The election is, thankfully, over. President Obama has won reelection, Governor Romney has conceded defeat, and the reinforced regiments of lawyers that had fanned out to take advantage of any irregularities have gone back to chasing ambulances and dreaming up bizarre class-action lawsuits.
The popular vote was not decisive, with the President winning reelection by two percentage points - 50% to 48%. He did, however win decisively in the Electoral College, with 303 electoral votes to 206.
The narrowness of the popular vote, and the retention of split control of Congress between the two parties, means that we can probably expect four more years of the same hyperpartisan gridlock we've grown used to in the last two years. President Obama can claim victory, but not a clear popular mandate for his agenda, and the Republicans retain enough strength to continue to play a spoiling game in Congress. And politics will remain bitterly divided right down to the household level ...
The newly reelected president faces a daunting slate of seemingly intractable problems without a solid team to back him up. It's back to business as usual ... unfortunately. Good luck, Mr President ... you're going to need it.
And I leave you with the immortal words of campaign strategist, political consultant, and one-time failed candidate for the California state senate Dick Tuck:
"The people have spoken, the bastards."
Have a good day. Enjoy television and radio without a bunch of mendacious and annoying political ads. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
I'm relieved it's over! Politicians are scum; there's no excuse for the bipartisan mendacity that went on. Now maybe we'll have news that isn't about elections or covering every story from the slant of how it affects the election.
ReplyDeleteBill I love that sign! did you see it on the internet or was it really around here?
ReplyDeleteRick refused to vote this year. Claiming he was sick of all the nastiness as well as not working together. We argued and I gave up. Then last week I said, you now have insurance thanks to the president. Don't you think you owe him a vote at least? He voted yesterday.
now to no political commercials on the air waves...and if that ban would encompass donald Trump we'd be in heaven.
I'm sick of all the nastiness also. In the future, I'm playing the age card!
ReplyDeleteLet the analysis begin!
ReplyDelete