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Old President,New America?
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Election Day

Who will be American President


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How the election unfoldedClick here to know
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Who said what during theUS presidential elections

Obama stands for most of the same things I do. He

inherited a mess and he needs more time to x it,said a rst time voter in Ohio.

Reuters, Nov 7, 2012

Americans went to the polls to vote forpresident on Tuesday after a tightlycontested race between incumbent

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican MittRomney.

Below are some comments made by the candi-dates, observers and voters:

Obama, tweeting after MSNBC projected hisvictory:

This happened because of you. Thank you.

Obama, speaking to WJLA TV in Washington:

Weve laid out the choice very clearly for theAmerican people, and now the question is goingto be people showing up to the polls. I want tomake sure people show up to vote and if you do whatever the outcome, thats how our democ-racy works. And I think well all come together

to move America forward.

Romney, speaking to the press in Cleveland:

This is a great day with great opportunity, but

Im also looking forward to tomorrow, becausetomorrow were going to start the work.

John Boehner, Republican speaker of the USHouse of Representatives, on Republicans

maintaining House majority:

The American people want solutions andtonight they responded by renewing our HouseRepublican majority. With this vote, the Ameri-can people also made clear theres no mandatefor raising tax rates. Americans want better so-lutions that will ease the burdens of small busi-nesses, bring jobs home and let our economygrow. We stand willing to work with any willingpartner who shares a commitment to gettingthose things done.

Scott Brown, Massachusetts Republican, on los-ing Senate seat to Democrat Elizabeth Warren:

We stood strong in the ght and we standstrong now even in disappointment You allsent me to Washington to be my own man, andIll be returning my own man. And for that, I am

very, very proud.

Sarah Palin, former Republican vice presiden-tial candidate and Alaska governor:

I just cannot believe that the majority of Amer-icans would believe that incurring more debt isgood for our economy, for our childrens future,for job creators. I cannot believe that the ma-

jority of Americans would believe that its OKnot to follow the Constitution and not have a

budget. And I cant believe that the majority ofAmericans would say its OK to rely on foreignsources of energy instead of drilling and min-ing our own natural resources. Its a perplexingtime for many of us.


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Symone Villalona, call-center worker in Nevada,rst-time voter who backed Obama:

I like someone whos for the people, the mid-dle class. Romney didnt seem like he cared thatmuch.

Melanie Katsur, attorney, Romney backer inWashington, DC:

I think that the rate with which the decitshave grown is not acceptable. I am fortunateenough to have a job, but I know a lot of people

who dont.

Lyda Swogger, rst-time voter supportingObama in Ohio:

Obama stands for most of the same things I do.He inherited a mess and he needs more time tox it.

Paul Dirks, retired mathematics professor andObama supporter in Florida, on this years ad

barrage:

Its been the ugliest campaign Ive ever seen inmy life and Im 71 years old. I felt like throw-ing stones at my TV.

Noreen Taylor, Democrat voting in Nevada:

Elections used to be about stuff, about issuesand specics. We used to have statesmen. Now

we just have salesmen.


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US Elections 2012: Check outthis real-time Facebook map

Facebook has gone a step ahead and created a map

showing in real-time how America is voting in

this presidential election. Heres why you must

check out this map.

FP Staff, Nov 7, 2012

As America goes to vote today, socialmedia sites such as Facebook, Insta-gram, Twitter etc are also seeing a huge

amount of activity. But Facebook has gone astep ahead and created a real time map whichshows how America is voting in this presidentialelection. You can check out the Facebook votingmap here.

According to Facebook, the map is a represen-tation of people on Facebook who clicked anElection Day prompt to share with their friendsthat theyre voting in the 2012 US election. Theinformation displayed on Facebook Stories have

been anonymized and aggregated.

Which means of course you know they voted,but dont know who they voted for!

The cool thing about the map is that you willsee a blue bubble bursting as people share thefact theyve just voted. The size of each burst

matches the number of people voting in thatregion. The map is denitely worth checking outas it gives a very cool macro perspective of how

America is voting.

You can also click on a state and the map zoomsinto that particular state. The blue bubble burstscontinue and the map shows you the number ofstatewide voters and the peak time for voting inthat particular state.

Facebook has also broken down the votes polledeach hour for each region of the United Stateson a graph just below the map. It also showsthe number of male and female voters who

voted and have shared their story on Facebookand has a pie-chart of the different age groups

whove done the same.

Its clear from the continuous activity on themap, that its not about voting anymore. Face-

booking about votes is also a given now.
http://www.facebookstories.com/votehttp://www.facebookstories.com/votehttp://www.firstpost.com/


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Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, myfriends. Thank you so very much. Thank

you. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you.Thank you.

I have just called President Obama to congratu-late him on his victory. His supporters and hiscampaign also deserve congratulations. I wish

all of them well, but particularly the president,the rst lady and their daughters. (Applause.)This is a time of great challenges for America,and I pray that the president will be successfulin guiding our nation.

I want to thank Paul Ryan for all that he hasdone for our campaign (cheers, applause) and for our country. Besides my wife Ann,Paul is the best choice Ive ever made. (Cheers,applause.) And I trust that his intellect and hishard work and his commitment to principle willcontinue to contribute to the good of our nation.(Cheers, applause.)

I also want to thank Ann, the love of my life.(Cheers, applause.) She would have been a won-derful rst lady. (Cheers, applause.) Shes shehas been that and more to me and to our family

Full text: Mitt Romneysconcession speech


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and to the many people that she has touchedwith her compassion and her care. I thank mysons for their tireless work on behalf of thecampaign, and thank their wives and children (cheers, applause) for taking up their slackas their husbands and dads have spent so many

weeks away from home. (Cheers, applause.)

I want to thank Matt Rhoades and the dedicatedcampaign team he led. (Cheers, applause.) Theyhave made an extraordinary effort, not just forme but also for the country that we love. Andto you here tonight and to the team across thecountry the volunteers, the fundraisers, thedonors, the surrogates I dont believe thattheres ever been an effort in our party that cancompare with what you have done over thesepast years. Thank you so very much. (Cheers,

applause.)

Thanks for all the hours of work, for the calls,for the speeches and appearances, for the re-sources and for the prayers. You gave deeplyfrom yourselves and performed magnicently,and you inspired us and you humbled us. Youve

been the very best we could have imagined.

The nation, as you know, is at a critical point.

At a time like this, we cant risk partisan bicker-ing and political posturing. Our leaders have toreach across the aisle to do the peoples work.

And we citizens also have to rise to the occasion.We look to our teachers and professors. Wecount on you not just to teach, but to inspire ourchildren with a passion for learning and discov-ery.

We look to our pastors and priests and rab-

bis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the

enduring principles upon which our society isbuilt honesty, charity, integrity and family.We look to our parents, for in the nal analy-sis, everything depends on the success of ourhomes. We look to job creators of all kinds.

Were counting on you to invest, to hire, to stepforward. And we look to Democrats and Re-publicans in government at all levels to put thepeople before the politics.

I believe in America. I believe in the people ofAmerica. (Cheers, applause.)

And I ran for ofce because Im concernedabout America. This election is over, but ourprinciples endure. I believe that the principlesupon which this nation was founded are theonly sure guide to a resurgent economy and to a

new greatness.

Like so many of you, Paul and I have left every-thing on the eld. We have given our all to thiscampaign. (Cheers, applause.) I so wish I so

wish that I had been able to fulll your hopes tolead the country in a different direction. But thenation chose another leader. And so Ann and I

join with you to earnestly pray for him and forthis great nation.

Thank you, and God bless America. (Cheers,applause.) You guys are the best. Thank you somuch. Thank you. Thanks, guys. (Cheers, ap-plause.)

(Transcript courtesy the Federal News Serv-ice).


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Full text: Barack Obamas

victory speechO

bamas victory speech might not havepacked as much punch given the con-text and the generally sober victory,

but the American President still seemed to havesaved the best punchlines for this one address.From everyone can make it in America catch-phrases that prop the American dream up againto aww-worthy till-death-do-us-part ones for

wife Michelle, Obamas speech was stuff Hol-lywood scriptwriters dream of. Following is thefull text of the speech.

Audience members: (Chanting.) Four moreyears! Four more years! Four more years! Fourmore years! Four more years! Four more years!Four more years! Four more years!

President Barack Obama: Thank you.Thank you. Thank you so much. (Sustainedcheers, applause.)

Tonight, more than 200 years after a formercolony won the right to determine its owndestiny, the task of perfecting our union movesforward. (Cheers, applause.)

