A few thoughts on the end of the campaign — and the beginning of a big challenge
posted at 8:01 am on November 7, 2012 by Ed Morrissey
In the final couple of weeks of the presidential campaign, we had a big debate over the nature of the American electorate, played out through polling criticism on both sides of the political divide. This came down to fundamental assumptions about which election cycle proved to be a realignment, and which turned out to be the anomaly. Many conservatives — myself among them, to be sure — operated on the assumption that the 2008 election had been the anomaly, driven by the fiscal crisis, and corrected in the 2010 midterm elections. The Left assumed that the fiscal crisis in 2008 had realigned the electorate toward greater government interventionism, and that the 2010 cycle was the anomaly, driven by a partisan fight over health care and the lack of a presidential contender at the top of the ticket.
Clearly, conservatives lost that argument last night, at least in large part, as John Ziegler wrote in the immediate aftermath. That was borne out by the final calculation in the exit polling as well as the vote itself. The partisan split in the electorate was 38/32/29, nearly identical to 2008. We argued that Barack Obama and Democrats couldn’t win a base turnout election again, but they did, as evidenced by Mitt Romney’s five-point win among independents, 50/45. Romney even lowered the gender gap from an Obama +14 in 2008 to Obama +4 in 2012, but that clearly wasn’t enough to overcome what now looks to be a significant realignment four years ago towards Democrats and not an anomaly.
This time, Republicans can’t blame the candidate, or at least they shouldn’t. Mitt Romney ran one of the most well-organized national campaigns in recent memory within the GOP. He raised prodigious amounts of cash, keeping pace with Obama. The RNC followed suit, building a massive and impressive GOTV effort that really did produce a big increase in turnout — but not enough to match what Democrats did in this cycle. Republicans blamed John McCain in 2008 and even George Bush for the bailouts, but those fig leaves are gone, and the realignment is too apparent to ignore.
That reality presents a challenge to the GOP and to conservatives. We do not need to change our values, but we do need to find ways to communicate them in an engaging and welcoming manner. We need to think creatively about big issues, philosophy, and how we can relate conservative values to the needs of a wider range of voters. Conservatism cannot become constrictionism, or the realignment will continue, and it will become ever more difficult to win national elections.
This will require a new set of national leaders for the Republican Party and conservatism. We need men and women who can think creatively, produce a positive agenda that isn’t defined by an oppositional nature, and who can eloquently communicate that agenda and the values that drive it. That should be our focus over the next two years before we start thinking about who to nominate as the party’s presidential nominee — and if done properly, that process will naturally produce the right leader for conservatism. And if that is done properly, too, perhaps we’ll be in position for another realignment four years from now.
Update: Some readers feel I owe them an apology for “misleading” them about polling over the last few months. I kind of assumed that this post served as a mea culpa for getting it wrong by explaining why it happened. Very obviously, I misread the shift in the electorate. I wasn’t the only one who did so, but I did, and I do apologize for getting it wrong. However, I didn’t set out to mislead anyone. What I wrote was my honest opinion about how the polls were based on assumptions of the electorate with which I disagreed — and I’ll note that I linked to the source data every time, and that readers were certainly free to draw their own conclusions.
Blowback
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<blockquoteIt’s over. The Shining City on A Hill’s lights have gone out. Our nation will continue to cannibalize itself and continue to blame boogeymen for why things fail. It will be just as Ayn Rand predicted. The looters will reign supreme till there is nothing left to loot. Society will need to collapse. Everything bad that will happen will be blamed upon the producers and achievers in society. And it will get worse and worse.
And this is why the GOP lost. You can’t enlarge the party when everyone not a Republican is a ‘looter’. There are many people, such as my husband, who gets a government check and he is not a looter (he is military). The whole moats and alligators and moochers and parasites is what sank the GOP. And for that are “moochers” in your book: nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to give up the safety net that they have when they see the game is rigged against them. The middle class gets tired of being asked to sacrifice while the special interests and Wall Street get bailouts that we have to pay for. This is why the GOP lost. I was hoping Romney would win to show we CAN work together, but if we continue to expect to dismantle every program because everyone who uses government programs is a moocher (or a parasite as some like to say) good luck! We will continue to lose elections!
tammyloc on November 7, 2012 at 11:16 AM
It is depressing to see a great country vote for national suicide. I don’t even believe that the electorate fell into Einstein’s theory on insanity “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” because they are not expecting different results. But Karl Marx had a name for this type of electorate, he called them the “useful idiots”. What we can expect for the next four years is called ineptocracy.
savage24 on November 7, 2012 at 11:16 AM
November 7, 2012 and it’s over!. The fat lady has sung her song. The curtain is down and many people in America are getting ready to party. All conventional wisdom was destroyed in a 12-hour voting window and the history of the past is no longer valid or sacred. Hard core Progressives have won and Colorado became the first state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
Yes, the great experiments over the last four years were nothing more than a snapshot of the power grab that will occur in the next four years. Rachel Maddow has declared that Obama’s re-election will be a consequential presidency. The U.S. will witness a determined group of people bent on changing the landscape of this country and American life as we have come to love and cherish. Will the change be permanent? That is the question of the day and the future ahead.
This was not a battle for right vs. left, Democrat vs. Republican, or conservative vs. liberals. It was a defining moment for deciding what kind of a culture will exist within the borders of the U.S. According to MEDIAite, Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee blasted the GOP for doing a pathetic job of reaching out to “people of color”. I don’t entirely agree with all of his comments, but he was dead on when he said “the nation is still more divided by ideology than by race.” If decency and strong, moral values are to survive in our society, the “ideology/cultural thinking” must change.
