Barack Obama has done it!
He has won reelection by going over the top in Ohio!
There are still states not settled, including Florida and Virginia, but it does not matter now!
He will now go down as one of the greatest Presidents of all time, after a second term where he will have capital to force the Republican House to deal with him on his own demands!
Much commentary will follow, but right now this is a moment to celebrate, as it is a victory for the American people!
This author has made clear his belief that Barack Obama has been an outstanding President, and in many ways, a trail blazer, and transformational President.
But it is clear that IF he loses reelection tonight, his rank and significance in history will be a lot lower than if he wins!
One term Presidents never stand out as much in history, with maybe the exception of James K. Polk in the 1840s, who did not seek a second term, and died three months after his term, but had accomplished tremendous expansion of the United States in his term, more than anyone since Thomas Jefferson.
It is sad to think that is the case, but it is reality, and history will, simply, not be as kind to Barack Obama if he leaves office on January 20, 2013!
And it is possible much of his legacy COULD be repealed or reversed, which would be a true tragedy!
As we look back on the Presidential campaign of 2012, it is clear that the election being decided within hours will be based on two issues that affected each side, and occurring within the past two months.
If Mitt Romney wins, it will be because of:
The attack on the Libyan Consulate in Benghazi,which has caused grief for President Obama.
The lackadaisical performance of Barack Obama in the first Presidential debate.
If Barack Obama wins, it will be because of:
Romney’s “47 Percent” speech in Boca Raton, Florida, revealed in September.
Hurricane Sandy last week, and Obama’s reaction to it, including the “bromance” of Obama with Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and the Romney campaign’s criticism of Christie.
Much will be written about the campaign, but these factors, arising in the last two months, will be seen as key factors in what occurs!
This morning, Vice President Joe Biden voted in Delaware, and was asked if this is the last time he will be on an election ballot.
Biden made it clear that in no way was this the last time!
So the Presidential Campaign of 2016 has begun, even before we count the ballots of the Presidential Election of 2012!
Such is politics in America, a never ending game that never escapes us, just like sports, always there, always entertaining!
Barack Obama’s rise to the Presidency began in Iowa on January 3, 2008, when he won the Iowa Caucuses.
Now, last night, November 5, he gave his last campaign speech in Des Moines, Iowa, with a tear in his eyes, as his final campaign ended, and he left it up to the American people as to whether he would serve a second term in the White House.
It has been a long five years from then to now!
Let’s hope the American people give Obama a lease on the White House for a second term!
Anyone who studies and follows American politics knows the names of Nate Silver, who writes the 538 blog for the New York Times, and Michael Barone, who is a conservative pundit for Fox News Channel, and the principal author of the authoritative work, THE ALMANAC OF AMERICAN POLITICS.
The two men totally disagree on the results of today’s Presidential election, so much so that it is disturbing, because, obviously, one is totally wrong!
Silver is 34 years old, considered a political genius by many, and correctly predicted the Presidential Election Of 2008 and every Senate race, and uses statistical methods to decide what is going on politically, and his last assessment last night was that Barack Obama had a 91.6 percent chance of winning the Electoral College, with a margin of 315-223.
Michael Barone, who is twice Silver’s age (68), and whose publication mentioned above has been regarded as the best single volume book every two years on the Presidential election, Congressional elections, and state gubernatorial elections–a literal gold mine of information on the 50 states and the national government— and a series that the author has had since the first publication forty years ago in 1972, says Mitt Romney will win the Electoral College by 315-223.
Notice that–the EXACT same electoral vote total–one by a man half the age of the second man—and both considered “experts”!
How can both be correct? The answer is that they cannot both be correct, so besides the results tonight and tomorrow morning, we are witnessing the battle of the “Experts”–and it will be interesting to see whether Silver or Barone is correct!