It moves forward because of you. It moves for-ward because you reafrmed the spirit that hastriumphed over war and depression, the spiritthat has lifted this country from the depths ofdespair to the great heights of hope, the beliefthat while each of us will pursue our own indi-

vidual dreams, we are an American family, andwe rise or fall together as one nation and as onepeople. (Cheers, applause.)

Tonight, in this election, you, the American

people, reminded us that while our road hasbeen hard, while our journey has been long, wehave picked ourselves up, we have fought our

way back, and we know in our hearts that forthe United States of America, the best is yet to


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have are a mark of our liberty, and we can neverforget that as we speak, people in distant na-tions are risking their lives right now just fora chance to argue about the issues that matter (cheers, applause) the chance to cast their

ballots like we did today.

But despite all our differences, most of us sharecertain hopes for Americas future.

We want our kids to grow up in a country wherethey have access to the best schools and the bestteachers (cheers, applause) a country thatlives up to its legacy as the global leader in tech-nology and discovery and innovation (scat-tered cheers, applause) with all of the good

jobs and new businesses that follow.

We want our children to live in an America thatisnt burdened by debt, that isnt weakened up

by inequality, that isnt threatened by the de-structive power of a warming planet. (Cheers,applause.)

We want to pass on a country thats safe andrespected and admired around the world, a na-tion that is defended by the strongest militaryon earth and the best troops this this world

has ever known (cheers, applause) but alsoa country that moves with condence beyondthis time of war to shape a peace that is built onthe promise of freedom and dignity for everyhuman being.

We believe in a generous America, in a compas-sionate America, in a tolerant America opento the dreams of an immigrants daughter whostudies in our schools and pledges to our ag

(cheers, applause) to the young boy on thesouth side of Chicago who sees a life beyond thenearest street corner (cheers, applause) tothe furniture workers child in North Carolina

who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, anengineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or evena president.

Thats the (cheers, applause) thats thefuture we hope for.

(Cheers, applause.) Thats the vision we share.Thats where we need to go forward. (Cheers,applause.) Thats where we need to go. (Cheers,applause.)

Now, we will disagree, sometimes ercely, abouthow to get there. As it has for more than twocenturies, progress will come in ts and starts.Its not always a straight line. Its not always asmooth path. By itself, the recognition that wehave common hopes and dreams wont end allthe gridlock, resolve all our problems or substi-tute for the painstaking work of building con-sensus and making the difcult compromisesneeded to move this country forward.

But that common bond is where we must begin.Our economy is recovering. A decade of war isending. (Cheers, applause.) A long campaignis now over. (Cheers, applause.) And whether Iearned your vote or not, I have listened to you.I have learned from you. And youve made me a

better president. And with your stories and yourstruggles, I return to the White House moredetermined and more inspired than ever aboutthe work there is to do and the future that liesahead. (Cheers, applause.)

Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usu-al. (Cheers, applause.) You elected us to focuson your jobs, not ours.

And in the coming weeks and months, I amlooking forward to reaching out and working

with leaders of both parties to meet the chal-lenges we can only solve together reducingour decit, reforming out tax code, xing ourimmigration system, freeing ourselves fromforeign oil. Weve got more work to do. (Cheers,applause.)

But that doesnt mean your work is done. The

role of citizens in our democracy does not endwith your vote. Americas never been aboutwhat can be done for us; its about what can bedone by us together, through the hard and frus-trating but necessary work of self- government.(Cheers, applause.) Thats the principle we werefounded on.

This country has more wealth than any nation,but thats not what makes us rich. We have themost powerful military in history, but thats

not what makes us strong. Our university, ourculture are all the envy of the world, but thatsnot what keeps the world coming to our shores.

What makes America exceptional are the bonds


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that hold together the most diverse nation onEarth, the belief that our destiny is shared (cheers, applause) that this country only

works when we accept certain obligations to oneanother and to future generations, so that thefreedom which so many Americans have foughtfor and died for come with responsibilities as

well as rights, and among those are love andcharity and duty and patriotism. Thats whatmakes America great. (Cheers, applause.)

I am hopeful tonight because I have seen thisspirit at work in America. Ive seen it in thefamily business whose owners would rather cuttheir own pay than lay off their neighbors andin the workers who would rather cut back theirhours than see a friend lose a job. Ive seen it inthe soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb and

in those SEALs who charged up the stairs intodarkness and danger because they knew there

was a buddy behind them watching their back.(Cheers, applause.) Ive seen it on the shores ofNew Jersey and New York, where leaders fromevery party and level of government have sweptaside their differences to help a communityrebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm.(Cheers, applause.)

And I saw it just the other day in Mentor, Ohio,where a father told the story of his 8-year-olddaughter whose long battle with leukemia near-ly cost their family everything had it not beenfor health care reform passing just a few months

before the insurance company was about to stoppaying for her care. (Cheers, applause.) I hadan opportunity to not just talk to the father butmeet this incredible daughter of his. And whenhe spoke to the crowd, listening to that fathers

story, every parent in that room had tears intheir eyes because we knew that little girl couldbe our own.

And I know that every American wants herfuture to be just as bright. Thats who we are.Thats the country Im so proud to lead as yourpresident. (Cheers, applause.)

And tonight, despite all the hardship weve beenthrough, despite all the frustrations of Wash-

ington, Ive never been more hopeful about ourfuture. (Cheers, applause.) I have never beenmore hopeful about America. And I ask you tosustain that hope.

Audience member: We got your back, Mr.President!

President Obama: Im not talking aboutblind optimism, the kind of hope that justignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or theroad blocks that stand in our path. Im not talk-ing about the wishful idealism that allows usto just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a ght.I have always believed that hope is that stub-

born thing inside us that insists, despite all theevidence to the contrary, that something betterawaits us so long as we have the courage to keepreaching, to keep working, to keep ghting.(Cheers, applause.)

America, I believe we can build on the progress

weve made and continue to ght for new jobsand new opportunities and new security for themiddle class. I believe we can keep the promiseof our founding, the idea that if youre willingto work hard, it doesnt matter who you are or

where you come from or what you look like orwhere you love (ph). It doesnt matter whetheryoure black or white or Hispanic or Asian orNative American or young or old or rich orpoor, abled, disabled, gay or straight. (Cheers,

applause.) You can make it here in America ifyoure willing to try.

(Cheers, applause.)

I believe we can seize this future together be-cause we are not as divided as our politicssuggests. Were not as cynical as the pundits

believe. We are greater than the sum of our in-dividual ambitions and we remain more than a

collection of red states and blue states. We are,and forever will be, the United States of Ameri-ca. (Cheers, applause.)

And together, with your help and Gods grace,we will continue our journey forward and re-mind the world just why it is that we live in thegreatest nation on earth. (Cheers, applause.)Thank you, America. (Cheers, applause.)God bless you. God bless these United States.(Cheers, applause.)

(C) 2012 Federal News Service


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Not just in US, Obamas victorycelebrated across the world

Students hold a poster of US President Barack Obama as they watch the US election vote counting

at SDN 01 Menteng elementary school that he was once attended in Jakarta, Indonesia. AP

Indian students celebrate Obamas win outside the US Embassy in New Delhi. AP


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In Kenya, Sarah Obama, step-grandmother of President Barack Obama, waves her walking cane

towards supportersin celebration. AP

Obama supporters celebrate in Singapore. AP


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At a brief press conference Mama Sarah says this

years election is even better than the rst. This is

more meaningful because it is the decision of the

American people after seeing his work.

Jason Patinkin, Nov 7, 2012

Kogelo, Kenya: In Barack Obamas ances-tral village, locals held election watchesTuesday night and jubilant celebrations

after his reelection. Though some locals recalllarger parades in 2008, the election repeat isas sweet here as the rst, pushing aside doubtsabout villagers support for Obama. Some Ken-

yans have criticized Obama for not visiting the

country as president. But in Kogelo, where thepresidents fathers family lives, people haveseen real change ever since Obamas ascendencyput the tiny hamlet on a global stage.

Crispin Ochieng, a subsistence farmer, dancedall night in a oppy red, white, and blue hat

while watching the polls, and remembers thecelebrations four years ago. This road was very

bumpy in 2008. We had no electricity, he said.Now we are getting them all. In addition topaved roads and power lines, the rural westernKenyan village has a new police station by the

house of Mama Sarah, third wife of Obamasgrandfather. And a new upscale resort employsseventeen people, hoping to capitalize on aminor tourism boom. The development comesmostly from local Kenyan government eager to

In Obamas Kenyan village,locals celebrate reelection and progress


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promote their association with Americas rstblack president.

