Conservatives, don’t give up. Yes, America re-elected a weak president who will burden our country with a huge debt, but the country will survive President Obama’s reign. Part of the reason Obama won was that the news and entertainment media have been promoting him since 2007, so that he has become the most popular celebrity in America. Obama is an idol to many young Americans.

Another important reason for Obama’s victory is that millions of conservatives did not show up to vote, or they voted for a third-party candidate. The Democrats rally around their presidential candidate even if he’s clueless, so in order to win, we must support our candidate even if he’s not as conservative as you would like him to be. Mitt Romney is not a true conservative, but he is smart, competent and a good person who deserved the votes of conservatives. The GOP cannot win presidential elections by appealing only to conservatives; only 35 percent of those who voted Nov. 6 described themselves as conservatives.

In 2016, I doubt that the Democratic candidate will be a rock star like Obama, and the economy will probably be in worse shape than it is now. The Republican Party will not wither away, if conservatives strongly support the GOP and Republicans successfully reach out to Hispanics, Asians and women. I’m sorry, but the issue of abortion is a loser for the GOP, and in fact, the president and Congress can do nothing to prevent abortions, as the Supreme Court ruled that abortion is a right.

Let’s focus on economic issues, not social issues, and we can elect a Republican to the presidency in 2016.

Robert Latta

Columbia