...did an extraordilarily vulnerable President win both the electoral and popular vote (by all indications, anyway)? Unemployment a tick under 8%, an immense deficit, you name it.

 

Old papa has seen his share of elections. While I'm not by any stretch the most informed or educated about this stuff; here are a few random thoughts (and I haven't looked at that 400+ post "election discussion thread"):

 

Candidate Romney was the best of a bad lot. In all probability he is the last presidential candidate of his generation (approaching Medicare-eligible age in 2016).

 

VP nominee Ryan didn't help. He couldn't deliver his home state to the ticket. While seniors supported R/R 55-44 over O/B; it wasn't quite enough (at this point in time) to overcome Medicare anxiety in Florida. I may yet be proven wrong, but as soon as the VP choice was made I said that Florida would go to O/B. Side note - many of the young guns on the right side of the aisle evidently are waiting four more years.

 

The Obama campaign was very, very efficient. Outspent by close to $200 million; nevertheless community organizing carried the day. They got their voters out. Maybe the most important factor in the election.

 

The 47% speech was crippling. It became a tough sell for Candidate Romney to brand himself as a man of the people - an image problem he was already fighting.

 

This country is becoming more diverse; not less - a truth that the Republican party needs to embrace. To wit,

 

- Candidate Romney torpedoed any chance at salvaging the Latino/Hispanic vote during the primaries. If you're in that demographic, which would you choose - Dream Act or Get Out?

 

- Evidently the gender gap widened significantly to the tune of something like 55-44. No longer is the submissive missus (Randy - is that Ephesians?) blindly obedient to master hubby. While there is legitimate argument for/against "reproductive rights", the Republican party/Candidate Romney is obviously on the wrong side with respect to contraception rights and wage equity. The fact that the Republicans had Neanderthals like Todd Akin being branded as party poster boys just exacerbated the problem.

 

I was very surprised to see Catholics 50-48 for the President. Whether this is a Mormon backlash, a "cafeteria catholic" phenomenon; I have no idea.

 

 

Bottom line; this was a sitting president ripe for the taking and it didn't happen.

I believe the best tactical move the President made that is not being discussed a whole lot is the gay marriage issue. Support was lost by the young demographic in this election and I believe they felt they needed a good reason to have young people go and vote. That was a big issue and one where the 18-29 year old demographic is in support of overwhelmingly. Last night all referendums were passed and another constitutional amendment was defeated in Minnesota that would have made same-sex marriage illegal.

Not only was the 47% comment crippling, but I think a bigger factor was the Obama campaign was able to paint Romney as a "pioneer" in sending US jobs overseas and Romney's campaign couldn't defend that claim.

Republicans hurt their cause because party leadership have an Elitist attitude. So when you make a comment about 47% of Americans are basically useless it doesn’t help that perception.

All these guys on both sides are elitists. The President being no exception. However the Republicans have been branded as such for years and when their candidate is a wealthy guy that makes a dumb comment like that, it hurt him big time.

One guy who came out shining in this is David Plouffe. Guy is going to be highly sought after these last two elections.

For me, I would have liked to see just one company that Bain Capitol took over step up and say they were saved by Bain. Put a number to how many jobs Romney created in his companies, compared to how many people lost jobs because of his companies. The 47% comment was a tough one to explain away to the people in the 47%. The Tea Party scares more people that I know than anything. Blaming President Obama for everything that's wrong in our GREAT COUNTRY, very unfair. There is plenty of blame to go around. Does anyone really believe that if McCain had been voted President all would be good, or even better? I wanted change, but no one made me feel good about the change and I can understand why many people were afraid to vote Republican. Leaning Right, that's a good thing, shooting Right, out into the ozone is too much. Change, we didn't get it, but it is easy for ME to see both sides, and understand why.

I really feel both candidates wanted what is best for the country. Romney genuinely seems like a good guy that cares for this country and I do not think he would have done that bad of a job. But as I have said from the start, he comes off as a weenie and ran his campaign like it. He had his 90 minutes in the first debate (and that was just as much about the President going weirdo on us all) and that was really it. The President never really relinquished the lead that debate just narrowed the margin and it was reflected last night. Romney failed big time in never pushing harder on the Libya situation which I believe is still going to be a big demerit for the President when it is all said and done, but they were able to push it to the side with their tactical approach and honestly Sandy helped him as well.

Classic overreaction.

 

In what way?

The Republican Party sucks. And I can't imagine that it will not suck in 4 years. If you are trying to win the evangelical vote and select a mormon, you're stupid. This sitting president is quite possibly the worst in my lifetime and like papa said, more than ripe for the picking. I also don't totally discount what Corleone said, this country is becoming more full of people who want to live off of someone else's dime. And as it grows, there will never be a time going forward that those people won't want to continue that lifestyle and vote accordingly. We may never see another R in office at that rate.

 

Overreaction or not, it's anything but Classic.

Why?? Because we have become a nation of sheep that would rather let the government take care of us than take care of ourselves.

 

The answer is simple. More tax eaters than tax payers.

You are lumping everyone who voted for Omaba into one group, you give one reason why they voted for him. "People want things handed to them thats why they voted for him" and "they will vote for Obama no matter what". The latter could be said of most republicans as well.

And unless the republicans look at what VOR and myself have mentioned, how to win the R's primary you need to go so far to the right that you can't come back anywhere near the center to win the general election, the hole will get even deeper for the repubicans in 4 years.

I also don't totally discount what Corleone said, this country is becoming more full of people who want to live off of someone else's dime. And as it grows, there will never be a time going forward that those people won't want to continue that lifestyle and vote accordingly. We may never see another R in office at that rate.

 

Overreaction or not, it's anything but Classic.

I do not fully discount it either, though it may not be phrased politically correct. I do not look at it as people are looking for ways to free-load there way through life (yes there are those people, but they are going to be there no matter who is in office), but rather the notion that the Government is in place to provide a wide array of services and those services you are entitled to. O'Reilly stated it as, "Ask not what you can do for your country, but what can your country do for you." I think the President would even agree.

The answer is simple. More tax eaters than tax payers.

 

I have to agree with you here, its time to go to a flat tax in which all pay the same regarless.

 

Just last night there was a lady at Krogers in front of me, pissed as hell cause something she bought wasnt covered on her WIC card. She was giving the teenage girl at the checkout hell for it. I wanted to speak up and say something, but i just didnt have the energy too. I know full well just by the way this lady spoke, that she doesnt pay a damn dime in the system, but wants everything given to her from the system.

As to Obama being the worst President in your lifetime, you type very well for a four year old. No one is worse than Bush IMO.

 

Obama will set his legacy in the next year. If he can lead the nation and Congress through the fiscal cliff crisis and get a plan in place to fix our budget and deficit issues, he may well go down as an above average President. If he fails to lead over the next year and can't reach agreements with Congress, he could fall to the Bush range of failure. This next year is a monumental year in our nation's history.

The Characterization that Democrats are someone less informed, less intellegent, not as hard working, lazy, looking for a handout is what will keep conservatives on the losing end of national politics. The problem with the Republican party is that they have adapted the crazy religious wing into the main stream, they are flat wrong on gay rights, wrong on women's rights, wrong on immigration and in my view wrong on economic policy and the roll of government. The lack of introspection in the party is astounding as they double down every election cycle on wedge social issues and the southern strategy which worked for a while but not anymore. They have now lost the popular vote in 5 out of the last 6 Presidential elections and face an ever decreasing electoral map. I suspect by 2016 Arizona, North Carolina and possibly Georgia will be looking a little blue. By all means keep blaming lazy looking for a handout democrats while continuing to allienate women and minorities, it's working well.