It was a long night, as expected, after a drawn out, expensive and exhausting campaign. In the end, we were left with the same situation as before Barack Obama in the White House with a Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a Democratic-controlled Senate. So what in fact changed? America itself. America is divided. Democrats see the country as a source of pride and as an example for the world. Republicans see the country as waning under Obama's leadership and think that America is becoming more like the rest of the world rather than the rest of the world becoming more like America. An 18-month marathon ended on Tuesday night and the American people appeared to be no less exhausted than the presidential candidates. Obama gave a victory speech in front of a crowd that was much smaller and less enthusiastic than the one he addressed four years ago. This time, Obama was a politician who had won an election. The messiah Obama who was born in Bethlehem left the world some time ago. One must ask how Obama won an election dominated by economic issues? Pre-election polls showed that Mitt Romney was the candidate that more people trusted to deal with unemployment and the deficit. But exit polls on Tuesday revealed that 50 percent of Americans believe the economic situation is still former President George W. Bush's fault. Romney was not the candidate that the entire Republican camp had hoped for. I saw this clearly during my travels in America. Romney's problem was not just that America is divided. His problem was also that the Republican camp has split since Obama was first elected, and it is this split that has eroded the stability of the conservative sector in the American political spectrum. Even if Obama's victory on Tuesday was larger than expected, it was not as decisive as his 2008 win. Obama said in his victory speech on Tuesday night that he intends to meet with Romney in the coming weeks. Obama's goal is clear. He wants to soften the Republicans, who still control the House of Representatives. Obama also knows that even though Romney lost, the Republican candidate still received the support of more than 57 million voters, a segment of the population that Obama needs to take into account. "The best is yet to come," Obama said in his victory speech. But that is not certain. As high as Republican expectations were going into Tuesday, so was the level of disappointment following Romney's loss. Hundreds of people had come to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center to celebrate a Romney victory. The Obama administration's record an unemployment rate near 8 percent and a national debt double the size of what it was when Obama entered office allowed them to hope that a Romney victory was possible. But after midnight, Romney was forced to go on stage and deliver a gentlemanly concession speech. As was the case throughout the campaign, Romney acted more gentlemanly than some Republicans desired him to be. I was sitting several dozen meters away from Romney. After thanking his family and his vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, Romney talked about America. "I believe in America," Romney said. "I believe in the people of America. And I ran for office because I'm concerned about America." Romney had previously said that he had prepared only a victory speech. Romney's speech included a prayer for Obama. The crowd did not seem thrilled by this. They did not believe in Obama and did not think he has the ability to unite the American people. On the contrary, many felt that Obama has gotten to where he is his by taking full advantage of the changing demographic trends in America. Two disappointed couples from North Carolina stood near me. "I don't know where the country is heading," said one of them. "I'm very sad and worried. I'm convinced that Obama's victory tells us only one thing America will continue to decline. Obama is not capable, and we saw this for four years." An analysis of the election results shows that young people, women, African-Americans, Jews and Hispanics voted for Obama while older people and white men voted for Romney. It is no wonder that Republicans are concerned. Obama's voters symbolize the future and Republicans fear that demographic trends do not bode well for the party. Romney is leaving the political arena. He can conclude that he was not able to adjust at the end of the race. He was too quiet during Superstorm Sandy and did not bring enough attention to Obama's handling of the Libya situation. Romney was too passive in the final two debates. Maybe Romney did not have the killer instinct necessary in politics. Also the fact that he chose Ryan, rather than Marco Rubio, as his vice presidential candidate proved to be a mistake. More than 70 percent of Hispanics voted for Obama and Ryan's home state of Wisconsin gave its 10 electoral votes to Obama. Obama deserves not only praise for his victory, but also wishes for his success, because America is important to all of us. Obama may not be the messiah, but he is a successful politician with especially sharp senses. He knew how to take advantage of everything along his path, including Superstorm Sandy, to achieve victory. If his second term is like his first, his greatest achievement will have been his re-election. America has too many problems awaiting him.
