In the wake of a presidential election that has sharply divided the country, many exhausted Democrats have been left to wonder if the GOP could ever again produce an opponent as horrifying as Mitt Romney.
“It’s been a really tough first election,” said UW-Madison student and self-identified Democrat Greg Everett. “It seems like the nation is falling apart. I’ve heard people talk about moving away if Romney wins, but at least we know that the 2016 election will set things right if he does.” Many of Romney’s controversial remarks, like his infamous “47 persent” remark at a private fundraiser, have rubbed Democrats the wrong way. “The idea of a Romney presidency is a truly terrifying prospect,” said College Democrats of UW-Madison President George Winger. “The very idea of voting for someone as conceited and rude as Mitt Romney is simply unfathomable. Did you see him at the last debate? He hardly even looked [President] Obama in the eye when he shook his hand!”
Even some Republicans have had a hard time throwing their support behind Romney, whose campaign has been rocked by gaffes throughout the election. “I’m appalled that the ‘party of family values’ can support a man who claimed to have ‘binders full of women’ being considered as candidates for government positions. I mean, how misogynistic is that?” asked Jessica Williams, a UW-Madison student whose conservative leanings have been challenged by the election. “Women aren’t objects. How have we let our party turn into this?”
As the election looms, many Republicans consider Romney a lost cause and hope that the 2016 election will produce a candidate who can deliver on the traditional Republican principles of family values, equal treatment, and protecting freedom of speech. “Call me crazy, but I think we’re going to see another Bush in the White House come 2016,” predicted UW-Madison political science professor Mark Nelson.
At press time, UW-Madison students of both parties were prepared to incite “significant civil discontent” if their candidate lost.
