America decides
BARACK Obama remains the president of the United States after a stiff contest. The 57th presidential election of the US concluded on November 6, ending an 18-month long fierce, bruising yet fascinating campaign by both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
The 435 members of the House of Representatives, 33 Senators and 13 governors were also elected during this election. All these Congressmen and governors were also engaged in bitter campaigning alongside the presidential candidates.
In terms of popular votes the difference was not that significant. According to Washington Post Obama got 50.3% of the votes as against 48.1% that Romney got. But that marginal difference converted into an overwhelming victory for Obama with 303 Electoral College (EC) votes as against 206 for Romney. Unofficial figures suggest that roughly 67% of the 170 million registered voters took part in voting.
The "battleground" or "swing" states, where voters were undecided, played a crucial role. Ohio (18 EC votes) was constantly in the media as both parties campaigned there even on Election Day. Obama carried the state because he bailed out its bankrupt auto industry in 2009. The other swing states were Iowa, Virginia and Colorado, which also went to Obama.
Romney lost because of several reasons. The most important reason was his shifting stance on key issues and some very damaging remarks. His disdain towards the middle class and the poor alienated him from a large segment of the voters. He continuously boasted about his successful business and claimed that he could fix the US economy. His hard line estranged immigrant, women and black voters. His attack on Obama's health care reform was fatal. Critics described him as an "out-of-touch elitist" candidate.
Romney's repeated assertions on reviving the economy, reducing deficit without raising tax, and creating 12 million jobs, without any clear strategy, appeared rhetorical. His tactic of blaming Obama for the slow economic recovery and asking "Are you better off than you were four years ago" simply did not carry with the voters. Running a business and governing a nation are certainly different cups of tea.
Though people considered that economy was the most important issue in this election -- the majority knew that Obama inherited a battered economy from his Republican predecessor, George Bush. Although Wall Street executives favoured Romney's economic plans, middle class voters were apprehensive that the corporate sharks would repeat the "housing bubble burst" that led to severe recession under George Bush.
Demographically, the US has been going through conspicuous change. Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans and other immigrant communities are growing fast in the American "melting pot." Republicans failed to understand this transformation. Their traditional vote bank was the older generation whites, which has shrunk significantly over the past three decades.
Democrats took full advantage of the changing demography and succeeded in mobilising and connecting with those communities. Obama's moderate stand on immigration won him 71% of the Hispanic votes. He emphasised the contributions and values of the middle class in the American society.
Obama's re-election was a clear endorsement of his economic policy that focuses on more employment, and tax increase on the richer segment to reduce the fiscal deficit and balance the budget. Figures released before the election showed that economic recovery was well underway.
On foreign policy, Obama earned credits for ending the Iraq war, setting a date for complete withdrawal from Afghanistan and eliminating America's biggest enemy -- Osama bin Laden. Without starting a new war he secured UN resolution and changed the regime in Libya. He also got UN backing for stringent sanctions on Iran.
However, Obama's second term will not be easy. To pass any law the president will need Republican support in the House of Representative. The 435-member House is controlled by the Republicans. They have 233 seats against 192 Democrats. In the 100-seat Senate, however, the Democrats have a majority -- 54 as against 45 Republicans. In the past four years every time President Obama pushed for legislation the House stymied his initiative. This time too, it is not likely to be different.
According to opinion polls, the performance of the House was rated at 9% -- reflecting that it has become dysfunctional. The president will need to be more imaginative and make deals. Obama, in his post-victory speech, remarked that he was going back to the White House much more "determined," indicating that he will try to "reach across the aisle," push for consensus and get things done.
The Republicans will now have to do some serious soul searching as Mitt Romney passes into history as an asterisk. They are in a state of anger and depression. They will need serious introspection to reinvent the Party and fix its battered image. The impression across the people is that because of obduracy of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, President Obama had not been able to do more for the economy. No wonder, soon after the Obama's re-election, Speaker of the House John Boehner (Republican) announced that he "was ready to agree to new revenue from tax system that would generate faster economic growth."
The second term for any president is more daunting than the first. Two very critical areas will require Obama's constant attention -- domestically, growth in the economy; and some success in foreign policy. On the economy he will need the total support of the Congress. On foreign policy he will need the cooperation of Israel to push for settlement of the Palestinian issue and maintain peace in the Middle East.
Second term presidents normally devote more energy on foreign policy issues. US foreign policy has always been related to its military power. Military might is the product of strong national economy. Obama desperately needs a strong economy to lead the US.
The campaign has sharply divided the Americans into two ideological camps -- conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. A commentator once appropriately remarked that the Oval Office is as big as its occupant. Nobel laureate Obama will need to demonstrate strong leadership to unify a divided America.
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