By Harold Hakwon Sunoo

President Barack Obama was reelected with 45% of the minority votes.  Among voters who supported him were Hispanics-71%, Asian-American, 73%, and Black-American 93%, and young people under 45. Other groups supporting him included single unmarried women liberals, moderates, and those who live in northeast, the west.  He was elected with 374 electoral votes while Mitt Romney received 204 votes.

This election was a billionaires’ Super Pac game. Total election spending was $6 billion, but they bet on the wrong party.  American Cross Roads the Super Pac founded by Karl Rove spent $150 million, but lost every candidate they backed.  U. S. Chamber of Commerce spent $24 million but only prevailed in 2 elections, Charles and David, the Koch brothers spent $54 million, Shelden Adelson spent $53 million on 9 Tea Party Candidates, but only one won race.

Result shows that the money cannot buy the votes. However the big money is making a serious problem in American Politics now.  After spending billions of dollars of those donors have little to show for it.  Perhaps the Republican should seek a different path.  They should realize now that America is changing.

What were Obama’s Campaign issues?

1. First of all, the economy is main issue.  Romney claimed that he is a businessman and could do better for the economy.  

But Obama prevented another Great Depression.  Obama spent $840 billion stimulus money, saved 2.5 million jobs and, also helped the poor, food stamps, and helped small business.  He also supported passing the Dodd-Frank regulations which Romney threatened to repeal it if he became President.  Romney‘s plan was regressive, and would not have created prosperity as he claimed.

Obama’s bail out of General Motors and Chrysler saved them from the bankruptcy, and they recovered to number 1 auto maker and paid back the bail out money

The second important economic issue is the increasing the tax rate to the wealthy class.  The Bush administration cut the tax to the wealthiest people, and the government lost a trillion dollars revenue which added to the economic crisis in 2008.  Without the tax revenue from the rich there was no way to reduce the government deficit. 60% Americans support Obama’s tax policy.

Romney remarked at a private fund-raising party held in Florida that 47% of American people do not pay tax and they are depend on government.  These people believe that the government has a responsibility to care for them, health care, food, housing, etc.  He said that it is not his job “to worry about those people” even after he became the President.  By Romney’s definition, those undeserving free loaders include workers in low paying, menial jobs, and older Americans whose social security payments are too low to be taxed, disabled veterans and people who were maimed on the job. Romney has been paying only about 13% of his $10 million annual income in Federal income taxes.

Romney protects the rich by turning to working poor and middle class into the enemy.  The shame is how many poor people there are when the top 1% can amass uncountable fortunes fed by tax breaks and can devote tens of millions of dollars to political candidates to keep it that way.  It shows that Romney does not know about American political culture.  His talk is a country-club fantasy, its millionaires talk to each other.

2. Next important issue was Health Care.

The health care reform bill passed without a single Republican vote in 2010.  The U.S. was the only advanced country without a national health policy.  All European countries, China and even India have comprehensive national health plans.

“Obama-care” will lower drug costs; insurance companies cannot deny coverage with pre-existing conditions, the parent’s policy can cover their children until 26 years of age, and many other benefits.  Romney said that he would repeal the law on the first day in his Presidency.  Over 60% of American supports the law.

3. Civil Rights issues.

First of all President Obama supported women’s rights.  Women should get equal pay as men for the same kind of jobs. The women should control their own life including abortion, contraception, family planning, etc.

President Obama nominated two women justices, Kagan and Sotomeyer to the Supreme Court.

Romney said that he would nominate conservatives like Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito.

One of the most important issues of civil rights is the immigration. There are 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Some American politicians favor deporting these immigrants. For instance, Arizona passed a law which gives the police the right to demand ID from anyone in the streets and if they don’t have proper ID to prove they are legal resident,  they can be deported.

America used to have most business friendly immigration policies. 18% of the 2012 Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants including AT&T, Du Pont, eBay, Google, Kraft, Heinz, and Proctor & Gamble.

Immigrants also founded 1/3 of high tech and engineering companies between1995-2005. They also obtained patents at twice the rate of American-born people.

An American visa is hard to get while the countries like Canada are welcome immigrants. The present American policy is threatening American growth. President Obama is trying to change it, but Romney took a hard line like supporting Arizona law. No wonder he lost Latino’s support.

4. On Foreign policy
President Obama challenged Al Qeada leadership. He directed to killing of Osama Bin Laden.

He ended the war in Iraq as he promised in his 2008 campaign. American troops have been withdrawn from Iraq. He also committed to withdraw the American troops from Afghanistan. Romney wanted to keep the troops there.

Pres. Obama negotiated  tougher economic sanctions on Iran and rejected Israel’s hard line to military intervention. Pres. Obama also was cautious on Syrian internal war. He is cooperating with NATO and also Arab countries to negotiate with Syrian government while supporting the opposition groups with the weapons.

Pres. Obama also supported democratic opposition against the dictators in Tunisia and Egypt although America supported the dictators for more than 30 years. Pres. Obama is trying to repair America’s damaged reputation in the Middle East. He won the Nobel peace prize award in his first year of presidency.

He nevertheless maintains to keep the strong military forces to keep the strong American although he does not claim the America as the super power as Romney advocated.

Pres. Obama’s clear campaign policies brought him to a resounding re-election.   His re-election was remarkable: A Black President re-elected in spite of strong Wall Street opposition. Now his challenge is to implement the policies which he has promised to the American people.