Are The States United? America
Witnessing Deep Divisions Below The Surface
12 November 2012
By Osman Mirghani
Four years ago, when Barack
Obama was elected as the first African-American US
president, the overwhelming atmosphere was one of joy
coupled with great hope, not just inside America but
around the entire world. The slogan of change struck a
chord to the point that everybody expected Obama's
entry to the White House would begin a new stage
characterized by hope. For in America, many people
were dreaming that their country had turned a page on
the painful past, and begun to heal its deep wounds to
become more united and harmonious. This optimism was
also reflected on the US economy which was exiting
years of crisis towards recovery. As for externally,
hopes were raised that Obama's election would see the
world move towards a better stage in terms of
cooperation and calm after a decade of tension and war
that characterized George W. Bush's years at the White
House, particularly since the 9/11 attacks that
changed much in the course of America and the world.
All opinion polls published at the time reflect
this sentiment. In a poll conducted by Gallup for USA
Today, 67 percent of Americans said that they felt
optimistic and happy following Obama's election.
Whilst in another poll, America's CBS television
channel reported that 71 percent of Americans had
expressed their optimism regarding the next 4 year. In
addition to this, 70 percent of those polled by Gallup
said that they thought that race relations would be
better as a result of Obama's election, particularly
in terms of what this meant for America's minorities
and the racial mix of America's society from different
races and religions.
However as the wind blows counter to the ship's
desire, so the 2012 elections took place in an
atmosphere as far removed as possible from the spirit
of hope and optimism that followed the 2008 elections,
whether domestically or internationally. The dreams of
hope faded to be replaced by fears and concerns
regarding the consequences of the economic crises and
political tensions in many parts of the world, to the
point that 72 percent of Americans said that they
believe that their country will be a party in an
external conflict or war during the next 4 years.
The 2012 elections shed light on something else
that deserves contemplation, namely that America is
deeply divided, even if its internal demographics are
quickly changing, with everything that this implies
for the social and political situation. Obama won with
the support of black and Latino voters, not to mention
women and the youth, whilst Romney's primary
supporters were white, particularly senior citizens
and those living in rural areas. These considerations
will play a major role in the future choices and
campaigns of the Republican and Democratic parties.
For the Latino (or Hispanic) community is considered
the fastest-growing demographic group in the US,
overtaking the African-American community in this
regard, at a time when the proportion of white voters
is decreasing on a yearly basis. Just twenty years
ago, whites made up 90 percent of the recorded
electorate in the US, however this figure has
decreased to 74 percent in the 2008 elections,
decreasing even further to 70 percent in 2012. Many
analysts believe that this demographic change will
have the greatest impact on the Republican Party which
will result in a complete review of its electoral
strategy to compete with the Democrats for the
minority votes, particularly the Hispanics.
However the image is not this simple because Obama
also won thanks to strong support from women, as he
won 55 percent of women's votes in comparison to 44
percent who voted for Romney. This is something that
could strengthen Hillary Clinton's chances, as all
signs indicate that she has begun her preparations to
contest the 2016 presidential elections, particularly
as women are more likely to vote than men, according
to the electoral process over the past years. Obama
also heavily won the youth vote, with 60 percent of
those aged between 18 and 29 voting for him, in
comparison to just 37 percent who voted for Romney.
Even amongst the 30 – 44 year olds, 52 percent of them
voted in favor of Obama, which is extremely important
in a society whose young population is on the rise and
whose elderly population is declining, although polls
also indicated that the majority of America's senior
citizens voted for Romney and the Republicans.
America's biggest problem appears when one
contemplates the distribution of votes between Obama
and Romney according to racial lines; 59 percent of
whites voted for Romney in comparison to 39 percent
for Obama, whilst 93 percent of the black vote went to
Obama compared to just 6 percent for Romney. As for
the Hispanic or Latino community, 73 percent voted for
Obama in comparison to just 26 percent for Romney. It
is also true that Romney critically hurt himself when
he provoked a large proportion of America's poor, not
to mention black and Latino communities, in some of
his statements and comments, particularly his famous
statement in which he said that 47 percent of American
people – who will vote for Obama no matter what – do
not pay taxes, consider themselves victims and rely on
government support. He added that his job is not to
worry about this 47 percent. However these statements
ultimately blinded Romney and reinforced his image as
a rich white man who does not care about minorities or
understand the suffering of the poor; although in
reality this did not significantly change the way that
the minorities voted, at least in this election.
America may have re-elected Obama in spite of the
ongoing economic crisis which has strongly affected
its position; however it did not emerge from these
elections in a unified or optimistic manner, rather
these results confirmed that the country is witnessing
deep divisions below the surface. These are divisions
that will have a clear impact on the American
political makeup and approach in the forthcoming
years.
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