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What happened?
Demographics and the ground game happened!
That’s My Opinion
By Bob Robinson
Stunned disbelief would probably best sum up the results of Tuesday’s
presidential election.
Reactions ranged from anger to shock to a decision to shake it off with
a wisecrack or joke.
“Welcome to the United Socialistic States of America!”
I saw an American flag flying upside down at half staff on the way into
town Wednesday. I was saddened by the sight. On the news Thursday
morning, there was a similar “flag” story… neighbors were angered over
it.
One reader felt it necessary to do a take-off on a comment made by
First Lady Michelle Obama, who said, “for the first time, I’m proud of
my country.”
“For the first time, I’m ashamed of my country,” she said.
Another reader said she was glad. “The people who said he needs to
finish the job need to see him finish the job,” she said.
Another… “I am dumbfounded that Obama got reelected and by over half of
the voters... WHAT AM I MISSING IN THIS MAN????...” She added that she
would love to hear from those who voted for him. Do they REALLY think
he was doing a good job?
Well, let’s see.
Chris Matthews, a strong Obama supporter (and left wing lunatic),
didn’t say he was doing a good job. Or any job, for that matter. What he said was he was grateful for Hurricane Sandy.
It helped Obama win. Michael Moore said pretty much the same thing…
Sandy was a good thing for Obama.
I’m sure those suffering in its destructive wake, or mourning the loss
of a loved one, would agree with that.
While half the nation was left scratching its collective head on this
anomaly, I haven’t heard of boom times for head shrinkers like I did
when Bush was re-elected in 2004. Too bad. I’m all for anything that
would help the economy at this point.
So how did it happen? This sitting president was the first since
Franklin Delano Roosevelt to be re-elected with an unemployment rate
over 7 percent. He is big government to the core… in direct conflict
with the values that made America the most prosperous and generous
nation in history.
Some have blamed it on the Romney/Republican strategy to ignore
Benghazi during the campaign. I was furious over that, but I don’t
think it cost him the election. Is it cause for Obama’s impeachment
under the “high crimes and misdemeanors” section of the Constitution? I
don’t know. Maybe. But it will never happen with a blue Senate.
Others have blamed it on an idolizing media. We saw the good stuff ad
nauseam, and got barely a sound bite on the bad.
A number of columnists gave the credit to negative campaigning. Romney
had been vilified for months, especially in the battleground states.
Criminal, killer, traitor, rich man out of touch with the rest of us,
un-American… pick one. They were all used.
Then there’s the economy. All three states deciding the election (Ohio,
Florida, Virginia) have had steadily improving economies under
Republican leadership. Note the term “Republican.” Only Florida’s
unemployment was higher than the national average but it was down
nearly three points in the last two years (11.3 to 8.7 percent).
Obama benefitted from that.
One columnist said it was an issue of “competence” vs “ideology.” We
need a competent leader but it takes an ideological vision to get
elected. Romney is competent, but failed the ideology test. We already
know Obama is incompetent, but his ideology resonated with over half
the country.
Barely. His national popular majority was 2 or 3 percent, depending on
the source. His popular majorities in Virginia and Florida were under
two percent. In Ohio, it was 1 percent. A few thousand votes closer and
we would be waiting on a recount.
A mandate it was not.
Frankly, this whole disaster was our fault. Our naivety kicked us in
the butt. We grossly underestimated the campaign, strategy,
single-minded passion, win-at-all-costs and oratorical skills of our
sitting president and his supporters.
Obama never stopped campaigning. His oratory over the past four years
was a huge series of campaign speeches, in which he vilified
Republicans in general and Bush and Romney in particular. He didn’t put
us back to work as he had promised, but he talked a good talk and got
his primary agendas, such as Obamacare and Green Energy, moving forward.
But more important than that, he had his people working his supporters
from the time he announced for president in 2007 right through Election
2012. They never stopped. His campaign offices in Ohio outnumbered
Republican offices three to one.
In other words, he played one helluva ground game.
Finally, he understood his demographics… young people, women and
Latinos. They were his focus. I believe the Republicans forgot about
that, thinking that the economy was so dismal, they would stay home in
droves.
In fact, thanks to that ground game, they voted in numbers matching or
exceeding those in 2008.
These three groups far outnumbered the middle aged white males who are
typically more interested in a strong economy than they are in social
issues. These voting groups will only solidify their power. They aren’t
going away… they are getting stronger.
All of the above likely had something to do with it, but the deciding
factors were demographics and an unprecedented ground game.
The Reps have to regroup. They have to expand their focus and
understand the new campaign universe if they don’t want to disappear
into the election dust of the future.
A real possibility unless the Grand Old Party gets its act together.
That’s My Opinion. What’s Yours?
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