Obama’s Victory in 2012 National Elections: the way forward on Unemployment, Immigration and other National Issues?

Keywords and Terms: President Obama Election Night’s Speech; 303 -206 Electoral College Votes Spread; Obama’s Victory, Romney’s loss; 2012 National Elections; Voting Machines and Long Lines; Unemployment Problem; Minority Votes and the Republican Party.

Several months ago, some say couple of years, the unemployment problem had become a bane of contention for the political candidates seeking to be President-Elect of the United States of America in 2012. Voters noticed some great explanations from the sitting President why unemployment problem had not receded fast enough; and, the candidate with the business experience from the alternative party was being seriously considered by some Americans as probably the person to lead America out of its woe(s). All the more surprising, then, that President Obama is returned as the best person to lead the country out of this long standing pain or wilderness for more than 15 million unemployed Americans. Some political pundits say the reason for this, was the failure of Governor Mitt Romney to articulate his political message; others insist President Obama was a steadier, truthful and more reliable leader; and for this reason, it was inevitable that the country would return him to his office as the President of this great democracy. No indictment. No wavering. The nation saw the first African-American candidate to win the White House, the second Democrat to win a second term as President since WWII, as a clearer choice, for whatever reason in 2012.

After waiting endlessly for the election results from all the fifty states, especially that of Florida's, several pundits had moved along. Most news outlets declared victory for the incumbent after receiving results from 49 states and Obama had triumphed in two-thirds of the battle ground states. The battle ground states' contest provided fodder for arguments between the supporters of President Obama and Governor Romney. The highly contested states, euphemistically refereed to as the battle ground states, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin, were the determinant of the victory for the President. Notwithstanding the late results from the State of Florida, Americans were convinced on the night of November 6th 2012, that Barack Hussein Obama, the 44^th President of the United States, must remain in the Office to see the nation through these troubling times, or clean out the mess the Republican Party left behind in 2008. You saw how frantic the campaigns intensified in those nine swing states between the two contestants; political wisdom had taught the candidates, except you win a couple of these states in addition to your regular support bastion, the road to the White House Oval Office is rather blurry. 

Maybe that was why we saw, to some degree, that polling from those battle ground states were neck-in-neck for the two political candidates toward the end of the campaign. Only in North Carolina, did the President lose support for his agenda at the end of the day. Further, the loss for the Republican Party had been rather painful, as they saw an opening to unseat the current President out of the unemployment problem that had besieged the country; but were unable to exploit that weakness, after spending over three quarters of a billion dollar. Republican victory was not to be, because the President had the better campaign message and a greater strategic campaign team, who fought back the Republican Party's challenge. Out of this frustration, some Republican stalwarts attempted to de-legitimize the early results of the re-election of President Obama, once the winner of Ohio State was announced. However, that was a little too late, as Democrats celebrated their already convincing victories in other states that had given them enough electoral college to declare victory in the 2012 Nation Elections.

Throughout the contest, the flag bearers of the two major political parties, had offered opposing views regarding where they will like to take the country. Obama’s message was growing the economy out from the inside, working along some public options or policies that gave some relief to the middle class; and, “reasonable” taxation of the wealthy. Obama had insisted in his campaign message that for America to remain the leader of the free world, it must re-focus itself, it must wean itself off the Republican diet of over-deregulation, over-dependence on carbon-based energy source, under-taxation of the rich and extended involvement in two foreign wars.

Romney’s campaign message was as business friendly as it could get; and, probably was going to marginalize more Americans than what President Obama was offering. Few Americans believed in trickle down economics after the 2008 financial melt down. Romney was selling a product that was tarnished or discredited under former Republican Presidencies. Democrats and their flag bearer revealed their anti-Romney's message at every stop and the Republican Party candidate did not make a good case for himself as he continued to stumble at every front, from first being in support of women’s right to reproductive freedom to his anti-abortion message; again, first from being centrist in his political message during the Republican Party primary, to the “severely conservative” stance after being pronounced the party's flag bearer. Mitt Romney's candidacy was not helped by the unfortunate pronouncements of his numerous surrogates, including some running for highly contested congressional seats in their various state.

Why was it difficult for the Republicans to unseat President Obama despite a faulty economic climate? Well, if you ask Americans: Obama is doing all he could in spite of the Congressional Republican recalcitrance, to ensure that the dithering American Economy comes back alive. Throughout the campaign, Obama's Campaign strategy team had delivered a consistent message: Romney is a risky choice because he is very inconsistent in virtually all his positions or proposals. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on what political party or person you voted for, Mitt Romney proved the Obama campaign team RIGHT! How about the litany of Governor Romney’s flip flops: from self-described “progressive” running for the White House oval office to “severely conservative” after receiving the nomination of his party as the flag bearer? Romney was not only inconsistent in his campaign message, some conservative pollsters were deceiving him; while all other objective and consistent pollsters were reporting Romney loosing in many of the battle ground states, the conservative Republican pollsters were reassuring Romney that he was going to win by a landslide. What a grand Deception?

