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Wednesday, November 07, 2012 3:42 AM President prevails with wins in key swing states By Janet Conner-Knox and Corey Friedman | Times Staff Writers For President Barack Obama, it was a mandate. For Wanda Davis, it was an answer to a prayer. "Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Lord,” Davis said as results were announced Tuesday night at the Wilson County Democratic Party headquarters. Cheers erupted as Obama powered past Republican challenger Mitt Romney to claim a second term Tuesday night. The president racked up wins in the key battleground states of Wisconsin, Colorado and Virginia and was leading in Ohio, giving him the advantage in electoral votes. Democrats were preparing to leave the party headquarters late Tuesday when analysts projected an Obama victory. Barbara Dantanio, trying to make up her mind if she were leaving or not, turned to CBS News. A few minutes after 11 p.m,, the network declared that Obama had won a second term. Supporters began screaming, jumping and hugging each other. "Look, look at them in Florida,” Khalid Hudson said, pointing at the television of the crowd screaming. "Wow, this was a close one. But we won. Four more years, and I am happy about it.” Romney claimed North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes. Wilson County chose Obama by a 53 percent to 45 percent margin. Surrounding counties were split, with Nash County picking the president by less than one percentage point and Johnston County supporting Romney with a commanding 63.2 percent of the vote. OBAMA, ROMNEY Obama made his victory speech early this morning. "We are an American family, we rise and fall together as one nation, as one people,” Obama said. "For the United States of America, the best is yet to come.” Romney spoke to supporters following his election loss. "This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation,” Romney said. "I want to thank Paul Ryan for all that he has done for our campaign.” Romney thanked his supporters. "And to you here tonight, and to the team across the country — the volunteers, the fundraisers, the donors, the surrogates — I don’t believe that there’s ever been an effort in our party that can compare with what you have done over these past years. Thank you so very much,” Romney said. "Thanks for all the hours of work, for the calls, for the speeches and appearances, for the resources and for the prayers. You gave deeply from yourselves and performed magnificently. And you inspired us and you humbled us. You’ve been the very best we could have imagined.” ‘OBAMA ALL THE WAY’ Until Obama’s victory was sealed, Tuesday had been a tense night for local Democrats. They joked to keep their spirits up. Dewey Sheffield watched results at a party for state House hopeful Mark Bibbs. He kept saying it was early and encouraged fellow Democrats not to give up hope. But every time a broadcaster announced that a state had turned red, he would exclaim, "Sweet Jesus.” Wanda Davis and Wanda Jones sat side by side watching state after state turn red at the Democratic headquarters. "That’s all right,” Davis said. "It’s not a swing state and it’s still early. Ohio and Florida is important. We’ve got New Mexico. Don’t worry.” Edwin Langston watched the electoral votes change from moment to moment and said he would not give up. "I trust and believe God will do it once again,” he said. "It’s Obama all the way.” Langston said he did some knocking on doors during the campaign to tell people why it was important to give Obama four more years. "Some people came to the door and shut the door in my face,” Langston said. "But if you talk to one, then you’ve done enough.” Ashley Higson knocked on 200 doors the day before the election. Higson said she was a Republican the last time Obama ran for office. "I was Republican, and I did not vote for Obama,” Higson said. "I wasn’t into politics and didn’t care. I just voted for what my family went for. But right after Obama was elected, I started seeing what people were saying, how they were treating Obama. I started checking into it and realized that is not who I am.” Higson said she thinks lots of women follow their husbands and families, but they don’t know the issues for themselves. "I would urge women to look at the issues for themselves and not follow blindly,” Higson said. GOP LEADER ‘DEVASTATED’ Wilson County’s top Republican said he was extremely disappointed that American voters gave Obama a second term Tuesday night. "I am devastated,” county GOP Chairman Gary Proffitt said. "I am absolutely devastated. I don’t know where our American citizens are or have been. I am not looking forward — no pun intended with Obama’s campaign slogan — going forward.” Proffitt said victories in local and state races gave Republicans some cause to celebrate, but Obama’s win put a damper on their election night. "I am just very saddened with these results,” he said. "He does not represent the American public.” Republicans cheered cautiously as the national results rolled in, conscious that a few swing-state victories for Obama could end Romney’s run for the White House. "It’s a little too close for my comfort,” Wilson County Commissioner Roger Lucas said. "We won’t know until it’s over.” State Sen. E.S. "Buck” Newton, R-Wilson, who defeated Democratic challenger Clarence Bender, had his fingers figuratively crossed. "I’m still very hopeful that he’s going to pull it out in the end,” Newton said of Romney. "And I’m hoping it won’t be the end of the night before we know.” Proffitt said he was "very, very optimistic” as results came in just before 11 p.m., but he acknowledged that the outcome was still up in the air. "This is a race right now that’s going to make my night or make me have a very angry tomorrow,” he said. RED STATE, BLUE COUNTY Wilson County Republicans cheered as a "purple state” turned ruby red for Romney Tuesday night. Proffitt shouted "Go, Mitt!” as the Massachusetts governor took North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes in an election night nailbiter. "Quite honestly, we’re a purple state,” Newton said. "I’m working hard to make it a red state.” North Carolina chose the Republican presidential candidate in 2004, went blue for Obama in 2008 and overwhelmingly chose GOP congressional candidates in 2010. "I’m hoping North Carolina will be red,” Proffitt said minutes before the Associated Press declared the state for Romney. "My