Our copy of The Wall Street Journal is at work with the hubby right now, but the front page of today's paper--like all papers--is talking about the re-election of President Barack Obama. I'll admit to being disappointed, but not surprised.
I haven't talked much about politics here, though I'm fairly certain most people know which way I lean. One thing I saw in the WSJ article by Peter Nicholas and Carole E. Lee caught my eye: "Propelling Mr. Obama to victory was the unique coalition he forged four years ago, one that reflects the changing nature of the U.S. electorate—notably, the diminished influence of white Americans and the rising clout of Latino voters." The article went on to cite certain statistics: "According to exit polls, Mr. Romney won 60% of the white vote. Mr. Obama won 38%, five points less than his 2008 showing. Not since Walter Mondale, who was swept aside by Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential race, has a Democrat recorded a smaller share of the white vote."
While TV networks will spend the next several days discussing the players in this election cycle and offer their opinions on why it turned out the way it did--How much did that 47% comment truly hurt Romney? What impact did Hurricane Sandy have on the outcome of the election? Did New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's praise of President Obama's handling of recovery efforts in his area tip the scales in the president's favor?--the average person like you and me need to move forward and find ways to cope with the lack of jobs and rising costs of living.
Honestly, no matter who won this election, politics seems to come down to two people who are so far removed from the average person's life they couldn't hope to understand where we're coming from. Running for office--even local races--takes money. Candidates running for local offices where they are faced with opposition can spend thousands of dollars. Ask me. I know. That's part of why I haven't been hot to get back into it.
Hopefully for now, politics can take a back seat to helping residents of New York and New Jersey, who are preparing for a Nor'easter while still trying to return to normalcy after Hurricane Sandy.
What did you think of the outcome of the election? Disappointed? Surprised?
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