Fortunately, the Obama’s campaign message had permeated enough voters to return him back to office. With the discredit of Romney’s campaign message, many voters in the swing states – had it settled in their minds that Romney was too risky, he was a threat to their livelihood - they could not rely on the Etch-A-Sketch message of his campaign. Meanwhile, the Obama’s campaign team had accelerated its message of painting Mitt Romney as a flip-flopper, an unreliable candidate, who is more of a fair weather friend, ready to change his position to suit his audience at any time. Worse more, the underlying suspicion of Romney being a possible tax dodger and one who has disdain for the poor and under privileged, did not help matters either. Mitt Romney was so damaged or inconsistent towards the end of his campaign, some say throughout his campaign, to the extent that he became a late night host butt of joke; with David Letter pronouncing on one of his funny skits: "Hookers in Central Park, NY; God Bless their heart, would change sides like Mitt Romney for an extra tip of $20! Obama's Campaign strategists set out very earlier to Paint Romney into a hole, immediately he won his party’s nomination after a fiercely fought Republican primary. The results of the 2102 National Elections, bear their efforts out; it extended President Obama stay in the White House for another four years.

What other reasons made the Presidency of Barack Obama survive the Republican Assault? American Stock market had done rather well during his Presidency or first term; the economy had been rebounding from many quarters, and job creation in the private sector has been improving; what President Obama needed was time for his policies to start to yield the positive results that were anticipated in the coming years. Further, Obama's campaign team was going out to register younger voters who had never participated in the process and asked them to be part of the political process by voting for the first time. This was a pot of gold that ended up being advantageous for the President re-election effort. Apart from these, Obama had signed into law some landmark bills: the Affordable Cara Act, the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act, Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Law and some others, that draw back on most of the excesses that preceded his presidency. The radical entitlement reform proposal for social welfare programs by the bottom-half of the Republican ticket had become so unpopular, even among main stream Republicans, the everyone were wondering if it was a good idea at all.

Worse more, that adopted Ryan’s budget by Mitt Romney's campaign, had become so toxic, you wonder if Romney is truly a turn around business executive as he professed, who could recognize a fluke from a far off. The fear of blocking Medicaid and voucher-izing Medicare not only scared America's senior citizens, it baffled the Union workers to an extent that they dispatched lawyers and voting booth observers to all the possible trouble spots in the  swing states on election day, to keep eyes on things. Men and women in alternative lifestyles, who were interested in protecting their civil rights and interests, worked tirelessly to ensure that Romney never won. Single women did not want Roe v. Wade overturned; nor rights to reproductive freedom abrogated by Republican Party voyeurism. The possibility of reversing Roe V. Wade were very unsettling for many American women, the single ones among them went in throngs to vote in support of President Obama. The chances that the next President was going to be able to nominate at least two Justices to the US Supreme Court, was a gamble that that many supporters of President Obama weren't ready to take; they all realized the implication of Mitt Romney's victory.

The 2012 Presidential Election has come and gone. President Barack Obama, 44^th President of the United States of America, won hands down with 303 Electoral College Votes as against the 206 for his opponent, with the State of Florida still outstanding. The President won the overwhelming support of Asians, Blacks, Latinos and Single women. Political pundits lay the spread of support for Obama and a break down of the 57 million votes in a realm of: 39% Whites, 95% Blacks, 90% Latinos and Asians. In terms of the 119 million Americans who exercised their right to vote in the 2012 National Elections, the President carried only 39% of White Americans; but a handome support from single women and all the minority groups in the country. In most of the battle grounds States, President Obama won over 70% of Latinos. This issue must give the Republicans a lot to chew on. America’s demography is changing real fast; and, no party, Republican or Democrats, can ignore the presence and impact of the minority groups, especially the growing population of the Latinos and Peuto-Ricans.

The President has been acclaimed for running a good ground game and giving a beautiful closing argument during his campaign for re-election, which many Americans welcomed or were endeared. President Obama made a lot of in-road with white and minority educated single women; the Latinos voted for President Obama and largely ignored the Republican Party. The Republican Party had a bad night, with the ticket of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan moribund, Karl Rove, one of the acclaimed strategists for President W. Bush 2004 election, went into a denial mode on FOXNEWS, denying the real time election results from the State of Ohio. It was just a mess! For the loyal Republican conservatives, here are some good news: 1) The party was able to squeak in a few more Republican Governorship positions; 2) While Democrats now have twenty governors in office, Republicans have thirty. Now, the bad news: 1) Republicans lost some of the extreme Tea Party members vying for Congress in the 2012 general elections; 2) There are more women senators in congress from the Democratic Party than has ever been in the history of that chamber; 3) A number of Republicans seeking re-election back into congress shot themselves in the foot with horrendous comments; a few of them lost because they were not just good enough of disciplined for the seat.

Fortunately, President Obama and the Democrats had a very rich and resourceful election results as the Republicans were largely unable to make a very good and convincing argument, as to who could channel America to a better future. Maybe, that was why President Obama’s victory speech was not only rich, futuristic and soulful; but was also telling of the aspiration of the people who supported him for a second term. Here is the body of President’s Obama Election Night Speech as released by the Federal News Service:

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. (Sustained cheers, applause.) 

Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward. (Cheers, applause.) 

It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people. (Cheers, applause.) 

Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.

(Cheers, applause.) 

I want to thank every American who participated in this election. (Cheers, applause.) Whether you voted for the very first time -- (cheers) -- or waited in line for a very long time -- (cheers) -- by the way, we have to fix that. (Cheers, applause.) Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone -- (cheers, applause) -- whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference. (Cheers, applause.)

I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. (Cheers, applause.) We may have battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service. And that is a legacy that we honor and applaud tonight. (Cheers, applause.) In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.
(Cheers, applause.) 

I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America’s happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden. (Cheers, applause.) 

And I wouldn’t be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago. (Cheers, applause.) Let me say this publicly. Michelle, I have never loved you more. (Cheers, applause.) I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you too as our nation’s first lady. (Cheers, applause.) 

Sasha and Malia -- (cheers, applause) -- before our very eyes, you’re growing up to become two strong, smart, beautiful young women, just like your mom. (Cheers, applause.) And I am so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now, one dog’s probably enough. (Laughter.) 

To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics -- (cheers, applause) -- the best -- the best ever -- (cheers, applause) -- some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning. 

(Cheers, applause.) But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together. (Cheers, applause.) And you will have the lifelong appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way -- (cheers, applause) -- to every hill, to every valley. (Cheers, applause.) You lifted me up the whole day, and I will always be grateful for everything that you’ve done and all the incredible work that you’ve put in. (Cheers, applause.) 

I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics who tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym or -- or saw folks working late at a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you’ll discover something else. 

You’ll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who’s working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. (Cheers, applause.) You’ll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who’s going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. (Cheers, applause.) 

You’ll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who’s working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home. (Cheers, applause.)

That’s why we do this. That’s what politics can be. That’s why elections matter. It’s not small, it’s big. It’s important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy. That won’t change after tonight. And it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty, and we can never forget that as we speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter -- (cheers, applause) -- the chance to cast their ballots like we did today. 

But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America’s future.
We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers -- (cheers, applause) -- a country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation -- (scattered cheers, applause) -- with all of the good jobs and new businesses that follow.

We want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt, that isn’t weakened up by inequality, that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet. (Cheers, applause.) 

We want to pass on a country that’s safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this -- this world has ever known -- (cheers, applause) -- but also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being. 

We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America open to the dreams of an immigrant’s daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag -- (cheers, applause) -- to the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner -- (cheers, applause) -- to the furniture worker’s child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president.

That’s the -- (cheers, applause) -- that’s the future we hope for.
(Cheers, applause.) That’s the vision we share. That’s where we need to go -- forward. (Cheers, applause.) That’s where we need to go. (Cheers, applause.) 

Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock, resolve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. 

But that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. (Cheers, applause.) A long campaign is now over. (Cheers, applause.) And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you. I have learned from you. And you’ve made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead. (Cheers, applause.) 

Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. (Cheers, applause.) You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. 

And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together -- reducing our deficit, reforming out tax code, fixing our immigration system, freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We’ve got more work to do. (Cheers, applause.) 

But that doesn’t mean your work is done. The role of citizens in our democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us; it’s about what can be done by us together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self- government. (Cheers, applause.) That’s the principle we were founded on.

This country has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores. What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth, the belief that our destiny is shared -- (cheers, applause) -- that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations, so that the freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights, and among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great. (Cheers, applause.)

I am hopeful tonight because I have seen this spirit at work in America. I’ve seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I’ve seen it in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb and in those Seals who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back. (Cheers, applause.) I’ve seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm. (Cheers, applause.) 

And I saw it just the other day in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care. (Cheers, applause.) I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd, listening to that father’s story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes because we knew that little girl could be our own.
And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That’s who we are. That’s the country I’m so proud to lead as your president. (Cheers, applause.) 

And tonight, despite all the hardship we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future. (Cheers, applause.) I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We got your back, Mr. President! 

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the road blocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight. I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. (Cheers, applause.)

America, I believe we can build on the progress we’ve made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunities and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love (ph). It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight. (Cheers, applause.) You can make it here in America if you’re willing to try.
(Cheers, applause.) 

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will be, the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.) 

And together, with your help and God’s grace, we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you, America. (Cheers, applause.) God bless you. God bless these United States. (Cheers, applause.) 

The President’s Victory speech mentions among other things, the rigor of the long waiting lines voters had to endure to exercise their rights to vote. President Obama believe the country could work to fix this problem; no more waiting endlessly just to cast a vote. There are many national issues that have to be addressed now, Unemployment, credit cliff or deficit reduction, immigration tax code reforms, and energy independence. As urgent as these issues are, there is a need for lawmakers from all the parties in congress work together. The unfortunate size of the unemployed or underemployed across America, 15 million people, a population greater than some European Countries, demands an immediate action by congress and the President. Barring all those Republican bravado, we only hope that the Republican lawmakers in congress will set aside their egos; and apart from working to resolve the fiscal cliff automatic budget cut and immigration issues, they will work with the President to create opportunity for better job creation climate.