As a conservative, one who volunteered at a Romney office, I was initially upset by the election. Like many constitutionalists, I truly believe that the course President Obama has set America upon is fundamentally wrong for this country. That it is the antithesis of the independent spirit that built America. I am afraid for my homeland and yet, after much thought, I now believe that America might have suffered worse problems, greater divisions had Mitt Romney won.
Let us suppose for these few moments that Romney had squeaked through a win. First, it would be a repeat of 2004 as the country would be in limbo as Florida recounted her votes. You recall what chaos this caused. On top of which, as this was happening, Obama's legal teams, already set up and waiting in every swing state, would be shouting voter fraud and demanding recounts. The public, already bitterly divided by extremely prejudicial and negative campaigns, primarily by Obama's side, would be whipped into a frenzy helped by the one sided reporting by the media. Riots would ensue.
The Romney/Ryan administration would therefore begin not by a peaceful election with the other side gracefully admitting defeat in spite of actual voter fraud, but instead by images of police in riot gear against angry minorities. An already divided America would become further divided with each side hardening their positions.
Now ask yourself the big question. If Obama had lost, does anyone really believe that he would fade out of public sight as every exPresident in modern history has done? No, me neither.
In the past decade or so Carter has become more active, sometimes taking positions or meeting with people that angered the sitting administrations but he did stay quietly in Ga building houses for years right after he lost. The other ex Presidents have helped out but only when asked by the current President. But Obama? I'm sorry but I simply can't see him quietly sitting in Chicago if he had lost, nor would his supporters or the media let him.
People I have talked to since the election didn't know or had forgotten that the President could still run for a second term in four years. Grover Cleveland did and you can bet Obama would have tried. In fact I would think he would start campaigning for 2016 beginning the day after he lost.
Just think what that would have done to our divided country. We would have ended up having a true shadow president. Anytime Romney did anything the media would trample over each other in their eagerness to get Obama's reactions. While Romney worked to get this country back on it's feet, Obama would be constantly on TV discussing what he would be doing if President, why Romney is wrong, and of course the familiar refrain that Romney is hurting the little guys and helping the rich.
I am assuming Congress would be divided, as it currently is, thus making changes very difficult. The liberal's attitude would be to hold back Romney for the next four years until Obama is re-elected. Most likely Republicans would lose the House in 2014 making any progress impossible with a Democratically controlled Congress during the second two years. Businesses, while heartened in the short term by a Romney win, would be worried about long term problems if Obama was re-elected in four years.
The country could fall into a recession because Congress would not work with the White House and of course Romney would be blamed for it.
Meanwhile, Obama is continuously interviewed by the mainstream media, always with regret that he wasn't the president. By 2014 Obama will have a new book published and makes the rounds on all the talk shows. He will also be a huge hit when he is the first exPresident to host SNL. In other words, for four years Obama will constantly be front and center; garnering more attention then a President Romney and most certainly it all would be favorable compared to the constant negative reports on Romney and his administration.
Four years from now, Obama would win in a landslide with a Democratically controlled Congress. All of his transgressions from his first four years will have been conveniently forgotten or whitewashed. Meanwhile, Romney would gracefully fade out of sight. Yes Romney might have rescinded Obamacare and other Obama regulations but once in office again, this time with a strong liberal Congress, Obama would overturn anything Romney might have done.
So now what do you think? Yes it hurts to have Obama win but maybe it might be for the best. Better to happen now than to have four years of Obama looming over us followed by him becoming president anyway in 2016. Besides, history has shown that the 5th and 6th years have never been kind to a second term president. Better a man with a slightly tarnished reputation in four years than a martyr waiting to rule again.