Mary Achien, a mother who owns a small gener-al store, thinks Kogelo will receive more benets

because of the reelection. We may even getclean water in the villages, she hopes. Today,though, she is focused on celebrating after asleepless night watching the polls. Im going toslaughter a sheep. This is a big and very happyoccasion.

Nearly everyone here supports the villagesmost famous grandson. In a mock election thattook place by the village market Tuesday morn-ing, Obama beat Romney 146 votes to twelve.Roads and the local school in Kogelo are namedafter Obama, and everyone beams with joy over

the son of this land.

There were three election watch parties plannedfor Tuesday night in Kogelo, where due to thetime difference the rst polls didnt close untilafter midnight. But thunderstorms and poweroutages limited the festivities Tuesday after-noon to one outdoor gathering at the resort.By 11 pm, restored electricity allowed steady

viewing of election coverage on at screen TVs.

Still, most people danced to a Luo drum groupinstead of watching.

By dawn, only a few dozen people sat in rowsof plastic chairs, watching results on a singlescreen. More villagers ltered in, when Obamatook a lead in the electoral college, and thecrowd began clapping for each state victory.

With the announcement of reelection, everyoneleapt to their feet and broke into traditional

songs and dancing, holding their chairs aloftand pouring into the street as a cadre of re-porters recorded the euphoria. When Barackshalf-brother Malik drove past, he beamed and

waved, shouting thank you! thank you! to theadoring crowd.

Malik drew on his half-brothers fame to opena community center and restaurant in Kogelocalled the Barack H Obama Foundation, but heis quick to point out that the towns associationto Obama can be overstated. We have our ownlives, he said, explaining that the foundationdoes not rely on Barack. I dont know if [theconnection] has helped much other than thelink in name.

This year, the election parties are smaller thanin 2008. Razick Magak is a cousin of BarackObama who remembers the parties last time.The eld was full of big crowds at Mama Sa-rahs place, and bulls were slaughtered here.This year, many villagers stayed home. Maybethere was fear he wont claim presidency, hesaid. Also since he was elected he hasnt come

to Kenya.

Indeed, Obama traveled to Sub-Saharan Af-rica just once in his rst term, to Ghana in July2009. And others are disappointed in his Afri-can policies that they say focus on ghting ter-ror rather than poverty. Yet in Kogelo there waslittle if any bitterness. An elder named SylvansJoseph Oyengo explained Obamas absence overthe past four years. He was a little busy, Oy-

engo said. Still, Oyengo hopes Obama will ndtime to visit in the next four years.

The crowd paraded to Mama Sarahs house,where police carefully guarded the ninety-year-old matriarch from the hundreds of cheering

well wishers. At a brief press conference MamaSarah says this years election is even betterthan the rst, even if the celebrations are small-er. I rate this one higher because it was eupho-

ria that brought him to ofce the rst time, shesaid. This is more meaningful because it is thedecision of the American people after seeing his

work.


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The rst call Barack Obama made after winning the

election was to someone who had been the backboneof his poll campaign.


Guess who Obama calledright after winning?

After taking a call from Mitt Romney,the rst congratulatory call that BarackObama made to anyone was addressed

to Bill Clinton. Fox News reports:

Obama then hung up the phone (Romneys call)and immediately dialed Clinton to thank himfor his work on the president re-election cam-paign.

The warm embrace between the two presidentsis a far cry from four years ago; when Clinton

called the rst Obama campaign the biggestfairy tale hed ever seen. Clinton and Obama

are now the last two Democrats to win twoterms.

Theres little doubt about the fact that the moodaround Obamas win was one of relief more

than overwhelming euphoria. The President,who was elected to ofce for a second term, saidmore than once in his victory speech that theseveral stretches of his last term was frustrat-ing, depressing and difcult.

He even made the election out as some sort ofa way to overcome the failures of the past. Thehard road Obama referred to in the speech,however, was traversed successfully, as many

would agree, thanks to former president ofAmerica and fellow Democrat Bill Clinton.

From the impassioned appeal that he made atthe Democratic National Convention, as First-post editor Sandip Roy points out, by callingBarack Obama My President to working for thefuture of America, Bill Clinton gave the cam-paign the zing it was missing when it started.

No wonder it was Clinton who got the rst call

from the re-elected American President!


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Conservatives have decried the liberal media as one

of the reasons for their candidates loss in the

presidential election. Do they have a point?


Are Republicans being sorelosers by crying media bias?

Mitt Romney may have been graciousin his defeat in the presidential elec-tions and called for an end to partisan

posturing, but pro-Republican news outlets arestill licking their wounds and blame the liberalmedia for the partys loss in the elections.

Fox News carried an editorial written by Ri-chard Noyes of the Media Research Centre, in

which he came up with ve reasons why the

liberal medias alleged bias against Romneycould be one of the main reasons the Republi-can candidate lost.

In a scathing editorial, Noyes said that the lib-

eral media had gone after Romney when it cameto hunting for facts or making him sound likehed made errors, something they didnt do asmuch for Obama.

He also argues that the moderators in the tel-evised deabtes fought more in favour of thePresident than his contender, at times going outof their way to bail the president out of uncom-fortable spots:

Moderators are supposed to ensure both sidesget a fair hearing, not pick sides. By leapinginto the fray, Candy Crowley epitomized themedias itch to tilt the scales this year again,


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in Obamas favor.

He also pointed to the media ignoring Obamaspoor handling of the economy and the incidentin Benghazi, Libya, where the US ambassador

was killed.

Boosted by the media? Can Obamas victory re-ally be attributed to the media? APConservative media outlets have been seethingat what they see as biased coverage of the presi-dential poll throughout the campaigning.

But according to John Ziegler, a conservativecommentator onHufngton Post, it wasnt somuch that the liberal media was against Rom-ney, as much as the conservatives were unwill-ing to accept the truth that their presidential

candidate needed something special to swingthe elections in his favour.

In his blog on the site he wrote:

Related to this is also the commercial aspect ofthe modern news media. There is absolutely nodoubt that partisan outlets (which now de-scribes about 100% of the media) do far betterwith their audiences when they tell them what

they want to hear. I personally got an enor-mous amount of irrational grief (and actuallylost twitter followers!) because I dared to writeabout how I thought Obama would win, eventhough my predictions were actually moreoptimistic than what the Left was tending to

portend. The fact that I was correct will meanabsolutely nothing to my detractors becausecredibility no longer has any currency in thiscelebrity driven culture.

He also felt that blaming those who said Rom-ney would lose isnt the answer, as much asunderstanding why the party lost.

Even Thomas Friedman from The New YorkTimes was of the same opinion, and said theloss should perhaps encourage the Republicansto embrace an attitude that is more centre ofright in order to stand a chance in the next elec-tion.

In his editorial, after the Obama win he wrote:

The G.O.P. has lost two presidential electionsin a row because it forced its candidate to runso far to the loony right to get through the

primaries, dominated by its ultraconservativebase, that he could not get close enough back

to the center to carry the national election. It isnot enough for Republicans to tell their Demo-cratic colleagues in private as some do Iwish I could help you, but our base is crazy.They need to have their own reformation. Thecenter-right has got to have it out with the far-right, or it is going to be a minority party for along time

Perhaps Ziegler and Friedman have a point. In

an age when voters depend as much on socialmedia, to foist the blame for an electoral loss onthe liberal media is a little too easy.

Instead of merely shooting the messenger, per-haps the Republicans need to be looking closerat why the ignored the message that was beinggiven to them.


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Day After:

How and why Barack Obama won


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He focused on regular Americans the middle class

and the poor while Romney dissed them as the

47 percent who didnt matter. His cool, non-fussy

way of governing won him more support than

Romney had imagined.

Seema Sirohi, Nov 7, 2012

Obama won because hisgut instinct was right

Washington: I got this will be BarackObamas most famous words. It is aphrase he has used to calm his sup-

porters and his team when they thought hewasnt all there or having a bad day. He certain-ly got this a second term and saved himself

from that special binder meant for one-termpresidents.

Americans voted and despite Sandys immense

fury. They went to makeshift tents in New Jer-sey, stood for hours in long lines in Florida and

braved innovative voter intimidation tactics inPennsylvania by enterprising election ofcials.Razor thin, too close to call and a toss up wereall terms that were repeated breathlessly in the

wall-to-wall coverage by cable news networks.

But Obama maintained his pace, hastening it inthe last phase to reach the nishing line rather


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comfortably. Women, Hispanics and AfricanAmericans voted overwhelmingly in his favour.The coalition was a clincher.