This is not a time to get soft and start hugging the tree huggers. The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell is not going away, nor is Hardball with Chris Matthews. Rachel Maddow will still remain the darling of the gay liberals and Ed Schultz will remain as the stooge for the unions. In fact, the intensity of the liberal/progressive movement will increase as the next Democratic candidate prepares to run. Hillary anyone?
Mitt Romney was the epitome of decency during this campaign. He might not have embraced the degrading cultural change taking place among the majority of liberals/progressives and destroying our country, but he was by far the most congenial candidate to come along in awhile. He lost and enough said about decency. Fire must be fought with fire until the fire is out. Until the “ideology/cultural thinking” changes in this country, all the decency and a softer, more inclusive approach will not work.
I say sit back and watch the 4-year circus ahead of us. But remain strong in your values and do not accept tolerance of the filth and ignorance taking over our country. The pendulum will swing in our favor when desperation prevails. The frustration shown by the hurricane Sandy victims is a strong indicator of things to come.
metroryder on November 7, 2012 at 11:16 AM
I have always been a hopeful person. Until now. I am done with any form of collectivism. I will look out for my family and help those in need that I personally see. The country voted for every man for himself, so that is how I will be from now on. I reject this government and its toadies and will laugh at the fate of those who chose this path. The thing about the takers vs. the makers is this: the cream always rises and you cannot steal your way as a society to prosperity. The vast majority of people will end up suffering, but they chose it. So be it.
txmomof6 on November 7, 2012 at 11:16 AM
One of the producers will fire your azz. If you work for the gov’t they will starve that beast too. Look at the DOW. The smart producers are laying people off today and taking their dough outside, for valid reasons. You deserve full destruction.
A stupid free people deserve no less.
Schadenfreude on November 7, 2012 at 11:16 AM
In fairness, the stock market is also reacting to the European crisis…which, not coincidentally, is also a result of the inevitable pitfalls of Progressivism.
visions on November 7, 2012 at 11:17 AM
If they were not fed up with The Dems abuse of power, jamming Obamacare down their throats through trickery, attack on religious freedom, trillion dollar deficits, Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Solyndra and the many other scandals, thuggery, and incompetence, what makes you think they will be fed up in 2016?
As many have pointed out, this electorate has passed the tipping point, it will take much more suffering than what the next four years will bring before we start turning around, a quick look at the history of democracies will illustrate that.
neuquenguy on November 7, 2012 at 11:17 AM
Midget minds should never speak of “growing up”. Looters are the cancer of the land and deserve to be starved.
Moochers have no minds – otherwise they wouldn’t be moochers.
Schadenfreude on November 7, 2012 at 11:17 AM
I find this telling:
bobs1196 on November 7, 2012 at 11:17 AM
They didn’t get suckered into thinking that. They knew they were in trouble in Ohio(ie last minute OH stop and release of internals) and went hunting for other states to get the Electoral votes.
bgibbs1000 on November 7, 2012 at 11:18 AM
tammyloc on November 7, 2012 at 11:16 AM
oops! Forgot the end blockquote…sorry for the confusion in reading:-)
tammyloc on November 7, 2012 at 11:18 AM
America —–> Greece/Spain/Portugal/Ireland/other assorted failures
:) Schadenfreude beyond belief. Stupid people deserve no less.
Schadenfreude on November 7, 2012 at 11:19 AM
hegelian dialectic…
suckers…
equanimous on November 7, 2012 at 11:19 AM
Things I can’t post on my own blog:
The economy has seen its shadow and has gone back to sleep for four years.
Isn’t it amazing how through all the debates that President Obama was never asked how he planned to be more flexible with Russia and why he wouldn’t want to share those plans with the American people? Romney had to bring it up and it was never answered.
If you thought that a President Romney was going to push for a social conservative agenda, you haven’t been paying any attention to how Republican presidents since Reagan have behaved. They may pay lip service to the agenda, but they don’t move on it. Despite this, I have friends who voted against Romney purely on the abortion issue.
We need better candidates. Part of that is going to require ceasing to make the abortion issue a litmus test. The middle of the electorate does not like extreme restrictions on abortion. They don’t like extremely liberal positions on abortion either, but no candidate will ever be challenged on those in the current debate / press environment, so they become a non-issue. I sympathize with those for whom this is a religious issue, but it is a religious issue that loses otherwise winnable elections.
Bill Roper on November 7, 2012 at 11:19 AM
Not if we go underground and don’t pay taxes. Many business arrangements out in the rural areas are already cash only. Just saying… starve the beast
dominigan on November 7, 2012 at 11:19 AM
Right now I am feeling very hopeless and abandoned by God. We probably deserve it since so many Americans have abandoned Him. My husband has been unemployed for 2 1/2 yrs, and I was SO hoping for an economic turn around. Guess that won’t be happening any time soon. I feel utterly defeated and for the first time in my adult life, totally ashamed of half of the country. I believe we have seen the death of America as we knew it………..(sigh)
Sasha List on November 7, 2012 at 11:20 AM
Romney’s 47% comment ticked off a lot of people. I used to be part of that 47% who received a bigger refund than what I contributed. At the time I didn’t realize I was part of the “moocher” class. I remember the looks I sometimes got from people in the grocery store when I used WIC. And every dirty look I got came from a clean cut caucasion person. (The majority of my community is a minority—wow that sounds wierd).
I came to learn about conservativism on my own volition. But if self-described conservatives had denigrated me online by calling me nothing but a “moocher”, it would certainly not have encouraged my vote towards Repulican candidates.
My values are conservative,and (in retrospect) they always have been, but I identified with Democrats for years because I perceived them as not looking down their noses towards lower-class people. We need to be accepting of people from a myriad of backgrounds if we are to stand a chance in hell of winning national elections.
