On November 7, 2012, in the early hours of the morning, Barack Hussein Obama II stood in front of hundreds of enthusiastic supporters in his home of Chicago, Illinois, and delivered his second presidential acceptance speech. Conversely in Boston, Massachusetts, Willard “Mitt” Romney delivered his concession speech.

Obama, incumbent president of the United States and former Democratic senator of Illinois, defeated Republican Governor Romney in one of the closest general elections this century. Millions speculated on the outcome, which only hours before had been practically unforeseeable. President Obama, however, emerged victorious, winning 332 Electoral College votes and 51 percent of the popular vote.

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This year’s election was important for several key reasons. The president will have the ability to select one or two Supreme Court justices.  Although the Supreme Court is currently controlled by conservative justices, President Obama may soon have the power to change that. He will also have the power to help determine the future of the nation’s economy, and influence the federal stance on healthcare.

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The three presidential debates this fall each played a major role in this election.  In the first debate, Governor Romney came prepared, hoping to use this opportunity to call Barack Obama out on some of his weaker spots in his presidency, emphasizing the country’s considerable national unemployment rate of 7.9 percent. Likewise, Obama came prepared with rhetoric regarding multiple inconsistent statements made by Romney and his campaign in the Republican primaries and the general election.  

Each candidate represented a different future for our great nation, and exhibited these beliefs in the three national presidential debates. This election was not just a choice between a Democrat and a Republican, the real choice was between the candidate’s beliefs on central issues, both of a domestic and foreign nature; and though there were many relevant topics, health care, specifically “Obamacare”, seemed prevalent.  Obama and Romney shared different views, Obama supporting his national health care bill, which requires employers to provide healthcare for all employees. Romney supported a different approach, implementing a system of vouchers.     

One especially pressing issue of this election was the economy. Ever since the economy crashed in 2008, Americans have been struggling to recover. Though the recession officially ended in July of 2009, many people have been unable to resume the jobs and positions they previously held. Unemployment is currently at 7.9%, excluding those who have given up their search for work (in which case the number would be closer to 14.7%). Clearly, the economy has a long way to go before it completely recovers.



This year’s election brought to light the increasing polarization in American politics. Tensions escalated as two very different candidates battled for the presidency. The stark differences in the parties’ opinions resulted in friction between parties and a significant rise in hostility. Republicans and Democrats differ on most important issues such as the way health care and the economy should be handled. Unfortunately, this increase in polarization is unlikely to cease simply because the election has ended.  Republicans and Democrats seem to be polar opposites, and cannot seem find a common ground on Capitol Hill or even in their respective parties. The divide regarding fiscal and social matters is prominent, and we must join together as a nation and hope, that the president will be successful in guiding our nation.