Its Obama Again!

 From Atlanta Georgia,USA

Courtesy: USA Poultry and Egg Export Council

The US has re-elected Mr  Barack Obama as President repeating  the historical moment of 2008 but this time with a rather  rather stiff challenge from Republican contender, Governor Mitt Romney.

While President  Obama garnered 60,662,601 constituting 50 % of the popular votes and 303 electoral college votes,Mr Romney polled 57,821,399 which is 48 % of the popular votes and 48%  and 206 electoral college votes.

Mr Obama’s  victory has been a tough one as he  struggled with putting a  bad economy in shape, high unemployment and a splintered political landscape to win a second term in the White House  defeating his  challenger  by winning  several key battleground states and denying his opponent  any inroads in traditional Democratic strongholds.

The Democratic presidential candidate swept the Northern eastern states with huge figures and also took at least six out of the nine swing states including Ohio,a critical state in the US elections since 1968.

The 51-year old  American President’s victory was powered by winning more than 300 electoral votes.

By exactly 11:15 pm local broadcasters  including  CNN projected a win for President Obama sparking spontaneous jubilation among Democrats across the US.

Not even news of Mr Romney’s initial  decision to concede the result from Ohio one of the swing states that has been deciding factor in American elections in 1968 could prevent the jubilant crowd from celebrating their hard fought victory.

Nearly an hour after his challenger’s speech, President Obama arrived at the campaign headquarters in at 12:35 Chicago time accompanied by his wife and two children—Sasha and Malia, waved and applauded the cheering supporters who chanted “four more years, four more years.”

In an rather emotional delivery, Obama said ““Tonight in this election you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.”

“Thank you for believing all the way,” he told supporters. “You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything you have done and all the incredible work you have put in.”

“Tonight, you voted for action – not politics as usual,” said Obama. “We’ve got more work to do.”

He had earlier thanked his supporters late Tuesday in a Twitter message as he secured enough electoral votes to win a second term.  "We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned, and that's who we are. Thank you," he wrote on his Twitter feed.

Mr Obama said he wanted to meet with Republican rival Mitt Romney to discuss how they could work together adding that they may have "battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply."

In a concession speech to disappointed supporters, a crestfallen, Mr Romney said “This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation.

He called for bipartisanship in Washington. 

"I believe in America. I believe in the people of America," he told supporters in Boston. "I ran for office because I'm concerned about America. This election is over, but our principles endure." 

"I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead your country in a new direction," Romney said before being joined on stage by his wife, Ann and their family, along with running mate Paul Ryan, "but the nation chose another leader, and so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation." 

 Obama’s victory ended what pundits say is the most expensive political campaign in American history and one of the harshest.

 Candidates flooded the airwaves with ads accusing each other of lying, dishonesty and  fabrications.

While Obama questioned his competitor’s lack of a detailed strategy for reviving the economy and labeling his challenger a candidate who changed his positions to suit the shifting political winds,

Romney, 65, went after the President’s economic policies flaunting his own success in business as the skill most needed in tough times. He also sought to portray Obama as weak on foreign policy.

Under the American electroral system, a presidential hopeful must secure at least 270 electoral college votes to become president. An aspirant may win the popular votes but loose the elections as was the case of Democrat Al Gore in 2000.

An electoral college is in the American Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. 

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President.

 A particular state’s entitled allotment of electors equals the number of members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two for your Senators. 

The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress.