Just over a year ago, Americans around the country eagerly celebrated the election of Barack Obama to the presidency and the increased Democratic majorities in Congress. The 2008 election was supposed to symbolize the beginning of a new era, one where the principals of progressive governance would prevail just as Barack Obama himself had. Aggressive ways to fight climate change, taxing companies that moved jobs overseas, providing government run health care and ending two wars were just some of the many hopes Americans who voted for Obama in 2008 had in mind.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party was declared dead on arrival. The economic crisis of 2008, a weak presidential nominee and an extremely unpopular president all created a perfect storm that proved devastating to Republicans nationally. The party's views were out of touch, critics said. The party only represented a vanishing breed, pollsters declared. The Republicans were in disarray and famed Democratic strategist James Carville predicted the beginning of a new and permanent Democratic majority.
But a funny thing happened. On November 3, voters handed Republicans significant victories that can only help their cause to regain control of Congress and, in four years, the White House. To be sure the Republicans still have a very long way to go and the president enjoys fairly high approval ratings. What should be taken away by the elections on Tuesday, however, is that just because Americans believe in Barack Obama (and just about every objective barometer indicates they do) doesn't mean they support his policies.
In both New Jersey and Virginia, two states Obama carried by significant margins last year, Independents abandoned Democrats in droves. The very independents that Obama so catered to, and who so overwhelmingly supported him in turn, had a change of heart in just one year.
It's important to understand of course that both states were predominantly local elections in that the issues voters based their decisions on had little to do with the president and more to do with state leadership. However, that neither a moderate Democrat (Virginia) or a liberal closely aligned with Obama (New Jersey) managed to win was a warning sign to those who confidently described the United States as a center-left nation.
All this is by way of saying that perhaps in all the fanfare for a truly historic presidency, and hard-won victories by Democrats in 2006 and 2008, some of us have lost perspective about America's values. This is a nation based on the principals of small government and free enterprise. This is a nation based on the ideal that if you work hard enough, you can enjoy part of the American dream. This is a nation that fervently believes that everyone is entitled to equal justice under the law. This is a nation that, regardless of the pressures of despots or socialists, understands that freedom in the market place (by way of capitalism) and in the voting booth is integral to a genuine democracy.
Now some will take issue with this description of what America believes in, and I am almost certainly not representing all aspects of what being an American is about. My goal is simply to explain that the election results on Tuesday reveal a nation that passionately believes in values that may not always seem rational to some, particular college students (in)famous for their liberalism.
To be honest, I myself find occasionally perplexed about the decisions voters make. The passing of Question 1 right here in Maine, overturning the legalization of gay marriage, is one such instance. Though a Republican, I voted against Question 1 one for a variety of reasons and was thoroughly disappointed to see that it passed.
The loss, however, was certainly not for lack of effort. As a member of the Bowdoin College Republicans, I can honestly say that I was both impressed and humbled by the efforts of the Bowdoin College Democrats in promoting "No on 1." They fought and worked and tirelessly championed a cause that demanded nothing less then tremendous dedication and for that I congratulate them.
Yet the reality remains that working hard doesn't always equate to victory in a democracy. Ultimately the will of the electorate must prevail but some on our campus are hesitant to accept that. We may not like it, nor may we agree with it, but one thing's for certain: it's our best hope for reminding our representatives that they work for the people, not DailyKos or the New York Times editorial board (or Bill O'Reilly for that matter).
Given that, perhaps the most noticeable and rather disappointing aspect of Tuesday's election was the lack of discussion of the results. Praising the United States, cheering in the streets and singing patriotic songs is not something one should do just because one's party wins an election. It is something to be done because one truly believes in America's role in the world as a force for good. I cannot say that I sensed that on Tuesday anywhere near as much as I did during the last election. Surely our patriotism is not as shallow as that? For the sake of the Democrats, I hope it isn't.
Jose Cespedes is a member of the Class of 2012.