Incumbent President Barack Obama pulled off a tremendous
victory over Governor Mitt Romney Tuesday night. Obama had wins in several key states, while
Romney could not even take Wisconsin, the state in which his running mate Paul
Ryan resides. Demographics and policy
stance can be argued for the next four years, but the bottom line is that more
voters turned out to support Obama in 2012.
Obama will face the challenge of a Republican controlled
House of Representatives and a Democratic controlled Senate. It will be unlikely that any significant
legislation will be passed. However,
given demographics, the Republican Party will have to soften its stance on
immigration if it intends to offer a viable candidate in 2016.
Obama will also likely make a 3rd and possibly 4th
Supreme Court nomination. Nixon and
Reagan were the last presidents to have 4 Supreme Court Justices
confirmed. While I am not up to date on the
Supreme Court docket, I believe the leanings and youth of the court will stabilize
social issues rather than promote change.
As a side not FDR had 9 justices confirmed, although 2 were replacements
for earlier confirmations. The only
justice to be impeached was Samuel Chase in 1804.
The prohibition era of America is turning as well. Alcohol was prohibited by Federal law in 1919
and the repeal was in 1933. Marijuana
was prohibited in 1937 and has yet to be repealed on a Federal level. In fact the Supreme Court has upheld
prohibition twice since 2001. However
Colorado and Washington were the first two states to pass laws in direct
opposition to the Federal laws. The
interpretation and posture of the US and State Attorney Generals will be
interesting to follow. As a side note,
there is no Federal Law against gambling or prostitution. These matters are left to the states. The Federal Wire Act does limit gaming across
state lines.
Very few individuals want to see an America with opium dens
on every corner, however the tide is turning to say that prohibition rather
than regulation of certain vices is not the best use of tax payer dollars to
improve the lives of most Americans.
There has never been a Federal Law against abortion and the
Supreme Court. Until Roe v Wade this
decision was left to the states. Now
abortion is legal in every state, but may be restricted to varying degrees.
There is a Federal Law not recognizing gay marriage. This was passed by Republican controlled
Congress (85-15 Senate, 342-67 House) and signed by President Clinton in 1996. States may allow gay marriage but that union
need not be recognized by other states or the Federal government. The constitutionality of the law has been
challenged several times.
1 comment:
Excellent post although it appears to be more of a statement than asking for opinions. I really think the Republicans needed a wake-up call and this election was it. Hopefully they can turn their party around - where they are headed, they will not win in 2012 either. They are no longer the party of the majority and they need to restructure.
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