Yeah. In reflection, the election looks less and less close. The President hit 48% in every battleground/swing state. (He only lost North Carolina, and even then he still scored 48.4%. How times have changed for Jesse Helms' state.) Romney managed to reach 48% in just two of them. In fact, he only reached 47% or better in just 4 of those 9 states. He also underperformed his national popular vote (47.4) in six of those states, while Obama overperformed his in six of the nine.

Obama could've lost every state he won by less than 5.4 points (Florida, Ohio, and Virginia), and he still would've won the EV count 272-266. Obama could've also lost every state that he won by seven or fewer points, and he still wouldn't have lost (217 EVs) as badly as Romney did (206 EVs).

And nevermind our unemployment rate is 7.9%, the highest ever for a re-elected incumbent President since FDR. How Romney, the "economy" candidate, end up beating the President on the economy question in exit polls by merely ONE POINT, will be endlessly examined abd become the butt of jokes for years to come among political scientists and professional partisans. (Notice how much the right wing have piled on Romney, even if they're a damn good reason why the "team" lost an election they could've...maybe should've...won.)

I don't know. I was watching one of the news channels last night and they said Obama was at 51% (50.7%), and ironically Romney had 47% (47.4%). They made it sound final.

JL, it's like box-office. On sunday afternoons the supposed weekend totals reported are estimates based upon well-tested formulas and data. On monday morning, with much less coverage, the adjusted totals (when the sunday afternoon and evening numbers finally roll in.)

Maybe I was just ASSuming 3 weeks after the election all the votes were counted.

You give American governmental efficiency too much credit.

Another Fun Fact: New Hampshire will be the first state in American history to send an all-female state delegation to Congress (2 House/2 Senate members), and even elected it's 2nd female Governor. (The 1st one, Jeanne Shaheen, is currently the senior NH Senator.)

Rural turnout plummets in 2012

According to an analysis by the Daily Yonder, which covers rural issues, rural presidential turnout dropped by twice the national average this year, sinking from 67.2 percent in 2008 to 54.9 percent.

Much of the erosion came from Democratic voters.

“Neither of the candidates inspired rural voters to go vote,” James Gimpel, a University of Maryland political scientist, told the Daily Yonder, “although there was even less enthusiasm for Obama than there was for Romney.”

Romney did, however, manage to win the rural vote by a higher percentage than John McCain. In 2008, McCain won 53.3 percent to Barack Obama’s 45.6 percent, but Romney won 58.9 percent among rural voters. That figure tracked almost exactly with George W. Bush’s rural performance in 2004.

http://www.dailyyonder.com/rural-voter-turnout-drops-18-2012/2012/11/28/5514

A piece on Romney's Secret Service team on Election Night.





http://www.gq.com/news-politics/blogs/de...l#ixzz2E85myU5G

Reminds me of Washington at the inauguration of John Adams. While the world's press assembled, unable to comprehend a peaceful transferal of power, Washington arrived amid cheers in an ornate carriage and a black velvet suit, surrounded by an entourage. After the inaugural he left alone on foot with his jacket over his arm.

Did you take any pictures of that?

No, but I was part of quite a few school trips and tours to Independence Hall where the tour guides are very descriptive. Jefferson wore a long blue coat and received the greatest applause while Adams, uncomfortable with all the pomp, wore a plain gray suit without shiny brass. Oh, and it was warm for March with temps in the mid 50s.

Obama in his two Presidential campaigns' committees raised $1.4 billion.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/07...hp_ref=politics

No, he didn't. But he did sketch them.

I tried to get a photo of Martha, but George slugged me.

Fun Fact: The nation of Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic and Slovakia) was proclaimed on the steps of Independence Hall on October 26, 1918 by Tomas Masary, that country's first President.

All right, I always thought Romney was a little bit "odd" (for loss of a better word.) Evidently Mitt was at a boxing match and greeted the boxer by saying:

"Hello Manny. I ran for president. I lost,"

Isn't that a strange introduction?


TIS


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/08/romney-pacquiao_n_2265358.html

Why did it take Romney a long time to concede?



http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2012...hQjL/story.html

Anybody ever see this video? LMAOOO

Ed Schultz Mocks Mitt Romney With Goodnight Moon Parody

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/this-happened-ed-schultz-mocks-mitt-romney-with-goodnight-moon-parody/

For some reason, I just really don't like Schultz personally.

He reminds me of a retired football coach for some reason. That is random, I know.

Obama is the only Democrat besides Woodrow Wilson in 1916 to win the election without West Virginia.

Also, I just read yesterday, all votes tallied, Obama is first President since Eisenhower to win 2nd term with over 50 percent (51 percent I think) of vote. Also, he's the first Democrat to do so since FDR.




TIS

Obama is now also the 2nd President post-WW2 to win re-election with unemployment over 6%. The first one was Ronald Reagan.

Also, Obama in New York this year scored the highest vote total for any Presidential nominee since 1964. In New Jersey he scored the highest vote for a Democratic candidate since '64.

In just 4 states (Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, & Ohio) the winning ticket's margin of victory was less than 5%. This is the smallest # of states below that threshold since 1984. (Reagan had 3 states within 5 points.)

In 2004, when Dubya was re-elected by popular vote gap of 3 points, 11 states were decided by fewer than 5 points. In 1976, when 20 states were within 5 points.

What does all this mean? Are we becoming more and more polarized?

18 states and D.C. (242 electoral votes) have gone Democratic in the last 6 national elections. Twenty-two states (180 electoral votes) have voted Republican in the past four elections.

TIS, California in '12 is a real sign of the times. The state of Nixon and Reagan, once upon a time a GOP stronghold, Romney this year couldn't even clear 40%. Obama trounced him by 23 points. GOP haven't won that state since '88.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-03/final-tally-shows-obama-first-since-56-to-win-51-twice.html

I was sure that the Obama will be the next president.Obama has a big support of the immigrants people due to its policies regarding immigration laws.

I knew he was going to win becaese he has the majority of everyone except angry white men over 65.

Angry white men? Obama won by 3 million it was not only white men who voted for Romney.angry about what? That the economy did not grow much under Obama. That prices are going up under Obama. That Obama is printing money that is not backed by any thing? That more and more people are on welfare under Obama. That more and more people are unemployed under Obama? That Obama taxes and spends and doest cut. If you say he does cut spending what did he cut was it already cut?

Kids graduate college and can't find a job.

No Obama is great a real smart guy

funny, the same people always accusing others as being racist are the same ones always pulling the race card out as if it somehow gives them some wierd kind of mythical credibilty. don't agree with obama on immigration reform and amnesty? must mean you hate mexicans. didn't vote for him or are critical of his policies? you must be an "angry white man" who hates blacks. get real!

some people on both sides of this election voted for their "guy" based on race alone, i don't think anyone will dispute that, but to try and equate either side with the lowest common denominator is silly. not everyone who voted for romney is some bitter old white racist hillbilly. not everyone who voted for obama is some lazy black who wants to live off the government.

Well put, FF .

Romney took a lot of heat for saying Russia was our number 1 enemy.

But what most folks don't realize is that the Russian military named NATO as their number 1 enemy. Or more specifically, "NATO expanding and NATO violating international laws"... "member countries of NATO expanding their military infrastructure to the borders of Russia, including expansion of the block."

Obama took a shot at Romney during the debates over this: "the 1980's called and they want their foreign policy back." Which got a good laugh.

But what do you expect in the Kim Kardashian society? It's much safer than actually exposing a naive society to the real truths in this world.

Ditto.