New Yorkers awoke to the re-election triumph of U.S. President

Barack Obama over Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Obama defeated Romney on Tuesday night (November 6) after a

grueling presidential race.

But in the cold light of the election's morning-after, it was clear that

even though voters have given their stamp of approval for a second

Obama term, he could have a hard time translating that into a

mandate to push forward with his agenda.

Opinions in New York were divided about the President’s re-election:

"The most uninformed people - we're living in a Kim Kardashian

society. He's not a true president. He's a media creation. At least

Romney, you know at the best... You know Romney's very good. He

actually did something in his life,"

"I think that we're on the right track. So now it's just going to keep

going. I do worry about Congress though," shared Harry Handler.

"Once I saw President Obama won, was re-elected, I knew that he

got those swing states. But I would be very curious. I would be a

lot more curious and then I would see all the speculations made by

news. Like, this is going to happen, projected next four years, so on

and so forth, I would see what they would be saying,"

The nationwide popular vote remained extremely close with Obama

taking about 50 percent to 49 percent for Romney after a campaign

in which the candidates and their party allies spent a combined $2

billion (USD). But in the state-by-state system of electoral votes that

decides the White House, Obama notched up a comfortable victory.