P.S. HotAir quickly became a favorite news site of mine because the writers here (and commentors) seemed more contemplative and respectful compared to others I came across.
guera on November 7, 2012 at 11:21 AM
List out this “coalition” you speak of. NOW.
portlandon on November 7, 2012 at 11:21 AM
The electorate has changed. And I am ashamed. I am ashamed that the electorate has chosen stuff from the government over American exceptionalism. We are living amongst the lazy, pablum-fed people who want hand outs, not a hand up. It makes me very ashamed today of my country. And I am typically a very upbeat person. It is the first time in my life that I feel this way. I am not angry. Only sad. The people have chosen to throw away freedom.That’s the best I can say. I am a job creator, and I will guarantee you, I will not go over the threshold that will cost me additional money because of what obamacare is doing. I was looking forward to hiring more people under a new president, and really trying to launch my business forward, but I will not, because I cannot afford what the government will do to my business via obamacare. So, I will limp along. And if this goes the path I think things will go, I may very well be forced to close the whole thing, and let 25 people go their own way. Sad. Very sad.
littlekittie on November 7, 2012 at 11:21 AM
Texas is not immune to what is happening in the rest of the country.
Have you been to Austin lately?
There are plenty of parasites that live here. Because our economy is stronger than other states, those people are moving here. And how do you think many of them vote?
It’s actually funny. I’ve met quite a few people who have moved here from California because of the mess there, and actually say with a straight face we should be more like them.
Mark my words: In about 12-16 years Texas will be a blue state.
Fazman on November 7, 2012 at 11:22 AM
We’re running trillion-per-year deficits, we’re over 16 trillion in debt (quickly heading to 20 trillion), we’ve added another unsustainable entitlement on top of the trillions and trillions in unfundable entitlements already on the books. We’re printing money nonstop and monetizing our own debt.
These things, or “safety nets” as you call them, can not, and will not, continue forever.
visions on November 7, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Jindal might not survive the continuing federal assault of the Gulf Region.
The Statist Goal is to break the economic back of the GOP.
LA might not have the resources to survive it.
Texas is strained in one legal battle after another.
All the Gulf States and the Energy Resource States (especially if they are right to work states) will be under greater federal assault.
Most folks won’t understand because the media will do another blackout…but they will feel it.
workingclass artist on November 7, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Who would have thought that the candidate endorsed by AlQaeda
would win?
Amjean on November 7, 2012 at 11:24 AM
The GOP has tried politics, but when all of the major information streams in the country – i.e., the education system, the news media, and the entertainment industry – are functional proxies of the Democrat party, that battle is hopeless. Now it’s time to try principle.
I posted the following at Pajamas Media over two years ago:
The economic situation this country finds itself in right now is due to the “compromise” that Republicans made with Democrats to embrace the push for low-income housing…all because they were scared of being called “racists!” by people who do nothing but call them racists at every turn anyway. And what did the Dems do when the utterly predictable housing crash occurred? They blamed the banks and the Republicans! And since George Bush was a mealy-mouthed coward who didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to defend himself against the 8 years of bile that the Democrat information complex heaped on him, the public bought all of it…hook, line, and sinker. The Democrats caused the economic collapse, and they walked away smelling like roses.
Enough is enough. This far…no further.
John Boehner should call a press conference today and say something akin to the following:
And if the American people choose to punish Republicans for that decision, then so be it. But it’s time to start giving the public stark choices between governing philosophies…because by doing so, they will finally be forced to fully own the disastrous consequences of those choices. Then, with history and moral authority on their side, the GOP can rightly say “We warned you about what would happen, and you ignored us. Now, you have the same choice as before: continue voting for them, whereby you’ll continue to get ever-worsening misery…or vote for us, and try things our way.”
And if they don’t start representing the best interests of the nation in that sort of manner, then I swear a solemn oath that I will never – under any circumstances – vote for another Republican again.
In the meantime, just in case the SHTF over the next several years, work on stockpiling an emergency food supply that can last your household for at least a year…acquire weapons and ammo, ensuring that everyone knows how to use them…and have a location to go to that’s at least 20 miles from major metro areas, so that you can leave the parasites to feed on themselves.
rvastar on November 7, 2012 at 11:24 AM
What happened is simple…The 47% voted themselves a free lunch. It is that simple, and tragic.
The markets are already reacting as expected. I would not be surprised to see a 500 point drop over the next day or so, perhaps more. I also expect the unemployment to be back over 8% by the New Year and the nation to be back in recession 1st or second quarter next year, and to stay there.
When a nation chooses economic suicide, all bets are off.
JIMV on November 7, 2012 at 11:24 AM
Dow is up 4,500 since Obama took office. I’ll give back 300 for one day for a 50% return over 4 years.
sob0728 on November 7, 2012 at 11:25 AM
Haha!
I feel horribly about how much I am enjoying this thread!
What a bunch of whiners.
tommyhawk on November 7, 2012 at 11:25 AM
+100 txmom
With ya sister
cmsinaz on November 7, 2012 at 11:25 AM
You have misinterpreted the “47%” comment. We’ve gone over this over and over again here at HA. He said campaigning on income tax cuts to people that don’t pay income taxes is not useful. That makes sense, no? He didn’t say people were moochers.
visions on November 7, 2012 at 11:25 AM
I’ll split my response to this in multiple sections
Exactly. Numbers out today show that the number of people voting actually dropped. Furthermore, Romney scored even less votes than McCain. In other words, the narrative that “Mitt Romney was a better choice to fire up the base” was FALSE
Err wait what? Santorum was an establishment candidate as well. His only claim to “Conservatism” was being so far right social conservatively, that even other So-Cons were concerned about what he was saying. 2006 he supported Arlen Specter. He was pro-Bush who in 2007 and 2008, dropped the conservative ball. Akin comment was a massive screw up, and rather than just admit he fumbled the line, he instead started to blame everyone else for his screw up. Mourdock just outright came out as creepy.
