2012 Election Center: The Main Event - Obama Wins

[Dodece]

@Kas/Khan

Speaking as something of a disinterested observer. One of the biggest issues with the Romney campaign was that it was nothing if not inconsistent. Pick a spot at random on the political map, and chances are that Mitt Romney took that position at one point or another. If not in the past six months at least in the past six years. If that weren't bad enough he had a way of being particularly vague, and making blanket proclamations. To say his comments were up for interpretation is a pretty fair criticism.

I took note of this, because to be blunt it fucking pissed me off. Presidential elections aren't just about winning the office. They are about promoting a national discourse. You don't have to win a election to get something accomplished. Sometimes the most powerful legacy of running for the office isn't actually winning the office. Sometimes its the idea put forward in the heat of the campaign. Would we have Obama Care today if Bill Clinton hadn't made it a centerpiece of his presidential campaign. George W Bush made Tort reform a centerpiece of his campaigns, and it is a idea getting traction now. Hell we may see Gores magical lock boxes in a not so distant future.

The real tragedy for the supporters of Romney in this campaign isn't going to be that he lost. The real tragedy is that he isn't going to bequeath a legacy to the nation. That might have been a future victory that might have given these supporters some solace years down the line. Mitt was right he did leave everything on the field. The awful truth of it though is that it was all empty rhetoric. He had the limelight, and he squandered the opportunity that afforded him to move the conversation forward.

Brace yourselves now, because I am going to say something that is probably going to shock this shit out of you. Ron Paul is going to have a far stronger legacy then Mitt Romney in the national discussion. No he didn't stand a chance in hell, and yes most of his ideas are bat shit crazy, but there are a few that have some merit.

Anyway in that regard we all lost this presidential campaign. Firstly we had a challenger who didn't bring anything new to the debate, and secondly that let the incumbent do much of the same.