Well
that’s it, all that money, all that time, all those speeches, adverts and
debates and what has changed? Pretty much nothing actually. President Barack
Obama is safely in the White House, Governor Mitt Romney is stumbling over his
words and Donald Trump is making a ranting fool of himself on twitter, all in
all pretty much business as usual it would seem in American politics, from my cynical
Brit viewpoint anyway.
I
like to try and stay objective when it comes to commenting on breaking events,
particularly elections. Once they have been decided though it is a different
story. Whether liked or not it cannot be argued that whoever is sitting in the
Oval Office has a massive influence over the rest of the world. It is for this
reason that I for one was relieved that President Obama won a second term. The thought
of Mitt Romney being President has actually left me with sleepless nights. I’ll
be fair though I am sure that Governor Romney honestly had the best interests,
as he could see them, of the country at heart. Then again I also have to wonder
if his comment to “earnestly pray for him [President Obama] and for this great
nation," was meant in good faith or just as a sly dig, back to that
cynical British attitude again.
If
anything has convinced me, however, that it is a far better thing to have a
Democrat in charge of one of the most powerful countries in the world than a
Republican it has to be Donald Trump’s spectacular political analysis on Twitter.
Tweeting:
“We can't let this happen. We should march on Washington and stop this
travesty. Our nation is totally divided!” was perhaps not the most balanced
response of the evening, and possibly treasonous, but it was by no means Trump’s
only one: “This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a
democracy!” Demonstrating perhaps a slight misunderstanding of what the purpose
of the whole election thing was all about and how democracy works.
What was perhaps most surprising about the election
though was how unsurprising it really was. During the run up to voting day we
have seen pundits predicting that first one side then the other would win a
close race. We heard how Hurricane Sandy would influence the vote and how
Governor Romney’s showing in the first presidential debate would change the
outcome in his favour. At the end of the day, however, what appeared to be demonstrated
by several polls was that a large proportion of people had already made their
minds up about who they were going to vote for back in September.
The biggest question now is whether or not having secured
a second term in a decisive victory President Obama will now be able to work
with the Republicans in government to ensure that he can implement some of his
proposals.
While President Obama may have pledged that “the best is
yet to come” he will have a tough job on his hands to prove this. Donald Trump
may not be entirely representative of the Republican Party but there will be
those who follow his call not to give “anything to Obama unless he terminates
Obamacare.” Essentially he is calling on people in power to block proposals and
plans to help the country and rectify its ongoing economic strife is President
Obama does not reverse legislation which ensures that everyone has access to
medical treatments and people wonder why I despair with hardline Republicans.
The final word on the subject for now should, justly,
come from President Obama himself. Delivering his victory speech he addressed
not only those who voted for him but also those who oppose his views. He
demonstrated once more why he is a global leader and provided at least some
hope that he understands the differences in America and wants to find a means
by which to heal the divide which the bitter battle this election has been has
caused:
"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 or we
make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up
controversy. That won't change after tonight. And it shouldn't.
"Despite
all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America's future. ...
We want our children to live in America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't
weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a
warming planet."
"Forward,
that's where we need to go. 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...
That common bond is where we must begin."
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