President Barack Obama will begin a second term in office in 2013.
This is a disappointing turn of events, especially with so much at stake: a skyrocketing national debt, erosion of the free market, and rapid loss of our freedoms.
Now, a quick look at the numbers:
In the 2008 presidential election, John McCain received 59.9 million votes, and Barack Obama received 69.4 million votes.
Two days ago, in the 2012 presidential election, Mitt Romney received 57.7 million votes and Barack Obama received 60.5 million votes.
So the incumbent president received nearly 9 million votes, or 13%, less in the 2012 election cycle. The GOP’s candidate lost just over 2 million votes, or 3%.
You can compare these results to the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004.
2000:
George W Bush: 50,456,002
Al Gore: 50,999,897
2004:
George W Bush: 62,040,610 (+12 mil)
John Kerry: 59,028,444 (+9 mil)
2008:
Barack Obama: 69,456,897 (+10 mil)
John McCain: 59,934,814 (-3 mil)
2012:
Barack Obama: 60,567,122 (-9 mil)
Mitt Romney: 57,744,506 (-2 mil)
The chart below ranges from 2000 – 2012.
What does this mean? Well, voting numbers tend to be fickle. But there is a marked loss of voting turnout in 2012, and the rate of loss is definitely steeper for the Democratic party than for the GOP. Add 4 years to the current trend, and the GOP may just regain control of the White House. Additionally, within the last century, it is fairly rare for one party to retain the White House for more than two terms in a row.
This isn’t to say Republicans will win in 2016. If anything, the GOP lost voters in 2012, possibly due to McCain and Romney’s respective moderate streaks, when fiscally conservative and libertarian voters have grown tired of ‘punting’ on the growing deficit, debt, and taxes.
But do not lose hope. As you can see from the numbers above, a lot can change in 4 years. And it’s important to keep voting; if we talk about the virtues of small government, tight communities, strong protection of individual liberty, and free markets without voting, we are insincere.
In the meanwhile, feel free to give yourself a ‘politics vacation’: turn off the television, and stop reading about politics online for awhile. Republicans still have control of the House of Representatives, so Obama isn’t much more of a threat today than he was yesterday. Spend some more time doing something you enjoy, or working toward that personal or business goal you’ve been putting off.
And, if you can’t stop worrying, pray for our country, and yes, even the most corrupt of leaders. Pray for God’s mercy, and that He would heal our land and soften the hearts of our people and politicians. Worrying won’t help, but God is in control, and He can provide for and protect your family if you are humble enough to ask.
Update, via the Examiner:
“According to exit polls as described by Politico, ’53 percent of those surveyed said the government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals — a figure that’s risen 10 points since the 2008 election. Comparatively, 41 percent of voters said they believe government should be doing more.’”
