Why O won and R lost?

[Gregg]

It seems at the moment too much to ask that calling an organization "too white" be considered as offensive as calling it "too brown".

I clearly remember an interview that was done in Chicago following the proclamation that Mr. Obama had won the 2008 election. The reporter asked a black woman who she had voted for and why. She matter of factly stated that she had voted for Obama because he was black. That drew a round of cheers in the background. I wonder how different it would have been if I had been there and confirmed my vote for McCain was because he was white. Anyone who thinks there isn't a double standard in the US is sorely mistaken.

[jp1]

1/4 vote Dem, 1/4 vote Rep, 1/4 aren't old enough to vote and 1/4 are apathetic. Sounds about right.

Regarding demographics, all the talk about how 'white' the Republican party is kind of fascinates me. According to the 2010 census 72.4% of the US population IS white ("white alone" to be specific). To be sure minority populations are growing rapidly, but they have a long way to go before any of them, or even all the groups together, become the majority in the US. If almost 3/4 of the US is white and if the Democratic party does a better job of appealing to minorities then it only makes sense that the GOP is made up of mostly white folks because there's nobody else left! It just doesn't seem like rocket science to get that far. How to appeal to those minorities and still maintain the base OTOH...

You're forgetting that the Democratic party also does a better job of attracting women than the Republicans do. And since the female population of the US is approximately 50%, that can be a game changer. There are a lot of women out there who might otherwise be willing to consider voting Republican, but women's health issues push them to pull the lever for the D's. That will likely remain the case for some time to come because the R's for whom abortion is a key issue seem to be pushing harder and harder to stop all abortions in all cases. Couple that with candidates like Aiken and the number of women your party appeals to goes down considerably.

The same for gay people. We're obviously not 1/2 the population, but we are 5 to 10% of it, depending on whose numbers you believe. A large majority of us will never pull the lever for an R, at least on the national level, because of the difference in attitude between the R's and the D's regarding gay rights.

When you look at the margin in several of the swing states this election, it's easy to see that the female and gay votes may well have made the difference in who carried the day.

[peggy]

I clearly remember an interview that was done in Chicago following the proclamation that Mr. Obama had won the 2008 election. The reporter asked a black woman who she had voted for and why. She matter of factly stated that she had voted for Obama because he was black. That drew a round of cheers in the background. I wonder how different it would have been if I had been there and confirmed my vote for McCain was because he was white. Anyone who thinks there isn't a double standard in the US is sorely mistaken.

Ahh, but Gregg, you would have been cheered if you happened to be standing in a crowd of tea partiers. You can't really expect us to believe there wasn't a sizable group who voted for Romney simply because he wasn't black. That double standard doesn't exist.

[Birchwood]

I'm independent and had no leanings. About 5 weeks before the election I started doing my own research on the polls.
I read a lot of articles, mag, internet info, etc, and i came to the conclusion that even as far as two weeks before, the trend is for O to win. I was surprised that the daily news said it was so close, or tie. The respectable poll number was not showing that. I'm sure Romney had his own polling org, and they know that their chances is slim, but they kept on hammering on it. Too much money invested? When the results came, it was exactly what my readings told me.

[peggy]

You're forgetting that the Democratic party also does a better job of attracting women than the Republicans do. And since the female population of the US is approximately 50%, that can be a game changer. There are a lot of women out there who might otherwise be willing to consider voting Republican, but women's health issues push them to pull the lever for the D's. That will likely remain the case for some time to come because the R's for whom abortion is a key issue seem to be pushing harder and harder to stop all abortions in all cases. Couple that with candidates like Aiken and the number of women your party appeals to goes down considerably.

The same for gay people. We're obviously not 1/2 the population, but we are 5 to 10% of it, depending on whose numbers you believe. A large majority of us will never pull the lever for an R, at least on the national level, because of the difference in attitude between the R's and the D's regarding gay rights.

When you look at the margin in several of the swing states this election, it's easy to see that the female and gay votes may well have made the difference in who carried the day.

Exactly! The GOP cannot appeal to a large segment of women and maintain their anti choice stance simply because anti choice, for any reason, says that a woman does not have the right of her body. No man is forced to give a blood transfusion, or donate a kidney, or serve, against his will, another being (group of cells really, until later in the game) for nine minutes, much less nine months. Hell, look at the uproar that came from the right when the government tried to add a simple vaccination to their daughters requirements. All of a sudden a persons body became a temple of rights to not be violated!
You have complete freedom of your body. Women demand the same freedom.
And gays also demand, rightfully, the same rights every other American has. As long as the republican party platform denies these two groups, they will never appeal.

Obama won simply because he was the choice of the people. We looked at the two candidates and decided he was the better choice.

[redfox]

I clearly remember an interview that was done in Chicago following the proclamation that Mr. Obama had won the 2008 election. The reporter asked a black woman who she had voted for and why. She matter of factly stated that she had voted for Obama because he was black. That drew a round of cheers in the background. I wonder how different it would have been if I had been there and confirmed my vote for McCain was because he was white. Anyone who thinks there isn't a double standard in the US is sorely mistaken.

The double standard is in fact a system of racial bias; "white" & "other".

[peggy]

Me too. Not to sound judgmental but it seems to me that one of our mainstream political parties specializes in identity politics in a big way, and it works for them. What I don't understand is why so many people simply accept the notion that their race or gender puts them into one particular political camp over another to the point that they can comfortably use race/gender characteristics as an identifying factor.

If it weren't so mainstream, I'd think it was racist, sexist and offensive.

Only one political party specializes in identity politics? Really!

What I don't understand is why so many people simply accept the notion that their religious belief, or gun ownership, or educational level puts them in one particular political camp over another to the point that they can comfortably use religion/gun use/belief in science as an identifying factor.

Wow! it does work both ways!
(you know I luv ya Alan)

[Square Peg]

My personal politics are a bit to the right of Genghis Khan.

But, I have a teenage daughter, a wife, a gay father, and a gay father-in-law.

How the heck do the Republicans expect me to support them when they want to oppress and control the people I love?

No thanks.

This is the best thing I have read forever. Bae, I am constantly fascinated by you and your beliefs.

[The Storyteller]

I clearly remember an interview that was done in Chicago following the proclamation that Mr. Obama had won the 2008 election. The reporter asked a black woman who she had voted for and why. She matter of factly stated that she had voted for Obama because he was black. That drew a round of cheers in the background. I wonder how different it would have been if I had been there and confirmed my vote for McCain was because he was white. Anyone who thinks there isn't a double standard in the US is sorely mistaken.

I guess we'll have to nominate Cory Booker so you guys will have an excuse next time.

[The Storyteller]

Only one political party specializes in identity politics? Really! )

The double standard is in fact a system of racial bias; "white" & "other".

There is no question in my mind race was a factor in the overwhelming Republican margins in my state of Oklahoma. There are a lot of Republicans here, but not THAT many.