son-in-law graduated from North Carolina State, and he would be very proud if North Carolina goes red. I do not want to see blue on this map tonight.” Wilson County chose Obama by a comfortable margin — 20,002 votes (53.8 percent) to 16,937 for Romney (45.5 percent). "I’m tired of four years of saying, ‘I want to do this, I want to do that,’” Proffitt said of Obama. "He’s had his chance. I’m hoping and praying from my heart that America’s ready for a fresh start. I’m tired of four years of promising.” Proffitt monitored election results on a projection screen at the Quince restaurant Tuesday night, making periodic announcements and cheerleading for Republican victory. "Come on, Ohioans,” he said as votes from the battleground state were tabulated. "Let’s go red.” DEMOCRATS: RECOVERY CONTINUES Hudson said it is important that Obama has another four years because that’s what is best for the country in his view. "There are people who are Democrat, Republican and Libertarian that have children who need Pell grants for their children to go to college,” Hudson said. "For our people to be competitive, we need them to be educated. How do you have a country that competes when only some people can get into college?” Hudson said he fears people voted against Obama for reasons other than the issues at hand. "I am also saddened by the fact that Republicans resorted to changing things so that there was only one Sunday to vote,” Hudson said. "They know Democrats come out on Sunday. They don’t really want the people to exercise their right. They want to make it more difficult for people to vote.” Hudson also said he was very disappointed in those who chose not to vote. "Many people didn’t realize that this recovery takes more than four years,” Hudson said. "Economists, not of any political point of view, will tell you it takes 10 years to pull out from under the kind of economic turn-down Obama inherited.” Democratic Party Chairman Asa Gregory broke his stare at the television to say there were lots of hard workers at the Democratic headquarters. "I just want to thank each and every one of them for their hard work,” Gregory said. VOTERS SOUND OFF Energy prices have inflated over the past four years, and Jamey Fulghum Jr. said he voted to pop the balloon. The Wilson resident said he chose Romney because of the Republican candidate’s economic and energy policies. He listed high fuel prices as his top issue. "You can’t pay $4 a gallon for gasoline — which our economy’s based on — and have a functioning economy,” Fulghum said. Fulghum cast his ballot Tuesday afternoon at Forest Hills Middle School. He cast Romney as a reformer who could stabilize the shaky American economy. "I would say it’s his experience in turning around other organizations he’s worked for — the Olympics, leading the state of Massachusetts and his experience in private industry,” he said. Some Wilson County voters wouldn’t say which presidential candidate they chose. Jennifer Byrd, a science teacher at Jones Elementary School, said students have been asking her the question for weeks. "They all wanted to know, and I told them that was something I was going to keep to myself,” Byrd said. "I would not tell my own children who I was voting for.” Byrd said the presidential race has divided her household, with her school-age children staking opposing positions. Her son favors Romney, while her daughter prefers Obama. Bobbi Cox brought her 13-year-old daughter to the polls Tuesday. "I wanted her to see that her mom gets to choose,” Cox said. "That’s true freedom.” Cox wouldn’t say which candidates earned her support, but the unaffiliated voter said she made her choices based on the issues — not on political affiliation. "You get the chance to hear both candidates,” she said. "You’re not restricted to either.” janet@wilsontimes.com | 265-784 corey@wilsontimes.com | 265-7821  |
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To so happy Obama won said...
You sound like a two year old. Guess what, I will give a bit more to make up for your shallow pockets. I am also set and I will take up your slack because I love America. Doom and Gloom. Take some Paxil or something, please.
Saturday, December 01, 2012 at 12:03 AM
@what's funny said...You sound like a two year old. Guess what, I will give a bit more to make up for your shallow pockets. I am also set and I will take up your slack because I love America. Doom and Gloom. Take some Paxil or something, please.
Saturday, December 01, 2012 at 12:03 AM
Bi-partisanship would do wonders for this country. Just one slight problem. Recent Republican history is not about compromise at all. It's all about obstruct whatever the President proposes (like the Affordable Care Act, for which Republicans provided the original model and then refused to support it). Sorry, Republicans have proven over the past four years that they can not be trusted to work with anyone but themselves. Just go with the Democrats. The Republicans have enough to do in working on building trust in minority communities (Latinos, African Americans, gays and lesbians) and with centrist women. That should keep Republicans busy for the next four years!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 9:34 PM
What is funny is how people are slanted in their thoughts. Just because Obama is Democrat everyone assumes ALL Democrats in Congress follow him; no exception. Remember if compromise is needed, then compromise comes on both sides. BOTH sides must compromise, not just Republicans. Again I say the best PR Obama could do now is get Romney on his team and show it publicly working together; the stock market would go up immediately. Also Obama should replace some of his cabinet with Republicans. The buck starts and stops with the leader.
Monday, November 12, 2012 at 8:16 AM
do you mean like 96 percent of blacks voted for Obama because they think he is black? he is as much white as black. and he still is a sorry excuse for a president if he was green.
Monday, November 12, 2012 at 11:36 PM
LET ALL THE TAX CUTS FOR EVERYONE EXPIRE IN JANUARY AND THE 1000 DOLLAR PER CHILD TAX CREDIT AND MAKE EVERONE PAY MORE IN TAXES TO GET THIS COUNTRYS FISCAL HOUSE IN ORDER. THE EMPLOYMENT TEMPORARY TAX CUT DEFINATELY NEEDS TO GO AS THIS TAX GOES TO SUSTAIN AND ALREADY FISCALLY CHALLENEGED SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE TRUST FUND THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN A "LOCK BOX"
Sunday, November 11, 2012 at 1:55 PM
