Obama won a smaller percentage of American votes in his reelection than in his win in 2008.
America gave him less support after watching him govern for four years than when he ran promising hope and change. Normally a reelected president expands his margin of support.
The Republican majority in the House was reelected after spending two years opposing Obamacare, Obama’s taxes, and Obama’s spending. This president spent his campaign attacking Mitt Romney as a person. The election did solidify one thing. The modern Republican party is the party of the Ryan Plan: No tax hikes, Reaganesque tax reform, and entitlement reform. Before today, many believed that entitlement reform was political poison.
The Republican House was reelected after not just touching but fondling the “third rail of American politics.” It is clear that if you are specific about your reforms they cannot as easily be misrepresented to voters. The Republicans in the House all voted for Ryan. They lashed themselves to the mast and thrived. Romney hinted he was sort of in that general vicinity. One party has a plan that has been tested successfully in the fires of an election. The other party cannot even write a budget that wins a single Democrat vote.
Onward.