Many pundits had it wrong, especially thosespeaking from the Republican side. They shouldnot get a second term. In the waning days of thecampaign, Fox News, a pro-Republican chan-nel, tried to whip up anger against Obama byrepeating horror stories from victims of Sandy.It did not work.

Obama four years later is not the soaring ora-tor Americans had elected in 2008 but over thepast four years they saw he performed undertremendous pressure. APThe world is relieved since almost all the coun-tries polled by the BBC recently came out in

favour of Obama. A collective sigh of relief couldbe heard from Europe to Asia. Even the Chinesepreferred him to Mitt Romney. It seemed NewDelhi was also holding its breath. The alacrity

with which congratulatory messages ew fromPrime Minister Manmohan Singh and PresidentPranab Mukherjee was record-breaking. Nosooner had Romney conceded the Indian gov-ernment warmed up the communication lines.

Obama won because his gut instinct was right.He focused on regular Americans the middleclass and the poor while Mitt Romney dissed

them as the 47 percent who didnt matter.Obama had a rather un-revolutionary messageto deliver stick with me and things will stead-ily get better. His cool, non-fussy way of govern-ing won him more support than Romney hadimagined.

Yes, Obama four years later is not the soaringorator Americans had elected in 2008 but overthe past four years they saw he performed undertremendous pressure. There was no rush to rashdecisions. This resonated. In the end ordinary,middle class voters decided another term wasnecessary for his policies to really take effect.

It is safe to wager Obama will govern differentlyin the second term. He will reach out to Repub-licans in the US Congress who had made it their

aim to limit him to a single term. He will meetand greet more no more Mr Aloof guy whosees deal-making as alien to his brand of poli-tics. There will be more White House invitationsand golng rounds. In his rst term he is saidto have played about a 100 rounds and only one

with a Republican leader.

He can also try to earn his Nobel Peace Prize.Remember the Middle East peace process and

the Palestinians? The plate is full.


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Barack Obama won the battle of perception because

he got his political message and branding right, says

marketing guru Al Ries


Why Brand Obama trounced

misbranded Mitt Romney

Al Ries is a marketing consultant whocoined the term positioning and isthe author of such marketing classics

(along with Jack Trout) as The 22 ImmutableLaws of Marketing and Positioning: The Bat-tle for Your Mind. He is also the co-founderand chairman of the Atlanta-based consultingrm Ries & Ries with his partner and daughterLaura Ries. Along with Laura he has written

bestsellers like War in the Boardroom and TheOrigin of Branding. In this interview he speaksto Vivek Kaul and analyses why brand Barack

Obama emerged stronger than brand Mitt Rom-ney.

How would you dene Brand Barack Obama?

What are the three characteristics that youwould attribute to him?

Consistent. The three characteristics I would at-tribute to Barack Obama are (1) Consistency. (2)Consistency, and (3) Consistency. He took ofcepromising change. And the major changes hepromised include creating jobs, reforming thehealth-care system and reducing the decits byincreasing taxes on the wealthy. He has never

wavered from these three basic principles.

Brand experts talk about a strong storyaccompanying a brand. What do youthink is Obamas story?


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His story is his climb from poverty to a law de-gree from Harvard, our most-prestigious uni-

versity. It includes his birth to a Kenyon fatherand an American mother, one black and one

white. He is unique. Very few politicians have astory quite like Barack Obama. One exceptionis John McCain, who was defeated by BarackObama in the 2008 Presidential elections. JohnMcCains story is the ve-and-a-half years hespent in Vietnam as a prisoner of war and thetorture he endured. This created a tremendousamount of sympathy for him. But he lost theelection because he was handicapped by thenegative reaction to the eight years of the previ-ous President, George W. Bush.

What are the right things that Obama didto build brand Obama in the run up to

the elections?

His entire campaign was built around a sin-gle idea and he expressed it with a two-sidedslogan. A two-sided slogan is like a two-sidedknife. It cuts both ways. It says something posi-tive about your brand and something negativeabout the competition.

Could elaborate on that?

Take Believe in America, Mitt Romneysslogan. Its a nice thought, but its a one-sidedslogan. It says something positive about MittRomney, but what does it say about his oppo-nent?

That Barack Obama doesnt believe in America?A country that educated him at Harvard. Acountry that elected him to the Senate and the

Presidency. A country that made him wealthyand world famous. Barack Obama doesnt be-lieve in America? Highly unlikely.

What does Obama believe in? The number oneissue among voters is jobs, but he couldntclaim much progress on this issue because ofthe economy. His best approach was to pleadfor more time to nish the job. So he used theslogan Forward.

And what did that imply?

His Forward slogan implied that Republicanswant to go backwards to policies that failed in

the past. Forward is a great slogan because itcuts both ways. This makes two in a row forBarack Obama. His 2008 slogan, Change wecan believe in, was also a two-sided slogan.

With the Republicans in power, John McCaincouldnt exactly advocate change, becausethat would offend his base. The best he could do

would be to imply that he would do the job bet-ter than Bush.

What are the things that went wrong forObama?

Nothing. The American economy is in badshape. Decits are enormous. The Republicansshould have won in an easy election, but theirmarketing strategy was bad.

Which is the brand that you think comesclosest to Brand Obama?

Virgin might come close because its a brand as-sociated with Richard Branson, a unique indi-

vidual with many stories.

When it comes to brand names the brandname Obama is fairly different from theusual. How does that work/not work?

What many companies forget is that a brandname should be unique and different. The big-gest mistake companies make is trying to createa brand name that says something about theproduct or service they are offering. A typicalexample is Seattles Best Coffee, a high-endcoffee chain launched in America. But the com-petitor was Starbucks, a unique and differentname unrelated to coffee. Starbucks is a far bet-

ter name than Seattles Best Coffee, which is ageneric name. Ask people, What is Seattles BestCoffee? And they are likely to say, Starbucks.

Could you give us another example frombusiness to substantiate your point?

Google is a typical example. When you startwith a unique name without any specic mean-ing, you can make the name mean whatever you

want it to. Yesterday, Google meant nothing.

Today, Google means search and its becomeone of the most valuable brands in America. Onthe stock market today, Google is worth $220.1

billion.


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How would you dene the Brand MittRomney? What are the three characteris-tics that you would attribute to him?

Romney is a business leader and the at-tributes voters attribute to him are all based onhis business experience. Businesses should (1)Make money, (2) Reduce expenses, (3) Avoidtaxes legally.

What about Brand Romney made it at-tractive to the white American male? Andwhat is it that made him unattractivetowards everyone else?

The white American male is focused on becom-ing a business success. He expects to work hard

and be rewarded when his hard work pays off.The white American male resents having toshare the rewards of his hard work with thegovernment in the form of higher taxes. Womenare more family oriented. They dont mind shar-ing with less-fortunate individuals. Thats whymany of them voted for Barack Obama.

Which is the brand (or even brands) of aproduct or a service that you think comes

closest to Brand Romney? And why?

You could list almost every American corpora-tion from IBM to Microsoft. The general percep-tion is that companies want to increase prots,reduce expenses and nd a way to avoid taxes(legally.)

You have always said that marketingand branding are all about focus. So who

do you think had more focus Obama orRomney? And why?

Barack Obama was focused on just one thing:Let me nish the job. That idea was expressedin his slogan Forward. Mitt Romney wasfocused on attacking Obama for the lack of jobsand the high decits. All true, of course, butthats a losing political strategy. A politicianneeds to rst have a positive focus. I thinkMitt Romney should have focused on his busi-

ness experience and then used a slogan likeLets run the government like a business.

I was reading somewhere that both

Obama and Romney employed a tech-nique called brand hijacking in the elec-tions. People who type one candidatesname into Googles search box in somemarkets have seen ads for his oppo-nent. A search for Barack Obama, forinstance, has yielded ads for Romney,while entering Mitt Romney has result-ed in ads for Obama. Romney has useda similar tactic on Facebook. How doesthat help? Would you advocate some-thing like that in the future?

I would not advocate something like this. Whileit might be effective with some people, it mightturn off others.

What are the branding mistakes that

Romney make? How difcult was it tobeat an incumbent President who wasstruggling with the economy and most ofeverything else?

Mitt Romney spent most of his time attackingBarack Obama. Thats the wrong strategy. Whata politician needs to do is to offer a positive con-cept rst (business experience) and then pointout that his or her opponent lacks this concept.

(Barack Obama has never worked in the privatesector). It should have been easy to beat an in-cumbent President with his track record.

I was reading an article onFast Compa-ny and it said politics, after all, is aboutmarketing about projecting and sellingan image, stoking aspirations, movingpeople to identify, evangelize, and con-sume. Would you agree with something

like that and why?

