Americans will cast their ballot to be represented on Tuesday. As usual, our political process has been more about the style than the substance of the candidates. Media coverage has spent the most time looking at new poll numbers, rather than investigating candidates’ claims and issues.

We made it through the seemingly endless array of American Idol-style Republican debates. We weeded out the field of candidates like Rick Santorum and Herman Cain — now memories who seem like the brunt of jokes rather than actual candidates.

The winner of the election faces difficulty ahead.

Regardless of who wins, the difference between the winner and loser will not be all too large, based on most polling data. Whoever leads in the next four years will need to reconcile these differences between the public. Not only is our country divided, but our legislature will continue to be divided — getting things accomplished will not be simple.

President Barack Obama is currently dealing with a divided Congress. Should Republican candidate Mitt Romney be elected, his supposedly bold plans and statements will come to a halt once the reality of governing sets in.

Promises like ending “Obamacare” and securing our borders will not be simple accomplishments. Those who foolishly voted for Obama on hope and change understand the letdown afterward. Those who believe Romney’s promises will learn the same feeling.

While the American media, campaigns and public largely focused this presidential election on the economy, there are more issues at stake. The winning candidate will need to tackle issues like immigration, climate change and education. These are issues without a clear solution which all parties agree upon. Jobs and the economy are important, but these issues still linger, largely unaddressed, in the background.

The future president will have to deal with them, and we heard little about these three issues in the debates.

Obama has continually stressed the need for more public school teachers and an investment in local colleges. Yet this will not be the solution to the problem. Countries performing better than the U.S. are not necessarily spending more to achieve better results.

As far as “real change,” Romney’s campaign slogan, or “forward,” Obama’s slogan, we can expect to see little of both. For Americans wanting to see real difference and a willingness to have discussions on impending issues, there is a vast array of third-party candidates.

They do not know the other candidates, nor have they been adequately included. Those who watched the foreign policy debates know that Obama and Romney agree on nearly all foreign policy matters. Americans who want real change and difference from the norm will not vote for the major two parties. Yet again, though, attention has only been given to the leading two candidates. It’s partly because the race between the main two candidates is easier to cover than substantive policy.

Hopefully the next president — whoever it is — will be successful. In 2008, Republicans stated their goal was to make Obama a “one-term president.” If Obama is re-elected, their goal will hopefully be modified to be more cooperative. If Romney is elected, Democrats should not take the tone of the Republicans. The success of the next four years depends on it.

Harmen Rockler is a senior newspaper journalism and political science major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at horockle@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @LeftofBoston.

 

Published on November 5, 2012 at 1:56 am