The Establishment screwed up yes, but so did these folk
Yep. I saw it here even. if there was anyone who disagreed with Mitt’s stances, or his liberal past, the Establishment told us to just Shut up and sing the establishment tune. We instead glared back and realized that the Establishment still hasn’t learnt the lessons of 2010, or 2008 or 2006.
Razgriez on November 7, 2012 at 11:26 AM
As I’m not an American, I’m glad the commie won.
Romney was just a 4 year delay – I DO hope 0bama will succeed and drag the 45% welfare leeches, white guilt morons or plain idiots, illegal immigrants and those 5% dead voters into the swamp.
Sorry guys, you did it to yourself – you worked 12 hours / day maybe more for your business, you gave to charities who only feed your enemies and make them strong, you supported all kind of idiots dreaming to a kumbaya-singing world while setting the world on fire.
While at the same time hoping to the last minute that the vote will be fair, neglecting the voting machine fraud and still hoping to win in 2016. You will give up your weapons one by one – you’re too law abiding not to do it.
Welcome to communism folks – if you need pointers I have 20+ years experience living into it, and 20 years after it is almost the same – once the damage is done, there is no return.
There will be no 2016.
Rookie on November 7, 2012 at 11:26 AM
Well, well – the stock market is certainly impressed with the decision, is it not?
My, how much can change in 30 years. We just re-elected a President with a worse record than Jimmy Carter, lol. We have truly passed the tipping point where the promise of ‘free ice cream’ is all that matters to a majority of voters.
Ah, well. Strangely cathartic. Not sure I’ll be hanging around here much anymore, or listening to political talk radio, or doing anything but listening to music, continuing to become more self-sufficient and prepared in the face of the inevitable crash.
Midas on November 7, 2012 at 11:26 AM
Pennsylvania was closer than Wisconsin, Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. As it turns out, a lot of states with profoundly stupid voters weren’t in play, but you don’t campaign with 206 electoral votes as the target.
Ronnie on November 7, 2012 at 11:26 AM
I agree.
And don’t worry, the have nots, the ones who won’t work and want
all the free stuff, your hard earned money to even the playing
field (altho, they aren’t “Playing” – how does that work?), will
come running to conservatives to save them when the money runs out.
Just sit back and wait for it. In the meantime, do what you can
to protect yourselves and make sure your life, family is the best it can be – have some fun! This too shall pass.
Amjean on November 7, 2012 at 11:28 AM
Maybe I’m alone on this, but while the GOP campaign was “well-organized,” I think that it was badly misdirected and wasted most of its money.
If I am typical, the Romney campaign spent many times my small contribution to deluge me with unwanted and unnecessary mail solicitations. Despite all of that, Romney/Ryan yard signs were scarce as hen’s teeth: the campaign made them extremely difficult to obtain (I would have had to take off from work and drive 20 miles, and then pay $25 for a simple yard sign).
In addition, the robo-calls from the Romney campaign were singularly annoying. They all sounded like a salesman trying to sell a “Sham-Wow”: too impersonal and wooden. And why were they wasting time calling ME…a registered Republican with a long record of voting in every election???
The billions of dollars spent targeting the GOP base would have been much better spent on efforts to convert independents and Democrats.
But the first mistake was made by the RNC, who picked the weakest possible candidate, and forced him upon us. A Massachusetts governor is NOT the most powerful political officer in that state: the mayor of Boston is…by FAR (more money, more power, more responsibilities)!!! In MA, towns run things, counties report to the towns, and the state reports to all of them: that state’s government is structurally “upside down” compared to other states. And a Massachusetts “Republican” is actually a Democrat in any other state (I know: I lived in MA for awhile).
So while Romney had a lot of impressive business experience, he was actually very inexperienced in politics…and it showed! Shame on the worthless RNC for throwing away the opportunity to win this election.
landlines on November 7, 2012 at 11:29 AM
Yeah…I hate to say it but this is a real possibility.
If liberal migration from failed states continues at it’s present pace and they bring their liberalism with them.
Texans will be outnumbered.
Conservative Tejanos will be outnumbered and feel alienated as Texans. Ted Cruz will be crucial here and Rick Perry will have to mend some fences.
We won’t be California overnight unless Obama breaks our economy…and Obama is using everything in the federal toolbox to do it.
workingclass artist on November 7, 2012 at 11:29 AM
Precicesly. Been doing that already. Will continue to read books.
Starve the looters. The moochers will be cold/hungry. Just look around. It’s happening all over.
Doctors retire by they thousands. Fear not – they’ll treat you for services/necissities.
DO NOT GO ALONG with your own destruction. YOU are still a free people. Don’t pay Obama so he can buy votes with your efforts.
The 50% of producers should never support the leeches of the land.
Schadenfreude on November 7, 2012 at 11:30 AM
BTW – I am having lunch with a group of my liberal friends; the
date was etched on our calendars months ago.
At 7:30 AM this morning I received a phone call asking me if
I still wanted to go. I cheerfully said, “Of course, I have
been looking forward to getting together with everyone”.
Pray for them if they start on me.
Amjean on November 7, 2012 at 11:30 AM
No one fought harder against romney in the primary than me. I wanted Sarah to run, then supported Cain, Bachmann, then Santorum.
