The election is over. We lived through the campaigns, the ads and the constant mudslinging. We lived through the harsh Facebook statuses and the threats some of our friends made about moving to Canada. We lived through the election and, much to a few political pundits’ surprise, the sun still came up on Wednesday morning. However, the re-election of President Barack Obama does prove some interesting points and say a few things about our nation’s evolving values.
First of all, I find it interesting that despite our country’s economic status, Obama was still re-elected. I am not saying the economy is his fault, because this economy is not the fault of any single man.
However, there is no doubt that our country is in a deep slump. Unemployment is at 7.9 percent, and the dollar is sinking in value almost every day. This indicates that, first of all, America as a whole is being much more patient than usual. We trust that Obama has a plan and that, though the economy is not perfect now, he is still working to make things better. America trusts that Obama is a good man with a good heart and we trust that, in the long run, he will improve the economic situation.
It also implies that America is not as concerned with having a commander-in-chief as they are in having an orator-in-chief. Obama’s eloquence and obvious intellect speak louder than his track record for a lot of American voters. In a situation in which America is in a deep hole, we value a strong leader and communicator over the potential for different policies.
In addition, Obama’s re-election accentuates the need for many citizens to feel that they are part of a “we.” With his successful past and strong economic understanding, Romney may have been more qualified for the job. But Americans no longer settle with being represented by their president; they want to feel as if they are partnered with him. Romney simply seemed too out of touch and unrelatable.
Obama took advantage of this and ultimately, this is what won over the black and Latino votes that surely helped him win in both 2008 and 2012. Latino and black voters both consistently poll as socially conservative, especially on issues such as gay marriage. Despite Romney’s strong conservative voice, both groups still cast their vote to support a candidate who made them feel that their voice was heard. With this, the Republican Party lost a very strong potential demographic and further polarized more voters.
Moral of the story: Obama’s re-election proves to me that the Republican Party is facing some huge decisions. According to The New York Times, 55 percent of women voted for Obama, which can be mainly attributed to Obama’s more liberal stance on reproductive rights. Let’s be honest, Romney’s campaign was left up to the white men. And they didn’t show up.
The country is shifting away from its center-right position that it has held for years and years. The Democrats are evolving to face new issues, but the Republicans are radicalizing, isolating themselves more and more from independent voters who support Libertarian and Green Party politics.
It’s time for the Grand Old Party to either innovate and prepare for a more modern Republican party or prepare to be trampled.
