Obama’s Election Victory: Republican Backwardness Exposed, Essay Example

The three sources in question – a map that compares the states that accepted or were open to slavery and the maps of the states that voted Republican in the 2012 Presidential Election; an impassioned speech from Rachel Maddow on television; and William Saletan’s article in Slate magazine – all suggest that the victory of Obama somehow marks a crucial moment for the Republican party, whereby Republicans are forced to confront the possibility that they possess an antiquated worldview that is wholly incompatible with modern times.

In the case of the aforementioned map, it is clear that the states that voted Republicans were in the majority states that also legally recognized slavery or were open to slave labor two centuries ago. What does it mean that such states continue to vote against an African-American political candidate? It suggests that the Republican part is relying on a rhetoric that was valid one hundred and fifty years ago, and one that is no longer relevant today.

Furthermore, Maddow’s speech after Obama’s victory aims to debunk some of the Republican conspiracy theories concerning Obama’s birthplace and about Democrats somehow illegally influencing polling data. What is most crucial about Maddow’s speech is that it shows the irrationality of many of the claims set forth by Republicans. In other words, they are living in a fictitious world, entirely disconnected from contemporary reality, much like the Republican voting map reflects an archaic reality.

Saletan’s article is the least explicit of these three sources in regards to this theme of Republican backwardness. For example, he calls Saletan a moderate Republican. However, he only does this in order to debunk some of the absurd rhetoric spun by Republicans about Obama, such as that he is a “socialist.” Once again, Saletan seeks to expose the lack of reason that seems to underlie the Republican worldview, a worldview that relies upon old and out-dated political concepts.

Accordingly, the three sources all indicate a certain backwardness in the current Republican party. Obama’s victory shows that the Republicans are employing an outdated mode of thought, one that is no longer operating within the rational parameters of the modern world. With this irrationality, the Republicans’ loss is the result of their failure to provide a contemporary and relevant political discourse for the current challenges faced by the United States.