I was very upset when Romney won the primary.
However, he is NOT a Marxist. Unlike obama he actually believes in the free market and AMerican Exceptionalism.
People say Romneycare — I agree that was a disaster but he did it at the state level as the majority of the libs in MA wanted it. That’s very different from obama forcing obamacare down our throats when the majority didn’t want it.
You thought obama was bad the first time, just wait to see what happens now!
And you should’ve done more…..we all should’ve, myself included. I know just how tough that must’ve been having to check the box next to Romney’s name, oh the horror!!
Those “conservatives” at your work who didn’t even vote for romney should be ashamed of themselves!!
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 11:31 AM
My fellow conservatives, as you wake up this morning a permanent minority in America, I can tell you that Jesus Christ could have run on the Republican ticket and would have still lost.
You need to realize that this is not the country you were born into. Not the country of hour parents or grandparents. It isn’t even the country of 10 years ago.
While most of us have been living our lives, raising our families, and trying to be productive members of society, the left has been growing it’s numbers and plotting against us.
I trace it back to 1965 and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. Their idea to make people beholden to the government and being able to buy votes through social programs started the country on it’s downward spiral. They were immediately able to buy the Black voting bloc and destroy the black family simultaneously. Win, win for them. The government became their new masters, and they willingly went along with it for free stuff.
The feminist movement. Designed to divide the sexes, and also destroy the family. No need for a man or husband. Have kids solo. The government again was the answer to being a woman’s husband and father of their kids. This way they didn’t have to be tied down to just one man. They could have as many as they want and children by all of them. Welfare, food stamps and other programs would help you raise them.
This also allowed men the freedom to ignore their responsibilities. Why be stuck with a wife and kids. You can have multiple women and if you knock them up, the government will take care of them. Not your problem,man.
All the sex you want and none of the responsibility. Thank you birth control and legalized abortion! Of course it
didn’t happen all at once. There was still that little problem of religion. That had to erode over time. It became uncool. The media highlighted scandals and told America that religion was a joke. It worked on the weak minded believers.
Loss of morality…check. Loss of faith…check. Loss of family…check.
And those who fell into this and became wards of the state began having more children then the traditional Americans. The wave had started.
Add in the opening of the borders and the influx of people for south of the border, who came in and have become the fastest growing minority in the country.
Meanwhile, the white European Americans have aged and only had the children they could afford as responsible citizens.
Almost 48 year later, this is what you have.
Schools, government,media,entertainment and even churches infiltrated by socialists and leftists.
All of this has led to what happened in 2008 and last night.
We are outnumbered. Permanently.
Do we change our values? Do we allow weed for all? Embrace gay marriage and still believe in the bible? Do we look to our future Hispanic overlords and pander to then and look for a brown face to lead us?
You cannot reason or communicate with a scumbag. We are a nation that is a majority of scumbags.
I don’t have a magic answer, but I don’t blame Romney/Ryan. I don’t think a more conservative candidate is the answer. We have passed the tipping point in the country.
For now, the simple answer is to leave a blue state if you live in one and move to a heavily red state. Safety in numbers. Grow our numbers. Become a large bloc of people for voting and in case the worst happens. We should stick together and become closer. Become active in community and politics in your area. Cling to God, Guns and Gold. Remember who helped get us here. The news media, Hollywood, TV. Help to bring them down by not giving them our dollars. Only support likeminded media outlets,restaurants, stores and businesses. If you know someone in the military, thank them for a job well done and their service and tell them to come home. I would not subject anyone I know to be in the service under Obama.
The country in it’s current form and the path Obama is taking it down will not survive.
Rockshine on November 7, 2012 at 11:31 AM
Lovely idea – and one that will certainly grow throughout the
country. A great way of fighting back. I live in Illinois so
it would be doubly delightful.
Amjean on November 7, 2012 at 11:32 AM
No, they were not convinced by the primary voter’s pick. Romney was heavily shoved down many people’s throats by the destroy everyone but Romney new media, like Hot Air.
They had no one to vote for. Progressive Liberal Romney (R) or Marxist Obama (D). The visible 2% difference was not enough to get them to spend their time voting. It was Romney’s, or more to the point, the Republican Party’s responsibility to give them a choice. They failed in doing so.
When Romney says he likes Regulations, he says, I am I like Obama.
When Romney said automatically rising minimum wages is a good idea, he says, I am even worse than Obama.
When in the end, after 2010 you can only get a D38/R32 voter turn out, it is not the voters to blame. It is the candidates and their message.
astonerii on November 7, 2012 at 11:32 AM
You make a good point. I know many strong conservatives who work their butts off in two or more jobs and still need sometimes to relay on food stamps for their families (some of them teachers who make less than 30K), they see it as a temporary stop-gap solution and feel like losers having to use them. These people are often referred to as parasites by conservatives, specially fiscal conservatives. I think it would behoove us to show more compassion and generalize less with regards to people who find themselves in poverty, because not everyone who finds themselves in poverty is a lazy taker.
neuquenguy on November 7, 2012 at 11:33 AM
That’s why Republicans need to boil the message down to, “Workers will keep MORE of their paycheck” If unemployment is 8%, that gives the GOP %92 percent who would ALL like to keep more of the money from that paycheck. Yes I know that there is more to unemployment then that, but it has to be kept S-I-M-P-L-E. It’s just easier for people to ingrain short and sweet messages into their heads.
guera on November 7, 2012 at 11:34 AM
What would that accomplish? We’ve heard John Boehner talk tough. That’s all part of the “optics.” When push comes to shove, he gets shoved.
Right Mover on November 7, 2012 at 11:34 AM
never give up. never ever give up. Chris Chirstie, anyone?
