The mood on campus was tense Tuesday night as the election results rolled in. All eyes watched The Grill’s TV screens; each fluctuation in percentages and electoral points was greeted by the sharp intake of breath and low-key fist-pumping.
The New York Post said that former Governor Mitt Romney was poised to win. The Huffington Post gave President Barack Obama 91 percent chance of victory. The truth seemed murky.
Regardless, some Obama supporters retained faith in their chosen candidate.
“I’m sure he’s going to win” said Guilford College first-year Noah McDonald. “However, I worry that the electronic voting process is easier to mess with than the one that involves actual ballots.”
These fears were not a hindrance in determining a clear victor, however, as later that night Obama clinched the election after stringing together wins in Colorado and Ohio.
Guilford exploded into a level of celebration unprecedented throughout the year.
“It was like Mardi Gras” said sophomore Benjamin Rosenthal. “Guilford was significantly more poppin’ that night than any weekend. I think there was some fool running around with an American flag.”
“I think it was probably pretty obnoxious if you were pulling for Romney,” added another student, who requested not to be named in the article. “It didn’t feel like an election. It felt like we won the Superbowl. You definitely got the sense of there being two separate teams at Guilford.”
Those celebrating eventually spilled down to the lake and a bonfire began. Even hours later, the cheers from campus could still be heard.
When asked if he was satisfied with the results of the election, one student stated that he thought “it was a situation where people were supposed to choose the lesser of two evils, which is a pretty shitty way for our system to run, you know?” He added, “even a lot of the folks voting for Obama either don’t really know his politics, or they don’t like him.”
Sophomore Duncan Fitzgerald, a self-proclaimed Romney supporter, said, “It really was obnoxious when people were celebrating. It didn’t feel serious. It didn’t feel like an election.”
Regardless of remaining personal objections, on Jan. 20, 2013, President Obama will be inaugurated into the office of president for a second time. His successes and his failures over the next four years remain to be seen.
Editor’s note: Joe Fish was misquoted in this article. The quote has been removed and The Guilfordian apologizes for the mistake.
