Election season has been one characteristic of heavy social media campaigns, increased involvement by students and celebrities, and increased amount of political bloodshed by both parties. Incumbent President Barack Obama, Democrat, and Governor Mitt Romney started this race for president as early as the fall of 2011. This season has been filled with many ups and down, and very defining moments that changed many people’s perception of each candidate and more generally each party.

14. The Republican Primaries

The primaries were fiery, with candidates ranging from the most conservative of candidates to major tea party supporters to moderate republicans stressing the importance of intraparty collaboration.  Of the many people who put in their bid for republican nominee for president, a few stood out in the media, Texas Governor and evangelic Christian. Rick Perry, Massachusetts Governor and Mormon, Mitt Romney, and African-American conservative, Herman Cain.

13. Speaking of Cain

The most notable and relevant of the aforementioned to Morehouse was Herman Cain, a Morehouse Man from the class of 1967. During his run for Republican nominee he popularized a plan for the economy, which he conveniently named the 9-9-9 plan. The plan would replace the current tax code with a 9-percent business tax, a 9-percent personal income tax, and a 9-percent federal sales tax.

12. Glory to the Power Couple

President Obama and First Lady Obama are apart of one of the most powerful couples in the African American community. They are resilient, visibly in love, independent, and an icon for many other African-American couples. To create an even bigger power circle, one of the most notable moments where politics merged heavily with pop culture was when music’s power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z donated money at $40,000 per person event.

Beyoncé said this about the president: “President Obama, Everyday we see your heart and character, inspiring all of us to give more of ourselves. You are the leader to take us from where we are to where we need to be. You are the reason my daughter and nephew will grow up knowing that they can truly be anything they want to be”.

11. An Olympic Fumble

After winning the Republican primary, Governor Mitt Romney decided to go on a diplomatic tour of three countries starting with Great Britain. He stopped in London on the eve of the Olympics and in an interview made offensive comments towards the city, questioning its readiness to host an event like the Olympics.  British Prime Minister David Cameron offered public opinions in response to his comments, expressing the cities offense to the comments.

President Obama regarded this as proof that Governor Romney was not ready to take on the ‘commander-in-chief’ role.

10. Love knows no gender

American politics and community has been plagued by the biggest question on the morality of gay marriage. In some states, including Romney’s home state of Massachusetts, there is no ban on same-sex marriage, however in much of the country there is mass opposition to the movement.

Obama said “The government has to treat all citizens equally. I am a strong supporter not of a weak version of civil unions, but of a strong version, in which the rights that are conferred at the federal level to persons who are part of the same-sex union are compatible. When it comes to federal rights, the over 1,100 rights that right now are not being given to same-sex couples, I think that’s unacceptable,” reported by Polictico.com

This open support from the president shook the LGBTQ community in America, driving their support for him up during this campaign. His support was strongest in Maine, Maryland, and Washington, states with same-sex legislation on the floor.

9. Greatest non-campaign campaign tactic

Days ago we all witnessed history as Hurricane Sandy breached the shores of America’s Mid-Atlantic and New England States. Devastation was widespread, and very unusual. During this time both candidate’s responded to this crisis as the nation coped with this widespread devastation.

President Obama publicly halted his campaign to help maintain the welfare of the citizens affected, more generally the citizens in costal New Jersey. Republican Governor Chris Christie praised President Obama for his genuine reaction and tragedy and prompt response to the tragedy. Republicans offered very disgruntled opinions about the Governor’s reaction to the president, however Christie was unapologetic.

This inadvertently for Obama became a huge move to increase his likeness with voters, even though he was not on the campaign trail.

8. Raging Romney

Governor Romney was a beast during the first debate. He came out swinging bringing his big guns, creating a new likeable personality critics said they hadn’t seen from him. President Obama, however, was critiqued as disconnected and uninterested during the debate.
“He clearly won tonight,” said Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio-R) minutes after the debate when interviewed by CNN new correspondents. “He told the truth to the voters and gave them what they wanted to hear, specifics.”

Romney focused on creating jobs and cutting the deficit the most during the debate. He presented an idea of ridding the country of it debt, which Obama mocked as simply giving $5 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. CNN fact checkers found that Obama’s interpretation of Romney’s idea was false.

