President Obama, his children and First Lady Michelle Obama-on his reelection - image New York Daily News
In what should have been an upset according to some pollsters and simple math, turned into a, yet to be determined percentage of the vote in President Obama’s win of a second term. According to the New York Times, the current electoral vote count stands at President Obama with 303 electoral votes, and former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney with 206 electoral votes, 29 are currently undecided. The popular vote, according to the Times, is still ”tight” in a scenario where some pundits over the past few days believed that Romney might win the popular vote and lose the electoral college, or vice versa. What this shows those in the middle – or the moderates – is the deep divide that exists in this nation based on political ideology. One can anticipate that this division will continue throughout the next four years, and the struggle between those fiscal conservatives and those that believe bigger government is the answer, will continue.
Mitt Romney, in his concession speech, continued his theme of unity,
“I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory. His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. I wish all of them well, but particularly the president, the first lady and their daughters.
This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation.
…..
The nation, as you know, is at a critical point. At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work. And we citizens also have to rise to the occasion.
We look to our teachers and professors, we count on you not just to teach, but to inspire our children with a passion for learning and discovery. We look to our pastors and priests and rabbis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the enduring principles upon which our society is built: honesty, charity, integrity and family. We look to our parents, for in the final analysis everything depends on the success of our homes. We look to job creators of all kinds. We’re counting on you to invest, to hire, to step forward. And we look to Democrats and Republicans in government at all levels to put the people before the politics.
(Full Text of Mitt Romney’s Concession Speech here Via the Boston Globe)
The concession speech given by Mitt Romney was typical of his governance of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the opportunity for the nation to have a truly bi-partisan leader has been lost, unfortunately, there are few moderates left in the great political divide that is our nation, the balance being far to the left or far to the right, with little room for discussion and party unity placed before the people whom they are supposed to represent.
In the end, however, it is what it is, another election come and gone, with disappointments and jubilation and to that end, it is hoped that President Obama, with the campaign behind him and in his final term, become the moderate he had presented. It is also hoped that the economy will improve, despite the conventional conservative wisdom that there will continue to be fewer jobs, taxes will increase exponentially on the middle class and the weight and regulations of the Affordable Health Care act will affect the middle class and specifically seniors in both taxes as well as decreased care.
The economy, and the focus on the economy, is not about greed nor rich nor poor, it is, unfortunately, the sad truth that, at one time every American had a chance at personal gain, and that chance has become narrowed, as those who do go onto college find themselves burdened with debt and little in the way of qualified jobs to sustain that debt. The fact that there are only a finite number of taxpayers to the huge demands of the ever growing federal government is of concern as that affects the poorest in this nation. When the tax base is narrowed, and those dependent upon government, the employees of that government (including teachers, firefighters, etc.) and the poor (those receiving benefits) may end up finding themselves with fewer opportunities. The debt of the nation, which is everyone’s reponsiblity through the tax system, will fall short without an overhaul or equitable tax reform. There simply are not enough “billionaires and millionaires” to support the system. It is hoped, that with the election behind him, the President with four years left, will abandon his base, and lead from the center. It may be that those on the right that feel that the President is too far to the left ideologically are dead wrong. It is the hope that they are, as the socialist ideology is one which cannot be sustained in a nation of this size, regardless of the “dreams” of those Progressives who in ivory towers still hold the Soviet Union up upon some sort of pedestal.
Therefore, this is President Obama’s opportunity to truly unite the nation, to become the moderate he has marketed to a majority of American’s. To date, many of us how lean to the right, might have reason to be unconvinced, yet one hopes to be proven wrong, and one prays that the President, and those in the Senate and the House, will temper there “crazy” side and look towards he American people with both compassion for the poor and a need to work towards a common goal of recovery.
That said, it really does go against the grain of human nature as well as the political machines that run the nation, which brings up the need for reform on the political side, and a real need for a third party – a party of the middle, not to the right nor the left, but one that bases its ideology on the side of fiscal sanity. As to the social issues that drive both sides of the aisle, they have all been duped – and why? There will be no movement on Abortion, Gay Marriage, women’s ‘equality”, simply because those are the “political footballs” of both parties, nothing will, nor should it change, as many of those are also religious issues. Therefore those who feel strongly that abortion is morally wrong, that gay marriage is morally wrong, may want to realize these are religious preference issues, not issues belonging to a government that is, in truth, too vested in the political process to change.
As to 2016 – and yes, it starts now, one to watch is the newly elected Senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, or as her Progressive supporters believe, the next President of the United States. As to the Republican side, it is too early to tell, but one should watch Mark Rubio, the Florida Senator. What is unknown is the “third” party candidate, for there should be a third party within the next two years, which rejects the status quo.
Finally, as to those that are emotionally vested in an election, it is fine to be disappointed in a loss, however, it is really only politics, and it is not the end of the world as we know it (unless of course, one is deeply vested in the Mayan Calendar, this all of the aforementioned is a moot point). Find your inner sense of humor, and look at the opportunities ahead, for they are there simply because these United States of America remains a free nation, the only free nation that exists. If however your concern is such that you are compelled to get up and move – head to Arkansas: which has become a solid Republican state (NY Times), the first time since the Reconstruction of 1865!(Historyworld).
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