have liked the main issue to be foreign policy or the Iraq war.

With Obama outspending Republican opponent John McCain by around $500 million in the general election, Shafer said the scene of public financing has changed, destroying the prospect of campaign finance reform in the near future.

Political science professor David Canon said the young vote came through Nov. 4, citing the high turnout of 18- to 29-year-old voters who participate in the election.

“In many states, 18- to 29-year-old voters actually turned out at a rate that was comparable to the level of population … which has never happened before since the 18-year-olds had the right to vote in 1972,” Canon said.

In Wisconsin, the youth vote made up 22 percent of the electorate, from an average 21percent in previous elections. According to Canon, this was an important factor in Obama’s victory.

Canon added this was especially important for Obama since the youth vote was overwhelmingly in his favor — 66 percent against 32 percent for McCain.

“If you look at the exit poll numbers, I think you can see that there are some hints here of the transformational nature of this election,” Canon said. “Whether or not this is short-lived or long-lived, we will not know for some time.”

The professors also discussed the environment Obama will face as president and the high expectations many have for him.

“Expectations for Obama are higher than probably any president since Roosevelt,” said political science professor Kenneth Mayer.

Mayer focused on what Obama would do from here, saying it is important to figure out who will be in his administration early in the transition process.

The professors agreed Obama will have to choose wisely what to focus on first in his government.

“We have to look at what we learned about Obama in the campaign and the way he conducted himself in the campaign,” Canon said. “To me, he shows a lot of the kind of leadership skills that I think do point to a successful president.”