Romney’s beautiful rhetoric, great presence, and comfort on the stage helped him to rise to the occasion and debate well against President Obama, putting him ahead in some polls and giving hope back to the Republican Party.

7. Finally Under 8

When President Obama took office at the beginning of his term he promised that before he was out of office the unemployment rate would fall below 8%. When the campaign began the Republican party attacked him because he hadn’t delivered on his promise and was obviously not equipped enough to handle the state of the American economy.

October 5, the Jobs Report was published which established a 7.8% unemployment rate, down from the previously 8.1% that plagued his election.  The last time unemployment was the low was before President Barack Obama was inaugurated. After this was released, Obama’s supports has a renewed vigor and hit the campaign trail harder than before counting down exactly one month and one day before the big Tuesday election.

6. Who is the 47%

The Telegraph reported that a secretly-filmed footage emergesd of Mr Romney addressing donors at a closed-door fund-raiser, where he appears to dismiss 47% of Americans as government dependents who will vote for the President so they can stay on welfare.

Governor Romney said, “My job is not to worry about those people, because they are going to vote for the president.”

Romney dropped in the polls, especially with minorities, including immigrants from Spanish speaking countries and Middle Eastern countries. Romney later issued a statement expressing his regret that the rhetoric of the statement was misunderstood, also debating the common belief that he was culturally insensitive.

5. Social Faux Pas or Political Humor at its Best?

One of the most memorable speeches of the entire campaign season was during the Republican National Convention when actor and director Clint Eastwood took the stage and offered a whimsical speech to the delegates at the convention where he pretended that President Obama was sitting in an empty chair next to him. Some critics received the speech as factual offering to the nation, fact checking and disproving most of the statements Eastwood made on the state of jobs in the nation.

“One advantage of being my age is that you know what can they do to ya?” Eastwood said in an interview. “You just have fun and do what you think and then you can say what you think, you don’t have to edit yourself.”

This speech was a highlight of the convention enjoyed by many, including Romney. His speech also was a strong motivator for many other Republicans. On twitter, many people regarded this speech as more comical, and unfitting for the spirit of the convention.

4. 4 More Years…of Clinton?

Much like Eastwood, former President Bill Clinton gave a speech that defined the pace of the entire Democratic National Convention. In many polls held by the Huffington Post, this speech was the highlight of the convention. After the speech CNN correspondents unanimously agreed that President Bill Clinton did a much better job telling President Obama’s high points of his first term.

During the speech Clinton talked about Obama’s victories from the killing of Osama Bin Laden to the passing of the still controversial affordable healthcare bill, commonly referred to as ‘Obamacare’. Mostly importantly Clinton expressed his ecstatic belief that President Obama was exactly what the country needed to move forward, and he told every watcher that he fully supported the President. That one aspect resonated with watchers, because Clinton is still one of Americans highly liked presidents.

“No president, no president — not me or any of my predecessors, no one, could have repaired all the damage he found in just four years. But he has laid the foundation for a new, modern, successful economy, of shared prosperity, and if you renew the President’s contract you will feel it. You will feel it,” said Clinton about Obama during the speech.

3. Not Just the First Black President

President Barack Obama became the first presidential candidate to cast his vote early in a Chicago precinct. This was apart of his initiative to get voters to come out and vote early to avoid the November 6 election day rush of precincts. Millions of Americans took advantage of this.

2. Raise Up A Child

In the last few days of the campaign Obama charged people, mainly the younger population, to campaign for him heavily. In the hundreds and the thousands students from around the nation climbed onto buses and canvased the battle ground states including Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio. Camping out on the floors of campaign designated gyms and buildings; a sense of community was forged between those who participated in this historic event.

Representative John Lewis said in an Obama sponsored email “I can assure you, this trip matters. If you can empower just a handful of Florida voters to make their voices heard, you’ll make your mark on this election–and play an important role in moving this country forward. Progress is fragile. It’s up to each of us to protect it and fight for more.”

Many Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark Atlanta students flooded to both Florida and Ohio in the past weekends to show their support for the President lead by student activists throughout the campuses.

1. The VOTE!

President Obama re-elected with over 300 electoral votes.

– Reginald Hutchins

reginaldhutch@gmail.com