Republicans have always had an edge over Democrats in their skillful use of propaganda, but in this election their tactics failed. From the start, the Republican machine tried to convince us that President Obama was incompetent, a failed president, a socialist, a threat to American democracy, a liar.

The president was attacked from day one in a manner unprecedented in my experience.

Many of the faithful believed the propaganda and took the opinions they heard on Fox News for self-evident facts. One such Republican stated that Elmer Fudd could beat Obama in the next election.

Well, it seems Mr. Fudd — well-known for hunting wascally wabbits — turned out to be a staunch Second Amendment Libertarian and wouldn’t run as a Republican.

So the party had to settle for Mitt Romney.

Who knew what Romney really stood for? He is a very rich man who seemed to think he was destined to be president. He’d say anything he thought expedient to his eventual success — flip-flopping on issue after issue, leading from behind.

The election proved that a majority of Americans didn’t fall for the massively funded Republican propaganda campaign. President Obama hasn’t lived up to all of my expectations, but I know what he stands for, and I think he earned a second term in the White House.

Jeffrey C. Koob

Columbia