Election Day 2012: What Obama Needs to Do to Have A Successful Second Term

Impact

Thank goodness the craziness has ended. We can finally watch TV and not be distracted by political attack ads fraught with lies and distortions. We no longer have to defend our candidates at dinner every night. The American people have spoken and Obama got four more years.

From my perspective, Obama received an undeserved gift from the American electorate. In no other profession would a person get a second chance after a performance as dismal as his; the man did a terrible job dealing with the problems facing America and with his colleagues in government. What ever happened to the old Truman adage, “The buck stops here”?

In the business world I worked in, Obama would have been on the street today looking for new employment. I have been scratching my head for months wondering why the country has treated this man with kid gloves. It is like he is our favorite son, who is entitled to special treatment and should not be punished no matter what he does wrong.

But Obama is president, and the country needs to come together, end partisanship, create new jobs and protect us from those that want to harm America.

Obama is going to have to back off from his positions on many issues to get anything done during his encore performance. I suggest he begin to treat all Americans equally and end class warfare, immediately. Even as they suffered the most in recent years, minorities were principally responsible for the president’s reelection. Obama owes the group big time. But, if he picks up where he left off by “trying to steal from the rich and give to the poor,” roadblocks will make the next four years a living hell.

The 1% may only have 3 million votes, but it controls a lot of business and is responsible for spending a great deal money in this economy that will create jobs. The group will not budge from its reticence to do so if Obama continues to make it uncomfortable by continuing his policies of the last four years. Uncertainty and fairness is what the group expects before it acts to turbocharge the economy.

With Congress, the president must look over the fiscal cliff and contemplate its potential to destroy or seriously impact the financial security of the nation. This will be a test that sets the stage for whether both sides will work together prospectively or whether Obama will get nothing done legislatively for the balance of his tenure.

Obama has nothing to lose by moving further to the middle. By doing so, he will find Republicans prepared to do the right thing for the country. If the president continues to espouse his left-wing policies of the past, I’m afraid the backlash and sour grapes from the 2012 losers will overwhelm him and his administration.

The right is very angry and resentful about their dramatic defeat. It is extremely important that the winners be good winners and not throw salt into the wounds created during the election. Is this possible after such an important victory? We will soon see.