Trebuchet on November 7, 2012 at 11:34 AM
Advise them that they won. They may have the economy they voted for. Many of us are going into HOARDER-MODE and won’t participate in it.
Lost my nose to spite a long time ago, this will be easy for me. It’s going to be like a high school bio/chem experiment, let’s see what happens when we do . . . this.
FineasFinn on November 7, 2012 at 11:35 AM
this is absolute hogwash. It wasn’t just the left saying this. Almost every single poll said the same thing. And Ed ignored them all thinking he was somehow an expert on demographic turnout. What an embarrassment.
red_herring on November 7, 2012 at 11:36 AM
What party will Krispy Kreme be running in???
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 11:36 AM
This time, Republicans can’t blame the candidate, or at least they shouldn’t.
Why shouldn’t they? America just didn’t like Mitt Romney enough, and that’s the truth. In an atmosphere in which the financial industry has been demonized and scapegoated for 4 solid years, in which bankers and traders and venture capitalists have been painted as ogres and thieves, and given 100% of the blame for the poverty and hardship which surrounds us, the GOP nominated someone from the financial industry.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you’re going to nominate a rich guy as a Republican presidential nominee, find someone who’s been a titan in the manufacturing or retail industry.
Sharke on November 7, 2012 at 11:37 AM
The electorate has changed. And I am ashamed. I am ashamed that the electorate has chosen stuff from the government over American exceptionalism. We are living amongst the lazy, pablum-fed people who want hand outs, not a hand up. It makes me very ashamed today of my country. And I am typically a very upbeat person. It is the first time in my life that I feel this way. I am not angry. Only sad. The people have chosen to throw away freedom.That’s the best I can say. I am a job creator, and I will guarantee you, I will not go over the threshold that will cost me additional money because of what obamacare is doing. I was looking forward to hiring more people under a new president, and really trying to launch my business forward, but I will not, because I cannot afford what the government will do to my business via obamacare. So, I will limp along. And if this goes the path I think things will go, I may very well be forced to close the whole thing, and let 25 people go their own way. Sad. Very sad.
congma on November 7, 2012 at 11:37 AM
OK, if that’s what they think, then we can credit the next dead ambassador to your idiot coworkers. The idea that the candidates were similar is just profoundly off-the-scale stupid.
Ronnie on November 7, 2012 at 11:38 AM
WHEN HAS SOCIALISM EVER PRODUCED GREATER EFFICIENCY OR LOWER COST????
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 11:38 AM
There is a big difference between someone who needs a helping hand and someone who gets a handout as a way of life.
Fazman on November 7, 2012 at 11:38 AM
Donut is done at the national level.
workingclass artist on November 7, 2012 at 11:39 AM
I never said he was a Marxist. That would be your lack of reading comprehension. I said he was a progressive liberal (R) only 2% differentiated in the view of many conservatives from Obama.
You can b!tch and moan all you want about how stupid the electorate is. It is their vote to do with what they want to. It is the party and the candidates job to convince them to gift it to them.
The fact that only 32% of the vote was Republican vs 38% democrat and the moderates were 30% when all indications of voter registration shows that the republican party has been growing and democrats shrinking shows that the stupid choice in the primary was a stupid choice.
I was right, most of the rest of Hot Air was wrong. Putting a progressive just this side of the Democrat is not a path to victory. You cannot out stupid the democrats and you will lose.
astonerii on November 7, 2012 at 11:40 AM
A few predictions.
Michelle is already packing for a glitzy vacation.
In a few months Obama will be campaigning for the 2014 mid-terms.
Valerie said he would be out and about MORE in his second term.
Chris Christie is the new Charlie Crist.
bailey24 on November 7, 2012 at 11:40 AM
Agree, I am just saying that sometimes Republican politicians could be more careful about generalizing.
neuquenguy on November 7, 2012 at 11:41 AM
The increasing likelihood of him winning in 2008 made it tank before he took office.
freedomfirst on November 7, 2012 at 11:41 AM
You got it bass ackwards. Romney was right about the moochers — it’s true that 47% don’t pay taxes… except it looks like the moochers have exceeded 50%.
You say Romney’s comment hurt him — I don’t think it hurt that much… he spoke the truth.
Obama’s “You didn’t build that” or “I believe in redistribution” didn’t cost him the election b/c there are now more parasites than takers.
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Oh, so he’s only 98% Marxist. Much better. lol
Ronnie on November 7, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Romney’s lost the popular vote by more than 2%:
http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/results (sorry for the Huff link; that’s where I found it)
Even if that’s slightly off, it shows that Gallup and Ras were wrong by three percentage points. Not good.
bobs1196 on November 7, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Gov. Rick Perry has 4 years to prepare to make the case for economic conservative governance…And 4 years to learn how to debate effectively.
Texas has got to win the increasing federal assault on us…But we have Perry and Abbott so there’s hope.
workingclass artist on November 7, 2012 at 11:44 AM
First, I know that 47% of people do NOT contribute more income tax than they receive, I know it is a FACT. My point is that millions of voters saw it as a personal put-down. I am not arguing facts, I am arguing the perception of the statement.
And I disagree with Mitt thinking 47% of the country won’t consider him for president. Why? Because I personally know people who do NOT realize that they are part of that 47%. –Again, perception always trumps reality (when it comes to votes), so the GOP needs to realize how they are perceived.
You’re right, he never called anyone a moocher. I was referring to a term that is used ad nauseum in the blogosphere world. And trying to explain how it negatively affects the conservative mission.
guera on November 7, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Majority of Americans disagree with you. And unless there was systematic depression of the Republican vote though vote machine shenanigans, that is the case. So who are you going to believe? The vote or your biased opinion?
