According to the Right they lost the elections because they could not compete against the 47 percent of Americans who “want stuff” that Obama promised to give them. They got outhustled by a con man, without a birth certificate, with phony academic credentials, and with secret ties to the world of Islam who was selling snake oil to people too dumb to resist. And their solution: Regroup, re-obstruct, and double down on everything with all the money they can wring out of the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Donald Trump and others with similar stacks of money and with similar IQs.

 

But,…

 

According to discerning analysts from the school of humanism, Obama won the election because he was perceived as a determined, intelligent leader; someone with broad appeal across age groups, across genders, across ethnicities; who  stood up for and fought for equal rights for women, for minorities, for gays, for the young, for the middle class, and for the old.  He was a champion of the downtrodden, the poor, the dispossessed—those who asked only for an honest shot at the American Dream. 

 

From those in the school of rhetoric and the power of words, Obama was seen as a masterful speaker with just the right mix of conviction, and humor, and down-to-earth honesty as he called upon our “better angels” to guide us and him into an uncertain future where he was determined to knock down barriers that the selfish, the bigots, and the misguided obstructionists had put in place. His abilities to deliver a speech of such stirring magnitude that it resonated across the land with a fervor, an intensity, and a quality that touched our souls was unmatched by any living political figure since Abraham Lincoln.

 

From the school of history, Obama was the personification of Abraham Lincoln who believed in and practiced the fundamental principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  He made the election about us, not him, while he carried the banner of truth, justice, and the American way. He was a man of vision, and a bolder destiny underscored his every action.

 

From the school of world affairs where military might and diplomacy meet, he was perceived here and around the world as a leader among leaders. He made the hunt for and destruction of Osama bin Laden his number one goal in world affairs, and he lead the team effort that killed bin Laden. He wound down and ended the war in Iraq, as promised.  He helped to oust Mubarak from Egypt and Gadhafi from Libya without incurring a single U.S. casualty. He set a new tone for the intelligent use of force when needed, and for the astute use of diplomacy where possible.   The Presidency is no longer seen as the home for loose cannons hell-bent on nation building, but as the focal point for reason, vision, and alliances.

 

From the school of economics Obama was seen as the first President to understand this basic principle behind economic growth: First, get the economy growing with money and spending proportional to the damage done; and afterward, reduce and withdraw all excess money and let the economy sustain itself. It is a simple premise that has been tried and proved in 11 of the last 11 recessions. Still, the Right doesn’t get it. They want to cut spending and contract a contracting economy even more, and then blame the Democrats for the Great Depression that must inevitably follow. Meanwhile, cut all spending programs for the poor, and give the super-rich another big tax cut. 

 

Epilogue. In the halls of Congress, the Right—although weakened—is right back where they are doing their damage as if we did not have an election in which voters rejected their message and 11 of their most maniacal members.   The rest are still holding out for tax cuts to those millionaires and billionaires who hold 85 percent of our wealth, while calling for cuts in Social Security and Medicare—two programs funded via payroll taxes and neither of which contributed one cent to our national debt.

 

According to Yogi Berra, the Right’s actions are “de ja vous all over again.” According to Albert Einstein, repeating the same thing while expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity. The first test of the power of stupid politics will come as the “fiscal cliff” draws nearer.