By James W. Breedlove
Polls, Polls, and more Polls!! As the 2012 campaign draws to an end pollsters, pundits, political hacks, reporters and voters are anxiously analyzing dozens of national polls, electoral maps, and early voting data to try and detect a subtle factor that signals whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney will be the next president of the United States of America.
Over these last few weeks momentum for either candidate changed with the flash of a new headline. Following the Denver debate in early October the Romney bump was the lead media story. Last week, Hurricane Sandy thrust President Obama back into the national spotlight as a caring leader and bipartisan champion.
Now, on this final day before the election the expert opinions range from a landslide victory for Obama to a race to close to call.
In addition to gaging the impact of major issues such as the economy, jobs, debt reduction and healthcare, there are myriad political and social sub-factors such as abortion, gay rights, legalizing marijuana, consumer confidence, gas prices, and immigration that add to voter confusion.
Legal suits dealing with voting mechanic issues are already being filed in a number of battle ground states reviving the specter of 2000 when the Supreme Court decided who would be president.
These election legal battles are an indication of the potential difficulties that could emerge in many states as the election progresses on November 6 and portend the magnitude of the effort required to effectively manage the election mechanics. Aside from the objective of getting their candidate elected Republicans say they are more concerned with potential voter fraud and Democrats say they are guarding against the suppression of voting rights.
With all the election related data that voters must analyze and prioritize it should not be a surprise that there is a serious case of data overload that short circuits objective decision making.
But with the cumbersome list of primary and secondary factors that must be accounted for in the predictive models the pundits are touting there is one factor that has been either overtly or conveniently overlooked; Divine Intervention.
Have we forgotten the messianic undertone and religious tenor that surrounded Obama in the 2008 campaign?
Have we forgotten the feelings that we shared, even if they may not have been discussed, that Obama’s footsteps were being directed by an Almighty force?
Have we forgotten that we believed that Obama was the one sent to be our leader? A leader who touched our souls, who made us feel good about one another, and that together we could do great things and make great changes.
Have we changed our minds and lost our faith in divine providence simply because all the hopes and aspirations we championed in 2008 did not occur instantly?
Perhaps we need to be reminded that the Almighty may have his own time for change to be manifested and for hardened hearts to be softened.
Have we not witnessed the recent outcries of once silent moderate conservatives as they defy the far right zealots that gained control of the GOP in 2010?
Have we not seen Mother Nature and the economic data move in such a way to let the president stand taller than his adversaries?
Obama is not just the preferred choice of liberal Americans. He is also the favorite in many other countries. Over 87 percent of Germans said they would vote for Obama, while in France 67 percent selected him as their president of choice. Just 5% of those polled in France, Germany, and Britain had a good opinion of Romney.
America took a giant step in November 2008 toward redeeming itself and living up to its promise as a nation, a promise that has always given people around the world something to believe in. If we fail, we not only let ourselves down, but also everyone who cherishes the ideals of freedom and government by and for the people.
While the myriad of complex challenges that President Obama will have to immediately confront seem like a mission impossible he will be in an enviable position. He will have a reaffirmed political mandate to write a new chapter for American governance and the opportunity to aggressively interface with congress without considering the potential consequences on re-election.
Over the past 48 months he has been tested in debates, in campaigning skills, and on policy issues. When challenged he has responded with tempered coolness and clarity of judgment and language, while developing a detailed program of commitments on the people’s issues – healthcare, economic restoration, the federal budget, energy independence, and Afghanistan.
Obama is what the nation needs; and with the guiding hand of the Almighty, Obama will be delivered.
Comments or opinions may be sent to the writer at: jaydubub@swbell.net.
