Throughout the campaign, we heard continuously that the race was about the economy. But if that were true, why did America re-elect a president with unemployment at 8 percent and the national debt over $16 trillion? My suspicion: this race was not about the economy. The results hinged instead on capturing the votes of special interest groups—those who vote based on which candidate best addresses their particular concern. President Obama courted and captured these votes; Gov. Romney did not. Obama championed minority interests by passing the Dream Act; he championed women’s interests by promising to protect their sexual freedoms; he championed environmental interests by touting the virtues of green energy initiatives; he championed middle-class interests by promising protection from crony capitalism, and he championed gay and lesbian interests by advocating their equal protection under the law. Romney’s impersonal promise of broad economic reform could not compete with Obama’s targeted guarantees.