You can credit the next dead ambassador to the President. You can credit the re-election of the president to Romney for failing to get out the vote. You can credit Romney’s failure on the primary voters who put him in place to lose. You can credit those votes for Romney to the pathetic alternative media that destroyed candidate after candidate under a microscope with the one single exception of Romney who got left alone by the new media. Go ahead, lay the blame down. It really comes down to the candidate in the end. Did he EARN votes. Conservatives do believe in EARNING things… Right? Right? No? Now Republicans are ENTITLED? Sounds familiar…
astonerii on November 7, 2012 at 11:45 AM
Are you familiar with the obliteration of the world financial system in the summer of 2008? Pretty sure that was the reason for the stock market crash. Your ignorant excuses are pathetic.
sob0728 on November 7, 2012 at 11:46 AM
neuquenguy on November 7, 2012 at 11:33 AM
Have you no shame?
Schadenfreude on November 7, 2012 at 11:46 AM
Old family, born-and-bred American hispanics can be won over but they’re shrinking as fast as whites. The new wave of transnational hispanics who are only here as economic tourists to make money to send back home cannot be won over. They will vote for America’s destruction every single election because those destructive policies line their pockets and they don’t give a damn about America.
Django on November 7, 2012 at 11:46 AM
Yeah m ore of your typical truth twisting at Unskew University. He called them “victims” who would never seek to thelp themselves. That’s what he meant-that’s what he said-that’s who he is-that’s why he lost.
Idiot.
tommyhawk on November 7, 2012 at 11:47 AM
You don’t have to tell me that most voters are f*#ing stupid.
Ronnie on November 7, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Well then, let me “respectfully” say that WIC is a perfect example of our society subsidizing behavior we profess not to encourage. But I’m just a clean-cut white guy who pays the subsidies. My tax rate is higher than Romney’s because I’m reliant on my paycheck for most of my income. I’ve always been blue-collar but I’ve never received any EITC, or any dole of any sort. And I have been unemployed; I just couldn’t take the government check. I just get made to pay without any say. And it doesn’t matter how ineffectual the social program, how much it exacerbates the problem it’s meant to solve- the program’s not going away. And I don’t qualify. And the laws that qualify you for every entitlement, every school admission, and every job before me are innumerable. I’m the racist, sexist discriminator that is keeping the minorities down. As a ‘federal employee’ who gets to travel the loveliest parts of the world and take incoming, I get lectured and hectored about that all the time.
Sorry about the dirty look.
M240H on November 7, 2012 at 11:48 AM
Visibly, yes. Factually, no. But he is a progressive leftist who views the world through a progressive filter. Thus he is incapable of delivering conservative ideals to the people.
Backed TARP, did not like how Obama used it…
Backed the car company fast tracked bankruptcies, did not like how Obama did it.
Conservatives are more informed voters than liberals in general. These things turn people off. Conservative votes were subdued, fraud or a failure to make a sale and earn the votes?
Go ahead, which was is, fraud or failure to earn votes?
astonerii on November 7, 2012 at 11:49 AM
My 11 year old is scared and confused. He is depressed about the debt he is and will be saddled with. I’ve already told him to take a deep breath and to be strong. I’ve soothed him with “everything will be okay”.
But I don’t want to do him a disservice. How do I make this a lesson for him? How do I steel his resolve to be independent and self-sufficient? How do I teach him about takers and makers? How do I do it without infecting him with the hatred I feel today for 1/2 my countrymen?
I don’t care if Romney was not optimal, but the s#!t we have is better? NOT.
freedomfirst on November 7, 2012 at 11:49 AM
Then why didn’t it crash BEFORE the 2012 election, when everyone but the people on this website knew he had an “increasing likelihood” of winning. At least come up with some talking points that make sense and can’t be debunked in 30 seconds.
sob0728 on November 7, 2012 at 11:49 AM
I agree about more people deciding to become parasites instead of wanting to do the hard work themselves.
Very sad, an utter disgrace.
Your post says it all. I encourage you to submit that to your local paper … or if the unthinkable happens and you have to lay people off or God forbid you have to close your business be sure to write more letters so maybe people will at some point finally wake up.
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 11:49 AM
Because…
freedomfirst on November 7, 2012 at 11:51 AM
What do you mean? Honestly don’t know what I said that offended you. I am more depressed and sad about this election and what it means for the country than about any in the past, so I might have said something without thinking it too deeply.
neuquenguy on November 7, 2012 at 11:52 AM
We were right about Obama being a failure his first four years, and we’ll be right about Obama being a failure his next four years.
Good Solid B-Plus on November 7, 2012 at 11:52 AM
For the next 4 years, we should all scour the Internet for the negative consequences of Obama’s first and second term. Point them out and post your feelings on this blog as well as many others. Concentrate intensely on this and let the circus ahead unfold. Let the Democrats have their party…that is the only way that the majority in this country will wake up and smell the coffee. Forget about whose going to run in 2016…focus instead on the misery before us and tell it to the world. Discuss the misery among your co-workers, neighbors, friends and opponents. The ignorant electorate that re-elected the man in the White House must be hammered every day with the facts and consequences.
metroryder on November 7, 2012 at 11:52 AM
As much as I hate to admit – Bill O is the only person that gets it and it is so simple. In four years millions of new people have tasted the sweet taste of free money and it tastes so good. Does anyone know why the number of people on disability doubled in 4 years? Is there an epidemic? Lose your job-go on SSA? So now there really is 50% of the people getting big sweet handouts. Add in Gov workers that administer the freebies to them making 35% more than the private sector plus pensions ans healthcare for life. Well how on gods earth would you think a conservative can win again? Not until we go belly up will anything change. Bill O gets this – all the rest of the chatter is non sense
iam7545r on November 7, 2012 at 11:53 AM
YOu should insist they pay for you in the spirit of redistribution.
