My (late) thoughts on the election and campaign overall.

$1.6052 billion dollars spent on the 2012 presidential campaign just for an Incumbent to return, this is a great waste of money and absolutely screams to the USA that there needs to be some sort of campaign reform, super pacs and celebrities are now given more access to the candidates we the people elect than ever before just because of the enormous sums of money these groups can generate for a presidential candidate. This wasn't the peoples election, it was the 10%s election, and while I am pleased with the result of the campaign, money shouldn't determine the winner, and although I don't believe it did, some data from The New York Times gives some credence to the idea that the more money you have, the more likely you will win. Barack Obama raised $934 million and spent $852.9 million, in contrast Romney raised $881.8 million and *only* spent $752.3 million. Most peoples first question would be... where did the rest of that money go? The answer to that is simple, in Romney's case (put away as campaign funds should he decide to run again), and perhaps Obama is planning on doing the same (campaign for a lower office that is). Why all this money just for one successful campaign that in history won't be remembered as significant in any way? We have public broadcasting, we have social networking, viral videos, all of which are FREE means of delivering your message. OK GO (yeah the band) got big off there viral video of them doing things on treadmills. Why can't a president? ( other than the reasons like keeping their dignity which the opponent will likely strip from them later in the campaign regardless). Let's talk about all the hate this election, Romney this, Obama that... both campaigns being fact checked multiple times and multiple times being called liars. Why do we as constituents allow this pitiful name calling? We are not children at recess who are deciding who the popular kids are, we are electing our president, facts with no bias present us with the best reason to do so, and if they give us a better reason to vote one way or the other, great! However, the media construing stories one way or the other or bias against race or religion aren't how to decide the president of a country. Especially not one based on freedom of religion. Right? Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination. -Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom