Well, that’s all, folks.
After months of endless rallies, debates, talk show appearances and memes, 538 electoral votes have been counted and Barack Obama will retain his post as President of the United States of America.
With the re-election, some may wonder what will change, if anything.
This election wasn’t a matter of change.
In 2008, President Obama was elected on the promise of hope and change. Four years later, many have become disenfranchised with what he’s been able to accomplish, or more specifically the lack thereof.
It didn’t take long for the country to point out the slow progress of his first term, despite the legislative overhaul he took on.
The fact of the matter is that our democratic process is slow. Extremely slow, actually. It takes a long time to go through hundreds of pages of legislation. There are filibusters, debates and long voting processes, all of which prevent progress. There are thousands of competing groups lobbying for different legislations and policies, and our system of checks and balances, while necessary, can hinder what one man can do.
It’s understandable to get frustrated with a lagging economy and less than desirable unemployment rate. But to blame the president for every downturn and give him no credit for the gains is unreasonable.
All in all, unlike 2008, there was almost no change with this election. Barack Obama is the third president in a row to be elected to a second consecutive term. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives and Democrat-controlled Senate were also maintained.
For seemingly the third straight election, there seemed to be no right call. The re-election of Obama does not mean he was a great candidate; he was only better than the man he had to beat.
It’s like the old adage: “The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.”
If you were a staunch supporter of Mitt Romney and can take solace in nothing else, know that the President has now been given the opportunity to finish what he started.
If nothing else, that idea alone was enough to elect him.
After four years of fierce opposition, perhaps we can take the next four years to forget partisan allegiances and take it upon ourselves to improve this country. It’s easy to point the finger, but it’s important to acknowledge that we all have a responsibility to unite and work toward the same goal: a better country.
That being said, congratulations are in order. Mr. President, we wish you the best of luck.