Absolutely. Its all about perceptions, not real-ity. Thats what marketing is all about, creatingpositive perceptions in the minds of consumers.

What are the branding lessons that com-panies can learn from Obamas success-ful campaign?

Years ago, Bill Clinton became famous for run-

ning a campaign which his consultants dubbed:Its the economy, Stupid. Today, a companyshould adopt something similar. Its what I callthe KISS approach. Keep it simple, Stupid.


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In the days to come, conservatives of various stripes

will ponder the mystery of Obamas victory.Whatever the path of blinkered reasoning, it will

lead to the same, wrong conclusion: Rightward ho!

Lakshmi Chaudhry, Nov 8, 2012

The new Republican party:old, white and entirely blind

In the days to come, conservatives of

various stripes will ponder the mystery ofObamas victory. Birthers will offer colour-

ful conspiracy theories that explain why Ameri-

ca voted for a Muslim/black man/foreigner notonce but twice. Some will blame it on Sandy,others on Romney. Still others will opt for de-nial like Karl Rove having mini meltdown on

Fox News over Ohio turning blue.

In the end, the Republicans had to cede thenumbers, but they will be damned if theyll givehim a victory.

An election has to have a consequence. Votershave weighed in tonight and both the Repub-licans and Obama have to respect their view,says old Democratic hand James Carville, apatently absurd idea that House Speaker John

Boehner was quick to dismiss. And never mindthat he won the majority of the popular vote contrary to rightwing prediction conservativecommentator Tunku Varadarajan underscores

the real lesson of this unambiguous victory:Lets not forget: HALF of America did not re-elect Obama. He needs to digest that.

Whatever the path of blinkered reasoning, itleads to the same, wrong conclusion: Rightwardho!

The day after is exactly as Brookings Institutionscholar John Hudak already predicted:

If Governor Romney loses on Tuesday, thepartys reaction will be stinging. They will notblame conservative principles, the isolation oflarge portions of the American electorate, or


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the inability to convince voters of a suitableplan for economic recovery. Instead, they willblame Moderate Mitt for the loss.

Ultimately, the party will claim their mis-take was nominating a man who lacked trulyconservative bona desa candidate who oncesupported gay rights, abortion rights, anduniversal health care. A Romney loss will ignite

passion within the GOP to move ever right-ward. Never again will the most vocal in the

party settle for a moderate candidate. The pathto Republican presidential success will not beto redene its appeal, but to double down.

Doubling down on a losing hand may seem likemadness, but it is preferable to acknowledg-ing that far more frightening truth. A truth that

New York Times commentator Ross Douthatspelled out: The age of Reagan is ofcially over,and the Obama majority is the only majority

we have. Say farewell to riding into the WhiteHouse on the coattails of born-again Christians,rural whites, and scal conservatives. Back in

August, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) read outthe writing on the wall: The demographicsrace were losing badly Were not generatingenough angry white guys to stay in business for

the long term.

One Donald Trump shrieking revolution doesnot a winning coalition make.

But why join the reality based communitywhen its easier to pretend, as Bush advisor AriFleischer, that the 50-plus white guy is a ticketto the White House. Far better to insist that itsObama who has to worry about losing out on all

those white folks in Indiana and North Carolina the only two states he lost this year comparedto 2008.

Demography is destiny, observed CNN pun-dit Gloria Borger. And so it is, and will be inthe years to come for the Republicans who ndthemselves saddled with the grand old whitemans party.

Its extremely unhealthy for the nation to

have one party that relies primarily on whitesfor votes, and the other is based on inclusive

big tent politics, says David Gergen, a self-identied right-of-center conservative. Well,

its certainly unhealthy for the GOPs electoralprospects. Barack Obama owes his victory tothree constituencies: women, people of colour,and the LGBT community. Or to put it differ-ently, Mitt Romney and the Republican party

were defeated by the very same constituencies.And the reason they lost their vote isnt hard todiscern.

The calendar may say its 2012, but the partysmost prominent and visible leaders are stillpartying like its 1955. Over the past decade,the Republican rhetoric has moved backwardin time. George Bush entered the White Housein 2000 with the promise of a compassion-ate, more diverse conservatism the kind thataunted Condi Rice and Colin Powell, promisedimmigration reform, and wore its pro-life be-

liefs lightly. The traditional Democratic bastionssuch as the Latino vote were suddenly underthreat, and the Donkey became the symbol ofoutdated identity politics the kind that reliedon sops and quotas to keep the minorities inline.

Then 9/11 happened and the Republican party Bush included collectively lost its mind.The hyper-patriotism that reenergised the base

also demonised and alienated everyone elsewith its virulently white brand of xenphobia.Compassionate conservatism was consigned tothe history books, and Bushs victory in 2004seemed to conrm every white conservatives

wet dream of a Rightwing nation, driven anddened by the Bible belt.

What appeared to be a long conservative boomturned out to be a mirage. A lost war and bur-

geoning decits made the impossible possible a black president with a foreign-sounding (read:Muslim) name. What ought to have been a real-ity check for the conservatives drove them everloonier, bringing out in the open the Birthers,Tea Partiers, and outright misogynists. Theydrew exactly the wrong lesson from Obamas

victory: The Republican party needed to movefurther to the right. An error of interpretationreinforced when the Tea Party candidates won

big in 2010. An error the conservatives seemed

determined to commit once again eventhough those very same Tea Party candidateshave cost the GOP at least six seats in the Sen-ate.


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The American people have spoken, but the Re-publican party seems in no mood to listen.

Rare Republican analysts like Margaret Hooverhave already seen the writing on the wall, writlarge in the seismic shift in party identicationamong young Americans: This generation islost to the Republican party. And party identi-ties solidify over time. Its not just about geogra-phy, its about demographics. The Republicanshave lost not just the women, Latinos, but alsothe youth. And were not counting the onesthey never had, ie the African Americans, gays,lesbians et al. To rephrase one Democratic con-sultant, Obama is winning the America of thefuture, while Romney lost with the America ofthe past.

Some are predicting a civil war within theGOP, but those are the optimists like TomFriedman:

Granted, the morning after an election defeat,angry G.O.P. hard-liners would surely vow

to obstruct Obama more than ever. Im notafraid. Because the morning after the morningafter, G.O.P. governors, mayors and businessleaders would see where the country really isand nally do what needs to be done: either

crush or separate themselves from a radicalbase that has forced Republican candidatesinto a war against math, physics, biology, His-

panics and gays and lesbians all at the sametime.

Well, good luck with that.

The next generation of Republicans i.e BobbyJindal, Jeb Bush, Marc Rubio, Tim Ryan etc are not exactly moderates, except by lopsidedRepublican standards, and none have a solutionto GOPs biggest problem: The base is growingmore conservative, while the country is steadilymoving towards the centre. Republican prima-ries throw up candidates that are too rightwingto be elected or as in Romneys case, candi-dates too fake to be elected. The result is a party

that is out of touch with mainstream America a charge once smugly leveled at liberals by the

very same party.

For all the talk about introspection and self-correction, it is likely that Hudaks assessment

will hold true:

In the immediate aftermath of a second Obamaterm, Republicans will do some soul-searching.

That search may come up empty. Rather thanchanging with a changing nation, the Republi-can Party will reect the proverbial denitionof insanity

The Republican Party is not doomed. It willnot disappear nor divide. It will come to gripswith the realities of a changing society. It willlearn that a changing electoral map will workagainst them in the futureno matter the

outcome of the 2012 election. In time, they willrealise their path to survival.

Just dont expect it to happen any time soon.


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In the end, President Barack Obama won the

re-election on the issue that was supposed to send

him packing: the sluggish US economy.

Reuters, Nov 7, 2012

Washington: In the end, PresidentBarack Obama won the re-election onthe issue that was supposed to send

him packing: the sluggish US economy.

The United States is still digging out from thedeepest recession in 80 years, and employ-ers are barely adding enough jobs to keep pace

with population growth. Trillions of dollars ofhousehold wealth have vanished in the housing

bubble, while the gap between rich and poorwidens.

But historically, voters have given a second termto incumbent presidents who preside over evenmodest economic growth during an election

year.

That pattern appears to have held for Obama.If the economy is not exactly roaring ahead, itimproved steadily over the course of the year.

It was never going to be a landslide, said JohnSides, a political science professor at George

Washington University. But it was always hisrace to lose.

The Democratic president took major steps to

boost the economy, but they did not seem tohelp him much in the eyes of voters. Polls showdeep divisions on the merits of his 2009 stimu-lus, his Dodd-Frank nancial reforms and the

Sluggish economy gets

Obama second term


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auto industry bailout.

