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Thank you, America, for not pissing off the dark and discernible with your penchant for poor decision making.

I’m sure it’s been super fun for the pundits earning their keep by pretending that Mitt Romney might’ve successfully taken his ineptness all the way to the White House, but this glorified reality show has concluded. Romney hasn’t enjoyed a significant lead in any national or swing state poll for any time of note, but we’ve been subjected to countless spin that the race was unpredictable. A close election never negated the reality that the electorate continuously tilted Obama’s way, though, so pundits, it’s time to kiss Nate Silver’s ring.

SEE ALSO: NewsOne Live Blogs Election!

The former Massachusetts governor’s quest for the White House is officially over, and thank goodness, because the idea of a President Romney always seemed unfathomable.

After all, there’s a reason it took so long for Romney to become the Republican presidential nominee: he’s a terrible politician. This is the same person, who despite having the money, machine, and six straight years of actively pursuing the presidency still almost lost the nomination to the likes of conspiracy spewing crackpot Donald Trump, the goofiest pizza man alive Herman Cain, crazy eyes and even crazier policies Michele Bachmann, Jurassic racist and sometime inaccurate historian Newt Gingrich, and missionary sex should be mandated legally lunatic Rick Santorum.

Romney’s netting the Republican presidential nominee owes more credit to means than skill or appeal.

And when Romney got the nomination, he picked Paul Ryan, the guy Republicans like to portray as a great intellect if for no other reason than he can articulate their plutocratic policies in public without rubbing his hands together and doing an evil chuckle as if he moved forward with his plan to bring Gotham City to its knees.

As concerning as it was to see how Romney managed to lie his way throughout the first debate without much interruption from President Obama, all it did in hindsight was further highlight how fabrication has been the one constant in the entire Romney-Ryan campaign narrative.

Romney displayed a deep contempt for the 47 percent of Americans he described as parasites among his peers, but sang a different tune once the cameras were cued and swore he wanted to represent all Americans. He revealed support for a constitutional amendment banning abortion, though switched that position once it hit him that women might likely be the deciding factor in the election. Even after that flip-flop, he continued to support the notion that women don’t deserve equal pay for equal work.  Plus, he only looked at working women through the prism of working Mothers.

Romney once advised immigrants to “self-deport,” though compassion hit his heart once he caught wind of fleeting Latino support. He swore that if you knew what existed within his heart, you’d know that he had Black America’s best interest. Yet anytime you got him to talk about solutions plaguing our community, it was clear Romney hadn’t really bothered to open his mind.

Speaking of talking, he didn’t do much of that with any member of the press for fear he’d be compelled to explain basic matters. Need I remind you that Romney arrogantly refused to release tax records showing how he attained his massive wealth – a tradition his father, George Romney, started with his unsuccessful run for the presidency.

It is a great shame that the press didn’t push Romney to release his taxes, especially when reports like those done by Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone highlighted the dark side of private equity and offshore tax havens and how greed has driven much of Romney’s professional life.

The Washington Post argued such antics from Romney conveyed “contempt for the electorate.” With his defeat, it’s now noted that the contempt is shared.

After all the lies and all-around mischief, America voting Romney president would’ve been like Aladdin being best man at Jasmine & Jafar’s wedding. It just couldn’t be, and fortunately, it won’t.

Congratulations to President Obama for a well-deserved re-election, and to Mitt Romney, good riddance.

That said, as much disdain as I have for Mitt Romney and the Republican Party of today, I sincerely hope that its leaders take a good long look at themselves and their party: Obstructionism is a shortsighted strategy. Xenophobia only amuses like-minded bigots. Exploiting stereotypes about Blacks in order to appeal to select White voters who harbor racial resentment doesn’t have the same success rate it once did.

Fighting women about what they do with their bodies is not the way to win national races. The same can be said of demonizing immigrants, vilifying gays, and fake cries of religious persecution. And of course, we can’t forget the blatant display of cheating by way of despicable voter suppression efforts.

These are antiquated political tricks. Give them up.

This country has changed and the candidate who not only embraces that — but also embodies it — deserved to win tonight. If the losing party wants to put a real fight in the next presidential race, it’s time to wake up.

Michael Arceneaux is a Houston-bred, Howard-educated writer and blogger. You can read more of his work on his site, The Cynical Ones. Follow him on Twitter: @youngsinick