A child walks down a street in Camden, N.J., Oct. 11, 2012. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Camden is now the most impoverished city in the United States with nearly 32,000 of Camden's residents living below the poverty line.
After months of sharp-elbowed politicking in an election campaign that saw upward of $6 billion spent, Americans woke up Nov. 7 having reaffirmed the political status quo: President Barack Obama was returned to the White House with the overwhelming support of the country’s youth and minority vote; the Republicans retained their majority in the House of Representatives; and the dysfunctional cohabitation of Washington’s centers of power promised tough times ahead as the “fiscal cliff” looms. Negotiations over a new budget remain deadlocked, raising the risk of the New Year triggering a series of tax hikes and spending cuts that could return the U.S. economy to recession. Buoyed by his renewed mandate, it remains to be seen how and whether Obama — a pragmatic, cautious leader — intends to both mollify his GOP adversaries and stick to his promise to allow the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire. But House Republicans face a similar dilemma, fighting to keep those tax rates but avoid being blamed for a fiscal body blow.