Well – it’s over and official Barack Obama has been re-elected for another term as the President of the United States of America.
For those of you that are not familiar with the political structure that forms the government of the United States, here is a brief rundown:
The Electoral College
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.
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Your 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 United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Powers of Congress
The Constitution grants numerous powers to Congress. Enumerated in Article I, Section 8, these include the powers to levy and collect taxes; to coin money and regulate its value; provide for punishment for counterfeiting; establish post offices and roads, promote progress of science by issuing patents, create federal courts inferior to the Supreme CourtS, combat piracies and felonies, declare war, raise and support armies, provide and maintain a navy, make rules for the regulation of land and naval forces, provide for, arm and discipline the militia, exercise exclusive legislation in the District of Columbia, and to make laws necessary to properly execute powers. Over the two centuries since the United States was formed, many disputes have arisen over the limits on the powers of the federal government. These disputes have often been the subject of lawsuits that have ultimately been decided by the United States Supreme Court.
Makeup of Congress
House of Representatives
The House currently consists of 435 voting members, each of whom represents a congressional district. The number of representatives each state has in the House is based on each state’s population as determined in the most recent United States Census. All 435 representatives serve a two-year term. Each state receives a minimum of one representative in the House. In order to be elected as a representative, an individual must be at least 25 years of age, and must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years. There is no limit on the number of terms a representative may serve. In addition to the 435 voting members, there are six non-voting members, consisting of five delegates and one resident commissioner. There is one delegate each from the District of Columbia, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the resident commissioner from Puerto Rico.
Senate
In contrast the Senate is made up of two senators from each state, regardless of population. There are currently 100 senators (two from each of the 50 states), who each serve six-year terms. Approximately one-third of the Senate stands for election every two years.
So as per all of the above, here are the results of the current United States presidential election:
Electoral – 303 Democrat, 206 Republican Senate – 51 Democrat, 45 Republican House – 191 Democrat, 232 Republican
My personal views about this election are as follows:
On electing President Obama for a 2nd term
As long as President Obama has the best interests of the citizens of the United States of American and not big corporations/oil/auto – than the United States voted for the right man. I just hope that he shows the world community that he wants to make a positive change in the world financially, economically and environmentally. I hope he wants to continue to live in a world that promotes peace by not invading other countries for America’s best interest. I hope that by electing President Obama for a second term means equality for all citizens of the United States despite their sexual orientation, gender and race.
Campaign Spending
I find it ludicrous that both parties spent over 6 billion dollars in their presidential campaigns. It is ridiculous how a country that is in debt can justify spending this type of money on an election. 6 billion dollars could have assisted those citizens suffering from Hurricane Sandy, it could help feed the homeless, go towards environmental initiatives, or even help reduce their deficit.
Who are the real winners in this election?
Who won this election? Big oil, the auto industry, Wall Street, big corporations or the American people??? It is a fragile time in the world right now. Will this election mean hope for our environment? Will people stand up and hold the government accountable to ensure the policies they set in motion are for their greater good? Only time will tell.
In the meantime – I am glad that Mitt Romney and the Republican party was not voted into power. Many Republicans have demonstrated their ignorance on many social issues and I feel, have a lack of respect for minorities such as women, blacks/Hispanics and homosexuals not to mention their lack of empathy with the poor or middle-classed. When you have Republicans such as Ann Coulter calling the President a retard or Donald Trump demanding to see Obama’s birth certificate (even after it was presented) – and so many other Republicans making such outrageous statements about the Democratic Party and President Obama, I am relieved that their bid for the oval office was not accepted by the people!
America has got this one right!!!! Let’s hope that President Obama proves to them that they were right!
Together, we can make the world a more positive one!
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 