But they made a difference in one importantplace. Obama campaigned heavily on the auto

bailout in Ohio, where 1 in 8 jobs is tied to theindustry.

That may have helped him limit his losses thereamong white men, a slice of the electorate thatRomney won heavily elsewhere.

According to Reuters/Ipsos exit polls, Obamalost white men nationwide by 21 percentagepoints. In Ohio, he lost white men by only 12points.

Obama was also helped by the fact that voterslargely blame the recession on his Republican

predecessor, President George W. Bush. Obamamade that a central part of his campaign mes-sage as he argued that Romney would bring

back policies that precipitated the crash.

If the Romney campaign wanted to focus theelection on Obamas economic stewardship, theObama campaign wanted to make it a choice

between two candidates.

Obamas campaign attacked early with a bar-rage of negative advertising that painted themultimillionaire former private-equity execu-tive as a corporate raider with little concernabout the fortunes of ordinary people.

The attacks drew unattering comparisons toObamas historic 2008 run for ofce, but theydiscredited Romney in the eyes of many voters.

A lot of middle-class white people who donthave a college degree came to the conclusionthat Romneys just not one of us, said PotomacResearch Group analyst Greg Valliere.

Obamas narrow re-election victory will notstrike fear in the hearts of Republicans, whoremain in control of the House of Representa-tives. Obamas Democrats held on to the Senate,

but fewer moderates of either party will be inthe mix.

That is a recipe for more gridlock and white-knuckle showdowns over taxes and spending.Reaching consensus on even the most routine

legislation will be difcult.

Theres not going to be a lot of goodwill on theHill, said Princeton University history profes-sor Julian Zelizer. The party lines will be hard-ened after this election.

The increased polarization may make govern-ing more difcult, but it made campaigningeasier for Obama. In an age of intense partisansentiment, Obama enjoyed more reliable sup-port from members of his own party than hisDemocratic predecessors Jimmy Carter and BillClinton.

There are just a lot fewer people who are goingto shift from one candidate or another. Theyre

just a lot more hardened on either side, said

Taylor Grifn, who advised Republican nomi-nee John McCain during the 2008 campaign.

For Republicans, Obamas re-election posesuncomfortable questions.

For the second election in a row, the Republicanpresidential candidate has been unable to winmore than 1 in 3 Hispanic voters, and the partycould have an increasingly difcult time com-

peting in national elections if it fails to makeinroads among that rapidly growing slice of theelectorate.

The partys gravity center now rests in theHouse of Representatives, where many lawmak-ers represent solidly conservative districts. Theyface little incentive to compromise on issues likeimmigration reform that could anger their baseof older, white voters.

Romney had to overcome lingering suspicionfrom conservatives during the drawn-out battlefor the Republican nomination, and he was un-able to appeal to independent swing voters untilthe campaigns closing month.

But many in the party are likely to conclude thatthey will be better off nominating a more con-servative candidate next time, said BrookingsInstitution fellow John Hudak.

The party is going to move right, he said.The line is going to be, See, we shouldnt havenominated a moderate.


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One of Amith Prabhus secret goals of wanting to be in

Chicago was to be involved in a personal capacity with

the re-election campaign of President Obama.

Amith Prabhu, Nov 7, 2012

One of my secret goals of wanting to

be in Chicago was to be involved in apersonal capacity with the re-election

campaign of President Obama. Not being a UScitizen has its limitations but fortunately my of-ce is adjacent to the Obamas campaign head-quarters and my zip code in their database came

with some benets. Benets of being invited toexclusive opportunities to participate in some of

the campaigns crucial activities.

Thus began six months of interesting interac-tions with the Obama Campaign. It started withan initial online donation and a merchandise

purchase mainly for the experience of under-standing how these things work and then onthere was no turning back. I did 4 out of 6things I could do to support the campaignthe highlight being a fundraiser with MichelleObama in June and canvassing in the neigh-

bouring battleground state in Iowa. The two Icould not do was working the phones and obvi-ously voting.

Social media skills were put to good use to keepup the momentum because in the 2012 elec-tion every little thing could make a difference.

Attending neighbourhood watch parties dur-

Volunteering in Chicago:It was about the people, not the president


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ing the convention and debates was anothergreat experience. The best they say is reservedfor last. When volunteering to door knock we

were not told about a possible opportunity ofattending the election night rally. On the eve ofthe elections I realised that I must nd a way toattend this once in a lifetime opportunity and asI have learnt unless you ask you never get. SoI walked to the reception of the campaign head-quarters adjacent to my ofce building at lunch

break and was pleasantly surprised to nd outthat my name was in the guest list by virtue ofhaving volunteered and there I was with thatprestigious credential all set to witness the ab-solute stunning nale to a battle well fought.

There is so much to learn from the campaign,the elections and the dignity with which the

leaders carry out their tasks. That shall be tack-led in another post.

Here are twelve thoughts from the night of 6November 2012 (7 November morning to read-ers in India).

1. People walked in like they were attendinga funeral or a prayer meeting for Sandy victims.There was no festivity and the body language

was giving it away

2. It was a great decision to restrict crowds toa few thousands and have it indoors comparedto the 2008 election rally which was outdoor inGrant Park

3. The evening began with the nationalpledge, national anthem and a very inspiringprayer which started getting people charged up

4. There were large screens displaying newsfrom different screens and when the news wasnot favourable they would play videos from thecampaign trail which was a smart move to lift

spirits

5. The invitation-only event had three catego-ries of passes guests, special guests and hon-oured guests

6. It was about the people rather than thePresident all the way

7. The not so good part was a thirty minutewait for the President with a ller in the form ofa medley of songs at 12 midnight after Romneydelivered his concession speech

8. When the rst family nally got on stageit began to sink in that Barack Obama had wona second term and drove people wild yet com-posed

9. I think Obama had prepared a concessionspeech and Romney an acceptance speech from

what I could gather

10. The discipline with which people gather,respect each other and assemble with dignity isreally admirable

11. It seems like business as usual and some

aspects of the election are indeed fascinating like the speed at which results come in and thefact that both candidates organise a rally winor loss.

12. Lastly, I was glad I volunteered in Iowa abattleground state that the President had to winin order to make up the big numbers and thatact of volunteering was rewarded with a guestcredential to attend the Election Night.

So much to learn from the way America actsand reacts!


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By voting against a return to the awed economic

policies of the Bush era, US voters have sent apowerful message about their past and their future.

Venky Vembu, Nov 7, 2012

How Obama won:with help from Dubya

Memories dont leave like people do.

And as US President Barack Obamasteps up to rejoice in the success of

his re-election, he can be thankful for the per-sistence of memory. And in particular, that

a sufciently large number of US voters stillremember George W Bush, the previous Presi-dent, even four years after he left ofce.

Nothing else can account for how an incum-bent President, presiding over an enfeebledeconomy, with unemployment running at over7 percent for four straight years, could possiblysecure re-election against a man running on hisrecord as a successful businessmen who could

create jobs.

As voters went to the polling stations on Tues-day, exit poll surveys conrmed that the stateof the economy was uppermost on their minds.That ought to have been bad news for Obama,given that he has not had much signal successin xing the economy in the four years sincehe inherited the mess from Bush following thenancial meltdown of 2008.

Although the US economy has averted a repeatof the very real risk of another Great Depres-sion, and has recovered marginally duringObamas four years in ofce, it is still on lifesupport. For millions of Americans, it doesntfeel like their country is on the mend. And, asthe Republican party keeps reminding them,even the weak recovery has come at the cost oframping up debt to unsustainable levels.

But, strikingly, the same exit polls from Tues-day also conrmed that although many votersfelt that the US economy had a long way to gotowards recovery, they were less likely to blame

President Barack Obama for the economic trou-bles than to point the nger at his predeces-sor, George W. Bush.

Even though Obama secured far fewer popular

votes and electoral college votes than duringhis election in 2008, his re-election today, andthe sentiment underlying the exit poll surveys,reects a rara sagacity among US voters thatallowed them to frame the weak economy in theright context in a way that seldom happens inthe heat and dust of a combative election cycle.

After all, it was the go-go years of the GeorgeW Bush years, during which the rich got taxbreaks, and the poor and middle class got shaft-ed, that led up to the colossal crash-bang of theUS economy in 2008. And particularly after the9/11 terror attacks on the US, Bush blunderedrecklessly into war in Afghanistan and Iraq andran up sky-high decits. All during his term inofce, Bush also advanced the callous deregula-

tion of the nancial services industry (that hasbeen going on ever since the Ronald Reaganpresidency, and continued even under Democ-ractic Presidencies), which contributed to the


35/56

collapse of the nancial markets in 2008.

Obama has been fairly successful in windingdown the US military machine overseas , one ofthe legacies of the Bush era. But his efforts toroll back the scal excesses of the Bush era have

been stymied at every stage by the Republicanparty, particularly after the latter took controlof the House of Representatives in 2010 on thestrength of the far-right fringe Tea Party move-ment. It is another matter that for all his rheto-ric, and the colourful fat-cat names he calledthem, Obama has not exerted himself fully inthe cause of taming Wall Street excess.

Mitt Romneys economic philosophy was, inlarge part, centred around returning to the sameBush era template: of lowering taxes on the rich,

and cutting back on social welfare entitlementsfor the poor and the middle class. During onetelling moment during the Republican prima-ries, Romney was asked if he would agree to 1dollar in tax raises on the rich in return for 10dollars in entitlement cuts. In his eagerness topander to the extreme right wing, as happensduring every primary race, Romney, to his eter-nal shame, said he would not.

Obamas campaign theme therefore revolvedaround the folly of returning to the old Bush-era

ways of running the country, and the unwisdomof not making long-term investments in en-hancing the skills and capabilities of the middleclass. It may not have been the most persuasivedefence of his own record in ofce, but it was a

valid case nonetheless.

It is a measure of the maturity of US voters thatin large part, and despite the close nature ofthe race, sufcient numbers of them were per-suaded by the merit of the Obama campaignsargument and voted to exorcise the spectre ofGeorge W Bush.

Given the arithmetic of the new Congress, andgiven that Obama returns to power a somewhat

diminished President, there is still a politicalbattle ahead, particularly as they grapple tomake the cutbacks necessary to lighten Ameri-cas debt burden. But merely by voting against areturn to the Bush era policies, US voters havesent a powerful message about their past andtheir future.


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In a blog post for the New York Times, Krugman says

that what this victory has done most signicantly, isdebunk the theory of a real America that consists of

partisan white voters who are more conservative in

nature, and show that the country is becoming more

liberal and tolerant.


Obamas victory shows a moreliberal, tolerant America

Obamas re-election has been attributedfrom everything to healthcare, changing

demographics in swing states and evenHurricane Sandy. But according to Nobel laure-ate Paul Krugman, the biggest story of Obamas

victory is not what helped him win, but what hiswin signies.

In a blog post for theNew York Times, Krug-man says that what this victory has done mostsignicantly, is debunk the theory of a real

America that consists of partisan white voters

who are more conservative in nature, and showthat the country is becoming more liberal andtolerant.

He says:

For a long time, right-wingers and somepundits have peddled the notion that thereal America, all that really counted, was theland of non-urban white people, to which both

parties must abase themselves. Meanwhile,the actual electorate was getting racially andethnically diverse, and increasingly toleranttoo. The 2008 Obama coalition wasnt a uke;it was the country we are becoming.

Notice too that to the extent that social issuesplayed in this election, they played in favor of

Democrats. Gods, guns, and gays didnt swingvoters into supporting corporate interests; in-stead, human dignity for women swung votesthe other way.

Read the full article here
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/07/the-real-real-america/?smid=tw-NytimesKrugman&seid=autohttp://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/07/the-real-real-america/?smid=tw-NytimesKrugman&seid=autohttp://www.firstpost.com/


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What Next - Obama's Challenges


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Sandip Roy, Nov 7, 2012

Man without a mandate?

The challenge of Obama 2.0

Tonight you voted for action, not poli-tics as usual, Barack Obama tolda cheering crowd in Chicago in his

acceptance speech.

But now that the confetti has settled, a new dayin America looks remarkably like well, yesterday

once more.

Barack Obama remains president. Republicansremain in control of the House of Representa-tives. The Democrats hold onto the Senate. Inshort, its politics as usual.

If Mitt Romney was gracious in his concessionspeech the Wall Street Journal didnt bother tohide its disappointment.

Mr. Obama will now have to govern the Amer-ica he so relentlessly sought to divideandwithout a mandate beyond the powers of the

Presidency. Democrats will hold the Senate,

perhaps with an additional seat or two. But Re-publicans held the House comfortably, so theiragenda was hardly repudiated.

Barack Obama after winning the polls. Reuters.This has become the kneejerk mantra of thepunditry the president without a mandate.

Its back to square one for Obama says Reuters.

He faces a difcult task of tackling $1 trillionannual decits, reducing a $16 trillion nationaldebt, overhauling expensive social programsand dealing with a gridlocked U.S. Congressthat kept the same partisan makeup.

But the fact is the man won. As political com-

mentator James Carville barked on CNN: Theman has won reelection. Thats got to count forsomething.

Well, what does it count for?


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Commentators think it means Obama 2.0 needsto sit down with House Speaker John Boehnerand work things out across the aisle. That actu-ally sounds a lot like Obama 1.0.

Obama 1.0 oundered not because he didntreach across the aisle but because he spent waytoo much time reaching across the aisle, behindclosed doors, and trying to accommodate eve-ryone from Republicans to lobbyists to blue dogconservative Democrats.

Obama 2.0 can make his case to the people andtake his cues from them because he doesnt haveto worry about being re-elected.

Take taxes and the expiration of tax cuts for thevery rich. The Speaker has already signaled he

hopes Obama is not thinking of raising taxes onanyone, including the very rich.

What Obama will need to remember in hissecond term is what the people think. The New

York Times points out:

Signicantly, 60 percent of voters said taxesshould be raised either on the rich or on eve-ryone. Only 35 percent said they should not be

raised at all; that group, naturally, went heav-ily for Mr. Romney.

The voters, in electing Barack Obama to a sec-ond term in a bad economy, signaled that they

believe that the man is honourable and tryinghis best even if they didnt think they were see-ing results quickly enough. Obama has an ethi-cal core that is his greatest asset.

That needs to be at the centre of his secondterm, not focus groups. He, alone, and ratheruniquely among politicians, has the ability tocast an issue in moral terms, to position it alongthe arc of justice. That is something he cannotsquander.

He will need to hold fast to those principles ashe takes up the issues he rattled through in hisacceptance speech.

Reducing our decit. Reforming our tax code.Fixing our immigration system. Freeing our-selves from foreign oil. Weve got more workto do (an America) that isnt weakened by

inequality, that isnt threatened by the destruc-tive power of a warming planet.

Obama needs to get out in front of those issues.The chattering pundits think he is hamstrung

because his party does not control the House.But actually he can, if he chooses, consider him-self unfettered. He can take on these issues andcast them as moral imperatives, not just voting

bank deliverables. He can take them directly tothe people through speeches, townhalls, or hisown version of reside chats. Obama 2.0 can

be an Independent in the way Obama 1.0 couldnot.

The Republicans are waking up to the falloutof their intransigence on immigration reform

because they realize that its costing them the

Latino vote. Mitt Romney lost the race in theprimary, said Republican analyst Ana Navarro.He self-deported from the White House. Butthey dont see immigration as a moral issue.They see it as a numbers issue and are worriedthat they are on the wrong side of it. Tunku

Vardarajan tweeted If the GOP isnt careful,the Latino vote could turn Texas blue by 2020.#WakeUpRepublicans.

Obama frames it differently.

We believe in a generous America, in a com-passionate America, in a tolerant America,open to the dreams of an immigrants daughterwho studies in our schools and pledges to our

ag.

Barack Obama came to be president on theaudacity of hope. That he won reelection is a

tribute to the stubbornness of hope. Peopleplaced their hope in him, even in the middle ofeconomic doldrums, because they trusted his

values even if they disagreed with his policies.

Obama is aware of that. As he said:

And whether I earned your vote or not, I havelistened to you, I have learned from you, andyouve made me a better president..

Its time for him to prove that thats not justempty words. Thats one campaign promise hemust keep.


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PTI, Nov 8, 2012

Fiscal cliff issue top priority,says Joe Biden

Washington: Addressing the issue ofscal cliff is going to be the rstand top priority now, the US Vice

President Joe Biden has said listing out the pri-orities of the re-elected Obama Administration,

wherein he would continue to play the samerole as in the past four years.

Getting down to the business, not only the USPresident Barack Obama, but also Biden calleda number of top Congressional leaders to dis-cuss with them the issues on hand and how toaddress them.

My takeaway is that weve got a lot of work todo. I talked to the President. Were really anx-

ious to get moving on, rst of all, dealing withthe rst things rst, this scal cliff. I think wecan do it, Biden told a vice president poll re-porter on Wednesday.

