After a campaign that seemed longer than President Obama’s first term, the advertisements are gone, vitriol has disappeared, and the result is clear and resolute: President Obama has been reelected. Despite unemployment numbers and an economy that many view as
tenuous, the President captured a majority to claim re-election.
Was it Mitt Romney’s disconnect with women voters? Or the continued belief in Hope and Change promised by President Obama four years ago? Yes, yes and more.
Governor Romney failed to connect with women voters, which lately seems to be a problem for Republican candidates. This may be due to the party’s stance on reproductive rights and opposition to organizations that help women, such as Planned Parenthood. Governor Romney’s
loss of the female vote cost him dearly. Preelection polling showed that if only women voted, President Obama would win in a landslide.
Of course, President Obama had his own demographic problems. While he had the majority of female, minority and LGBT voters, white men favored Governor Romney by a large margin. But President Obama’s favorable numbers with women and minorities was more than enough to
propel him to victory. And his message of Change and Hope still rang true with many younger voters.
Locally, President Obama won Pennsylvania and Ohio. This is not surprising in Pennsylvania, which has voted consistently for the Democratic presidential candidate. Ohio was highly contested, but the improving economy in Ohio and Obama’s support of the auto industry
likely gave him the edge in the Buckeye State. West Virginia once again voted for the Republican candidate, which was predictable.
But what are the implications of this victory? There are several issues that need to be considered. After all, a President does not govern the nation alone; the Legislative and Judicial
branches have a large role in the process, and sometimes a larger role than the President.
Congress didn’t change dramatically in this election. Senator Casey was able to retain his Senate seat, despite a strong challenge from Tom Smith, yet Democrat Mark Critz lost his bid for another term in Congress. As it stands today, the Republicans still have control of the House, and the Democrats keep control of the Senate. The important issue though, is that Congress controls the money, not the President. He can propose, but Congress must enact. The Democrats retaining control of the Senate is a huge benefit for the President, but Republican control of the house inhibits his ability to act. And, frankly, most people seem to like it this way.
The next major branch, Judicial, is critical. The President will probably have the opportunity to appoint two Supreme Court justices. Having President Obama appoint the justices, rather than Romney, is crucial. President Obama’s appointees are more likely to support the reproductive
rights of women, although Supreme Court justices are not always predictable.
And this brings us to how all of this affects the LGBT community. The next Supreme Court will decide the rights of the LGBT nation. This is not only marriage rights, but the rights of same-sex couples in all aspects. Will you be able to visit your partner in the hospital when he or she is gravely ill? Will you have the right to make decisions regarding your partner’s health care? Will you be treated with the respect that you deserve regarding decisions involving your partner? Will your employer be required to provide you and your partner with the same benefits given to other couples? With a Supreme Court appointed by President Obama, the outlook improves tremendously.
As President Obama said in his victory speech after the election, “it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re
black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight. I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions… ”
This is why, for many of us, President Obama’s re-election is so meaningful. Our rights are more secure. Our future looks better.
And to my many good Republican friends, in our fractured society, a little more than 50 percent of our country is very happy with the results and a little less than 50 percent will be miserable.
It’s a good thing.
