Belated Congrats to Obama

Like virtually anyone who has finished High School I was happy to see Barack Obama re-elected as president in the States. Not that it affects me that much (or really at all) but it's great to see a guy who says that he doesn't care about half the people he means to govern lose so convincingly.

It's also nice to see that the sort of conservatism practiced by republicans in the US has proven so unpopular with anyone who is not a college dropout or a rich white guy. You'll note that both in the UK and Canada conservative governments have been elected and stayed in power. This is because they preach crazy stuff like financial responsibility and job growth while downplaying or ignoring stuff like gay marriage. While I may not agree with all of their platform it is a stance that can appeal to younger voters. Ron Paul managed to galvanize younger voters but his treatment by republicans ensured that they stayed home, voted for Gary Johnson (the libertarian candidate) or even Obama. Not that I think Ron Paul would be a good president (at the end of the day libertarianism works best with rich white folks just as Romney did) but at least he left the god hates fags stuff at home. Heck as a secretary of the treasury I bet he'd do great.

However it was not to be and Obama won a very convincing victory. It will be interesting to see how republicans respond to this loss. Will they move away from the tea party crowd towards a more British style of conservative or will they go crazy religious right. It's hard to listen to Romney go on about personal freedom when he wants to restrict what I can put in my body, who I can have sex with and what god I can believe in. I can't see a tea party driven republican party faring any better in a country that has approved marijuana use in some states and has allowed gay marriage in over ten States so far (and all in the last 8 years). The simple fact is that there are not enough rich, white guys and high school dropouts left to vote for that sort of conservatism.

Not that I agree with everything Obama has done. Intervention in Libya and budget cuts to NASA piss me off but overall he's batting around .900. He ended one of two colonial wars, he has made it so everyone can see a doctor, he allowed a tax cut to expire that does not effect 99% of the US population anyway (and didn't raise taxes except for healthcare). Remember those conveniently timed "amber alerts" in 2004 and 2008? No more fear for the win. Border crossings are secure but no longer military checkpoints. Job growth is slow but steady. I mean this guy inherited the worst mess since FDR inherited and I think he's done okay. Certainly the improvement of the eight years that preceded him can not be overstated.

So well done Barack Obama.