For the
incumbent President, the Obama machine used technology, a well organized ground
game, a complicent media funded by $1 Billion in campaign monies, to roll up
victories in a majority of the swing states (including Florida, Ohio and
Virginia). So congratulations to President Obama! As a member of
the loyal opposition, I'm impressed with the Obama victories across the swing
states. However, I'm deeply disappointed in the negative Democrat
campaign tactics, the Mainstream News Media (MSM) and the fact that our
Republican party tripped and stumbled on our own accord.
So now what?
The GOP majority in the US House of Representatives, lead by Speaker
Boehner is the only elected body standing in the way of re-elected President.
Of the three leaders (Leader Reid, President Obama, Speaker
Boehner), the best and most skilled negotiator is Speaker Boehner. The meanest of the three, is Leader Reid, who is willing to bend, avoid and skirt US Senate rules for the Majority purpose, if he can. And the least
experienced in governing and negotiating is the President. Sure, he is
an excellent campaigner and has run two successful Presidential campaigns.
This is no small feat. The problem is in the President's
limited ability to govern with a bipartisan approach.
But there are two
other factors, with will impact our future politics in America.
One is the fact that 2/3 of the states will be governed by Republican
elected executives. These are popular and conservative reformers who are leading the experiments in US democracy at the state level. And for some period of time, the US Supreme Court is
split with both a liberal and conservative wing, that can still backstop the US
Constitution to some extent. The Obamacare 5-4 favorable ruling, although
soundly criticized by conservatives (as for they Ok'd individual mandate), also
included a "states right" ruling that the Federal government could
not use withholding of Medicare dollars as leverage on the states who choose
not to be forced to fund Obamacare with Medicare.
The biggest factor
is that the President and his Democrat supporters now own it. The weak
economy, wobbly health care, and foreign unrest are the Democrats problem to
solve. No longer can a former President (Bush) be blamed, GOP
presidential candidates made fun of, nor can blaming others for weak economic
situations in the US. They'll have to work with the loyal opposition to resolve the problems that both own and will be expected to have viable solutions for.
Immediate budget challenges and
"fiscal cliff" impacts will require bi-partisan leadership to
resolve. The President and his leadership abilities will be
exposed as what they really are. The slash and burn negative
campaigning, the pandering to special interest groups, the funding of cronies
and ideologues that have proven effective in Presidential campaigning...will
simply not work in spirited bi-partisan negotiations. For example,
when the Democrats controlled the US House in 2009 and cooperated with the
President and the US Senate in "cramming down" Obamacare without any
Republican support, little did the Democrat leadership ever dream that when it
came time for implementation of Obamacare in 2013 and 2014, the Boehner lead
Republicans would be in charge. Oops!
There is much more
to discuss, but this post-election review will get us started.
(c) 2012, Jasper Welch, Four
Corners Media, www.jasperwelch.org