7 News Features: 7's Top 7 - Political Stories

Barack Obama: "God bless these United States!"

WSVN -- The night was his. The party was on. Under a cascade of confetti, President Barack Obama declared victory.

Barack Obama: "We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will be, the United States of America."

The man he defeated, Mitt Romney, had run for president twice, and both times fell short.

Mitt Romney: "I so wished that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction. But the nation chose another leader."

Political pundits had predicted Florida would play a pivotal role in a close election. They were wrong on both counts. Obama won by a wide electoral margin, and as it turns out, the Sunshine State turned into a state of irrelevance.

John King, CNN: "Still counting Florida, still counting. Shocking."

The state is now investigating why election officials in South Florida spent days, and days, counting ballots. After voters spent hours, and hours, trying to cast them.

Skyforce: "So there are a lot of folks out here still waiting in line."

Female voter: "Six hours waiting. It was crazy."

Florida once again assuming its familiar role as a political punchline.

Jon Stewart, Comedy Central: "The election was decided without them."

2012 was a long election year filled with memorable moments.

From GOP primary drama in January...

Newt Gingrich: "Can we drop a little bit of the pious bologna?"

...to a May fundraiser where there was a hidden camera and some candid comments.

Mitt Romney: "There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims."

Another candidate's words ignited a firestorm.

Rep. Todd Akin: "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

There were also the lighter but no less forgettable lines, served up on a national stage.

Clint Eastwood: "What do you want me to tell Romney? I can't tell him to do that. He can't do that to himself."

Actor Clint Eastwood's conversation with an imaginary President Obama upstaged Mitt Romney at the Republican National Convention.

On the Democratic side, the current president wasn't the highlight at his convention either.

Pres. Bill Clinton: "We are here to nominate a president. I've got one in mind."

But both candidates took the lead role after the conventions, where an odd mix of words became part of the political lexicon in three presidential debates.

"Mitt Romney: I love Big Bird...Bayonets...Binders full of women."

And where a sitting president, seen as soundly beaten in Denver, fought back in the following debates.

Mitt Romney: "Mr. President, have you looked at your pension?"

Barack Obama: "You know, I don't look at my pension. It's not as big as yours so it doesn't take as long."

Barack Obama: "You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets."

But even with the election behind us, the political posturing continued. With Republicans retaining control of the House, not much changed in a deadlocked Washington. And a so-called "fiscal cliff" was on the horizon.

Analyst: "Going over the full fiscal-cliff is a recipe for recession. There's no question about it."

The cliff describes a mix of big spending cuts and tax hikes set to hit all Americans starting in January, unless both Republicans and Democrats can agree on a plan. The political uncertainty of 2013 is now just a ball drop away.

In tomorrow's edition of 7's top 7 we'll take a look back at the people we lost in 2012.