(ThyBlackMan.com) President Barack Obama defeated his Republican challenger to win a second term of office on Tuesday, having captured 58 million votes in 26 states for a total of 307 electors. Mitt Romney won 56 million popular votes in 24 states, with a total of 216 electoral votes. The liberal blogosphere and social media lit up early Wednesday morning with the news of Obama’s victory. Obama commenced his victory speech at approximately 1:30am, and vowed that for America, “The best is yet to come.”
The euphoria (and champagne) of Mr. Obama’s last election may have gone to his head.
When the victory celebrations die down in Democratic Beltway circles, the Obama White House will face the sobering realities of an uncertain period in U.S. and world affairs. Daunting challenges await the president in his second 
term. A “fiscal cliff” that could trigger a global depression more severe that the financial meltdown of 2008. The threat posed to the U.S. by jihadist militants in the fledgling democracies of Egypt and Libya. A civil war in Syria that could engulf the entire Middle East and endanger global oil supplies. A potential military confrontation with Russia and China (over Syria, Iran, or Pakistan) that could start a third world war.
Maybe the Mayans had it right after all.
Most troubling for thousands of Americans are the grim employment figures still published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics four years after Mr. Obama took office. Despite glowing rhetoric from the White House, a clear majority of recent graduates and young professionals, as well as longtime workers and even older workers are unable to find employment commensurate with their experience or education.
Ironically, under Obama’s leadership, the situation has been worse for African-Americans than for whites, generally. When the first black president of the United States assumed office in January 2009, the unemployment rate for blacks was 12.6%. In October of this year, one month before the presidential election, that number was 14.3%. In October of last year, that number was 15.1%.
Any of these constituencies, and especially African-Americans, would be entirely justified in voting for a Republican presidential candidate in 2016, if these trends continue in Obama’s second term.
The American people accepted Mr. Obama’s job application for a second term as U.S. president on the premise that the country’s current economic woes could be traced back to the former president. But now Mr. Obama must validate the confidence placed in him, again, by African-American voters and others by finally fulfilling his 2008 campaign promise to turn around the ailing economy. If he does not, his supporters and the black community might well be better served campaigning for the Republican nominee in 2016 – and burning their Obama campaign placards.
Staff Writer; David Christopher Steele, M.A.
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