And ask them where socialism has ever worked and why is it going to work this time.
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 11:54 AM
52% are. Romney was wrong. It’s not 47%.
Starve the looters. The moochers will freeze/starve and just be miserable in their ratholes.
Schadenfreude on November 7, 2012 at 11:54 AM
You’re going to compare a win by 10 million votes in 2008 to a 2.5 million vote lead currently in 2012?
Good Solid B-Plus on November 7, 2012 at 11:55 AM
By the way, were you heavily invested prior to the empty suit’s success pushing up the Dow or did you start investing for your retirement the day after he was elected?
freedomfirst on November 7, 2012 at 11:55 AM
Too bad you don’t have this card:
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 11:57 AM
America, don’t lose heart. This election is not an “Obama mandate,” nor is it a rejection of conservatism. Unanswered ads like this one running in blue collar swing states defined Romney early on, and the Obama media also piled on with the narrative that Romney would harm the middle class. (As I personally have witnessed, once a bell is rung by a biased media, it’s impossible to un-ring it.) Ironically, it’s Obama’s socialist policies that will destroy America’s working class as he outsources opportunities.
Hang in there, America. Fight for what is right. Don’t look to government or any politician to solve your problems. Government can’t make you happy, healthy, wealthy or wise. Obama is a master at reading the right “soaring” words fed into his teleprompter, but actions speak louder than words. So, hold tight to 2 Corinthians 4:8 because we’re in for a wild ride.
We must survive. United. One nation under God.
“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.
- Sarah Palin
idesign on November 7, 2012 at 11:57 AM
Too bad you don’t have this card:
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 11:58 AM
Helping the poor when they need help is not the issue.
The issue is how they are helped and to what purpose and result.
When Government replaces traditional charities they encourage dependence to consolidate an electoral advantage.
It is in the interests of statists to keep whole regions in economic ghettos and undermine cultural and diverse religious bonds in communities to balkanize regions and people.
Traditional Church charities help people get back on their feet so that they don’t become dependent. The help is not just temporary monetary assistance but more holistic to encourage the family and community bonds.
workingclass artist on November 7, 2012 at 11:58 AM
On some thread here yesterday, I read a post by a teacher who let his students choose whether to study for a test. As would be expected, the studiers did much better than the non-studiers. They all received the same grade. It was supposed to be an object lesson about redistribution. I’m sure the studiers learned the lesson intended. I’d bet the non-studiers learned an unintended lesson. Sort of like real life.
freedomfirst on November 7, 2012 at 11:58 AM
It needs to be a repeated process.
Start the class with this, and let it go until about half way through, by which point the average grade will be a d or f. Then ask if they want to continue.
astonerii on November 7, 2012 at 12:01 PM
Are people honestly trying to say Obama caused the 2008 stock market crash? Not the complete meltdown of the financial system and bankruptcies of large investment banks and insurance companies? Is that really a conservative talking point?
Grasping at straws.
If the Dow going down 300 points today is being pinned on Obama, I think we can all agree that any investor is better off with it up 4,500 points while he has been in office.
sob0728 on November 7, 2012 at 12:02 PM
5 million less people voted for Romney than McCain.
10 million less people voted for Obama.
This wasn’t a realignment, Obama was very beatable, unfortunately Romney was a good campaigner but a terrible candidate.
People spoke. They would rather have 4 more years of Obama than possibly 8 years of a robotic CEO running the country!
tkyang99 on November 7, 2012 at 12:02 PM
The what? Yeah. Never heard of that.
Do you mean the spring/summer of bailouts? Bush, McCain and the king held hands on that cluster. They didn’t avert a disaster, they fueled it.
You’ll be pleased to know that you’re the first person to call my excuses pathetic. You’re the Bishop of insulting me.
Whatever.
freedomfirst on November 7, 2012 at 12:03 PM
And those so called conservatives who did not vote for ROmney are the ones to blame for this. They are braindead morons, when it mattered most they sat home and let the country go to ruin.
I despise these Ron Paul types more than the left…..btw I saw RuPaul on a CNN interview yesterday. He said he wouldn’t support romney and that there’s little differece between the two. RuPaul is an utter disgrace who’s accomplished nothing but a bunch of racist newsletters along with blaming America first!
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 12:04 PM
Hindsight is wonderful. How do you do your market timing, genius?
freedomfirst on November 7, 2012 at 12:04 PM
Romney is on track to get fewer votes than McCain did in 2008, isn’t he?
LagunaDave on November 7, 2012 at 12:04 PM
I needed that.
WisRich on November 7, 2012 at 12:05 PM
I agree 100%
I have nothing but contempt for these so called conservatives who refused to lift a finger to stop maobama!
Thanks for nothing scumbags!!
LevinFan on November 7, 2012 at 12:05 PM
Well, I hope they’ll be happy with a bankrupt, powerless country, then.
Good Solid B-Plus on November 7, 2012 at 12:07 PM
Romney got no favors from any of his staff, who all should never be allowed within 100 yards of a Republican campaign office ever again.
These people were flat out clueless. David Axelrod might be a POS, but he is a POS who is much better at his job than everyone that worked for Romney combined.
Romney has his flaws, but against a President that lost 10 million votes, those flaws could have been overcome with a competent campign, and Romney did not get that. The only reason Romney even had a punchers chance because of one good debate performance, and even that was not enough to save him.
milcus on November 7, 2012 at 12:07 PM
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