ONE MAN’S SUMMARY OF THE ELECTION

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Obama won because enough voters still believe in him with a quasi religious fervor, making the actual content of many of his policies largely irrelevant to them.

Strangely transfixed by his remote and haughty aura, they believe that, even without a real coherent economic plan, life will somehow get better for them if only they follow him.
For others, his “likability” edge made up for Romney’s advantage on the all-important economic issues. Life’s not fair, and the idea that likability trumps competence, in the Oval Office no less, strikes me as absurd, yet there it is in 21st century America.

Of course, Obama did have a message for those who feel left out of the American dream. He told them they had been cheated, that the nation was rigged against them and that he would soak the rich and redistribute their wealth. The first term proved he meant it, with a surge in benefits, food stamps and bailouts and class warfare, so we’re likely to get more of the same.

It’s not a happy prospect or even a mandate, but we shall see if the president can work with the Republican House to change the nation’s course. He rarely did in the first term, and that is a luxury he no longer enjoys. He now must be president instead of just running for the office.
The challenges are numerous and urgent. Our nation is treading water, at home and abroad. Decline is not inevitable, but neither is it a given that we will get our mojo back.

Despite his multi-tasking talents, Obama showed no talent for uniting and moving the country forward in his first term. He gets another chance and, frankly, I would be surprised if he does much better this time.
Happily surprised, absolutely, but still surprised.

Source: Excerpt from an article in The New York Post written by Michael Goodwin a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist known for never letting the political elite forget their job is to represent taxpayers.


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