The main result of Barack Obama's re-election will be continuing national progress (economy, jobs, women's rights, Supreme Court, etc.) for the next four years, accelerated by enthusiastic support (say what?) from Republicans in Congress.
This is because, with his re-election, Obama will become a one-term president, which fulfills the dream of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell. Republican obstructionist strategies of the last four years, no longer necessary, will be replaced by strategies of strong support.
Those strategies become the cornerstone of Republican Party planning for the 2016 election, for which the party (finally!) is nicely positioned with serious candidates, young blood which has received generous ink in the 2012 campaign and which could conceivably provide the GOP its most meaningful, Bachmann-free primary since Bush 41's nomination.
The Democrats most likely will put forth Hillary Clinton, who is eminently experienced and seasoned and would be a compelling and hard-to-beat presidential candidate.
A possible strategy to beat her: help Obama succeed, and then in the campaign of 2015-16, claim credit for it, which is something the GOP is really good at. In the process, the nation benefits. Everyone knew it was going to take Obama eight years anyway, to repair the damage left by he-whose-name-can't-be-mentioned-in-the-GOP, until a debate delegate asked Mitt how he was different from George W. Bush.
In hindsight, it was also true that Obama's most meaningful progress would have to wait until his second term, when GOP support became an option. Who knew the option would also become GOP election strategy? It's a strategy that will crush the Tea Party, of course, but hey: politics is politics. Such a completely weird business.
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