I think the real takeaway is what is the takea-way going to be on the part of our Republicancolleagues. What judgment are they going tomake? And having been a Democrat elected in1972 by 3200 votes, I know it takes a little time

to kind of digest whats going on. But Ive beentalking to a lot of people, made a lot of phone

calls. Im not going to get into who. But I thinkpeople know weve got to get down to work andI think theyre ready to move, he said.

Biden said the Obama Administration is willingto compromise with the Republican leadershipon key issues facing the nation.

Were going to have to compromise too. Itsnot like were going to go in and say, this is ourdeal. Take it or leave it. And I still think thatsthere, were now 55 seats (in the Senate). Andthe House as well. Theyre going to have to takea look at like we did back when I rst gotstarted take a look at will the same formula

work? he said.

The Vice President expressed optimism aboutaddressing the issue of immigration reform andsaid that the administration is going to take

adequate steps in this regard.

Biden said that they are prepared to work withRepublican leadership to actually deal with thetwo overarching problems- the whole sequesterpiece and the other is the tax piece.

Its possible you can bifurcate them. Its pos-sible, theres all kinds of potential to be able toreach a rational, principled compromise. But

its going to be an interesting I think the mostinteresting caucus is going to be the Republicancaucus, he said.

Responding to a question, Biden said his roleis unlikely to change in the Obama Adminis-tration. I think it will be the same. Look I am,the relationship is the same, one where thepresident and I have become good friends andcondants. I think Ill probably be asked to play

a similar role on the debt issue as we did lasttime, he said.


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IANS, Nov 7, 2012

Obama must show braveryin the next 4 years: Washington Post

Washington: Now that he has wona second time, President BarackObama needs to show bravery

to take on issues he avoided the last time, theWashington Post said on Wednesday.

It will be more important to know whetherObama will demonstrate more willingness more bravery, actually to take on issues heducked the rst time around, the Post said in

an editorial.

These, it said, included reforming entitlements,particularly Medicare, and reducing the unsus-tainable debt.

Obamas promise of a balanced, long-termcombination of spending cuts and tax increasesis the correct one.

He will have to bring his own party along on

entitlement reform, and persuade a dug-inRepublican Party of the need for increased taxrevenue not based on the wishful assumption offaster economic growth.

The inuential daily, which had endorsedObamas candidature, said there were other im-portant pieces of unnished business too, bothin America and abroad.

At the top of the list are comprehensive im-migration reform, an enterprise that Republi-cans would be wise to join if they hope not to bemade obsolete by changing demography, andclimate change

Overseas, the Iranian nuclear programmewill pose a fateful challenge, possibly withinmonths.

Obama will have to ensure that gains in Af-

ghanistan and Iraq are not erased in the after-math of US troop withdrawals.

His dithering in Syria as 30,000 civilians havebeen massacred is a particular blot on his rst-term record, one for which he could begin tomake amends in the second.

The Post said the American economy was recov-ering, but far more slowly than anyone imag-

ined in 2008. The re-elected president, it said,needed to get to work quickly.

After the briefest of celebrations, the presidentwill have to pivot to the looming scal cliff ofscheduled tax hikes and spending cuts, lest thecountry veer back into recession.

Still, the prospect of four more years offersObama a chance to conserve the accomplish-ments of his rst term and to complete its un-

nished work.

But the real measure of Obamas success, andthe ultimate assessment of his presidential ten-ure, will be in whether, in a second term, he canfull some of the promise that made Americansso excited about his candidacy four years ago.

Will an Obama second term allow him to tran-scend the ideological divides that he vowed to

bridge but instead found so daunting?

That is a tough order in a partisan age and witha divided, gridlocked Congress; there is no in-dication that the intransigence Obama encoun-tered from the opposition party will diminish.

But Obama has had four years of seasoning;one question is whether he can demonstrate thepolitical canniness and legislative nesse that

too often eluded him during the rst term.


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What this means for India:


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Obama has now built on the Bush era bonhomie with

New Delhi so his presidency means continuity. More

to the point, the longer Obama is in ofce, the more

his administration realises how much it needs India.

Uttara Choudhury, Nov 7, 2012

President Obamas win meansgreat bonhomie for India

New York: The race was tight from thestart. But in the end sitting PresidentBarack Obama held on to win in key

battleground states on Tuesday trouncing his

Republican rival Mitt Romney.

Within the context of expectations created uponassuming the presidency, Obama overpromisedand under delivered in foreign policy. His 2008campaign agenda remains largely unfullled,particularly in the Middle East which was cen-tral to the nal debate between him and Rom-ney.

The Obama presidency even started off on thewrong foot with India when he initiated a court-ship with China that was later abandoned. Thensensing a growing nostalgia for former Repub-lican president George W Bush in New Delhi,

Obama sent Secretary of State Hillary Clintonon a charm offensive to India and he himself

visited Mumbai and Delhi early in his presi-dency to elegantly and effectively dispel Indian

apprehensions about an Obama administration.

Obama has now built on the Bush era bonhomiewith New Delhi so his presidency means con-tinuity. More to the point, the longer Obama isin ofce, the more his administration realiseshow much it needs India. As one White Houseadviser put it: India is one of our ve mostimportant interlocutors on almost every globalchallenge you look at whether it is combatingterrorism, managing the rise of China, buildingthe G20 or helping to stabilise Afghanistan.

Earlier in the year, New Delhi may have sulkedafter Obama accused it of dragging its feet on


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free-market reforms. But real economic ties be-tween India and the US, as opposed to the for-mal frictions at the World Trade Organisation,get closer every year. India-US total merchan-dise trade was $57.80 billion in 2011 makingthe US Indias third largest trading partner.

Tough line on terrorism emanating outof Pakistan

Analysts say an older and wiser Obama is likelyto tweak policy on South Asia and adopt atougher line on Islamic terrorism emanating outof Pakistan. The past four years have shown thatObama views military-dominated Pakistan withdeep distrust and in this area his impulses arecompletely in synch with New Delhi.

Forget aid, Obamas tough call against Pakistanis underscored by a surge in drone attacks. As aresult of these attacks, the US has been able toachieve at least 41 high value targets, accordingto estimates by the New American Foundation.Even Obamas critics dont doubt his commit-ment to using military pressure on terroristgroups in Pakistan after the daring raid onOsama bin Laden.

A second Obama administration will pursuethe same foreign policy and economic policiesas during his rst administration. It is a knownquantity, Mira Kamdar, a fellow at the WorldPolicy Institute, and author of Planet India, toldFirstpost.

She added that although there may be smallfrustrations, US policy toward Pakistan andtoward Iran would not be pursued in a way that

threatens fundamental Indian interest.

Obama is the favoured candidate all aroundthe world, including in India. Its the rst timea Democratic candidate has bested a Republi-can candidate in India sentiment polls in recentmemory, said Kamdar.

It means that Obamas unique trajectory, hisbecoming the rst black president of the US,his being elected with the name Barack Hus-

sein Obama, resonates with people around theworld who believe democracy can sometimesdeliver unexpected victories, that an aam admican make it to the very top. At least thats what

Obamas victory meant in 2008. In 2012, forIndia, it means continuity, she added.

Obama will want India to replace Paki-stan in Afghanistan

Overall, the India-US relationship is a sturdyone today. Obama has maintained that deepen-ing ties with India are a rst-order of priority.

The team that Obama has assembled knowshow to deal with India. They have certain expec-tations, understanding of how India works, and

what might be accomplished with India. It isbetter than a new set of people who will have toacquaint themselves with Indian expectations,said South Asia expert Sumit Ganguly, who is amember of the Council on Foreign Relations.

The Obama administration wants India to ll upa post-US vacuum in Afghanistan and to play a

bigger role training Afghan security forces as aNato deadline to withdraw all its combat troopsfrom that country by the end of 2014 draws

near.

There is irony in the situation as the same USadministration earlier wanted India to downsizeits footprint in Afghanistan till a couple of yearsago for fear of offending Pakistan. At the cost ofsending Pakistan into a paroxysms of rage, theObama administration has instituted a trilateralengagement between the US, India and Afghan-istan.

It is foolish to say there is no difference be-tween Mitt Romney and Obama when it comesto Iran. I disagree with other analysts who havesuggested there is a complete bipartisan con-


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sensus when it comes to India. No there isnt,because Romney made very strong statementsabout Iran. It was totally unclear what Romneyintended to deal with Pakistan and Afghani-stan, said Ganguly, who holds the Rabind-ranath Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures andCivilizations at Indiana University in Blooming-ton.

Obama will have to learn to work withthe Republicans

Ultimately, voters in a handful of battlegroundstates had the nal say in what has been themost

Documents

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