President Obama’s win on Tuesday is a historic, left-handed compliment to the 43rd president. He’s the first incumbent to be re-elected with such high unemployment averages and low approval ratings since FDR. Despite the best efforts of Gov. Romney, Rep. Paul Ryan, and millions of supporters, Obama has become the third consecutive president to win re-election. Maybe now at least he’ll stop blaming Bush. While many believed Romney could defeat Obama, I don’t know anyone surprised he did not. Outside of picking Ryan and an electrifying first debate performance, his campaign proved consistently frustrating. If I had to describe his biggest problem, it would be the word “conservative.” Romney acted too conservatively when it came to attacking Obama’s abysmal record, but when he needed to invigorate support, many doubted his conservative convictions. Regardless, the GOP has a young, charismatic new star in Ryan. I hear voters go crazy for that kind of candidate after eight years of an unpopular president.
