Decision 2012-What happened and where do we go from here?

Another Presidential election in the United States finds one half of the nation, give or take, elated, and the other despondent as Barack Obama has secured another four years as the America's chief executive. As the Democrats padded their majority in the Senate and retained the White House, in a race that captivated the country and provoked widespread anxiety in the electorate, we find that the race was not so unpredictable after all.

Despite an approval rating that has been weathered by a sluggish economy, and a strong challenge from the well-organized Mitt Romney campaign, the former governor was unable to take a significant lead over President Obama in most of the major polls. With under a dozen states from Obama's win total in the 2008 election vulnerable to a Republican win, Romney was able to poach only two, Indiana and North Carolina. Indiana, although one by Obama in 2008, was mostly abandoned by the campaigns as polls showed it to be firmly in the red state column, while North Carolina became the only true swing state to be claimed by the Romney campaign.  

Many swing state polls remained neck and neck, or showing Obama with a slight lead approaching the election, however as Romney could not gain a sizeable lead in these states, many organizations projected an Obama victory in the electoral college as Romney was stymied in his quest to pull ahead in the polls. It is tough to defeat an incumbent even in periods of political transition (see Bush vs. Kerry 2004) and as such, Romney fell short in his bid to become the 45th President of the United States.

In addition to retaining control of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Democrats also built up their majority in the Senate, most notably poaching a seat previously held by a Republican in Indiana, as well as staving off a challenge to Claire McCaskill's seat in Missouri.  In Indiana, Republican Richard Mourdock had emerged victorious in the primaries, knocking out the Republican incumbent to secure the nomination. The tea party politician however, was unable to win over the wider electoral base in the general election, a situation exacerbated by his controversial comments on rape and abortion in a debate.

In Missouri, many pundits projected a McCaskill defeat in the general election before her Republican challenger, the staunch conservative Todd Akin also alienated himself from voters by implying in an interview that pregnancy resulting from rape was virtually impossible.

These two examples point to a larger problem in the Republican Party that quite possibly played a hand in Romney's defeat.  The 2010 elections, coming on the heels of the healthcare debate and rising budget deficits, gave rise to the tea party, a caucus of stringent conservatives that call for a smaller government and reduced taxes and spending. Many members of the tea party took seats in congress that year, and began to exert an influence on the Republican Party. Moderate voices within the party began to fade as the Republican Party began to drift to the right.

Fast forward to today, the Republican Party has dug in their heels against any proposed increases in spending or revenue, and the official platform this year included no exceptions for the life of the mother or for sexual assault in the party's opposition to abortion. Romney sought to transition to the center, however as the conservative caucus gained a foothold within the party, the face of the party itself changed. Voters this year could have very well seen a different picture of the Republican Party, one that was too far right to accommodate their views. And as much as I would have liked to have seen a narrower split between the Democratic and Republican Caucasus in the Senate, Mourdock and Akin showed themselves to be unqualified for the position, and as such cost the Republicans possible gains in the Senate.

And so here we stand, with a country as divided as ever after the election, with the incumbent President retaining his job amid a stagnant economy. The following are my proposals on where we should go from here, with recommendations for both parties.

Republicans:

 Move back towards center right. Be open to negotiation on fiscal issues in congress and educate yourselves on women's issues. Especially try to empathize with victims of sexual assault in the aftermath of the two Senate candidates irresponsible comments on rape.  Distance yourselves from the tea party, and other stringent conservative factions.  Finally, for 2016, nominate a new, exciting candidate, one who will break the status quo. Shake things up.

Democrats:

First, tell us the truth, all of it, on what happened in Libya. Our citizens and ambassador lost their lives in this tragedy and we need to know what happened and what we our doing to prevent it from ever happening again. You cannot sweep this under the rug. Next, we need leadership on deficit reduction and fiscal policy, it is up to you to initiate bipartisan negotiations on a path towards a solution of this crisis. Finally, also find your way back towards the center. Democrats are also guilty of polarization. In the early days of the president's first term, major policies were enacted on party line votes without any input from the opposition, and as a result the Democrats lost their majority in the house, several senate seats, and created an opening for the tea party. It is time to move back towards the center and reach across the aisle.

If we can do this, we will have a brighter future by the time the 2016 election rolls around. Hopefully then we can elect more candidates who identify as Moderate. We need them now more than ever.