"5 Myths About an Election of Mythic Proportions"
1. "President-elect Barack Obama transformed the face of the electorate! A wave of black voters and young people was the key to Obama's victory.""Or not. Exit polling suggests that there was no statistically significant increase in voting among either group. Black voters made up 11 percent of the electorate in 2004 and 13 percent in 2008, while young voters comprised 17 percent of all voters in 2004 and 18 percent four years later."
2. "The Republican Party suffered a death blow."
"Republicans will be back on their feet sooner than many people expect. First, much of the Republicans' permanent political class has concluded that electing Sen. John McCain as president would have amounted to applying a Band-Aid to a gaping wound... Ra's al Ghul, a villain in the movie "Batman Begins," advocates destroying the city of Gotham to rebuild it from the ground up. "It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die," -- a sentiment echoed by many Republicans these days, who argue that hitting rock bottom was the only way to allow new faces and ideas to emerge.
"Second, historical electoral patterns suggest that Republicans could pick up a passel of Senate and House seats in 2010 -- the first midterm election under President Obama."
3. "Now that they control the White House and Congress, Democrats will usher in a new progressive era."
"Not likely....[L]ook more closely, and you see a heavy influx of moderate to conservative members in the incoming freshman Democratic class, particularly in the House...The fact that roughly a third of the Democratic House majority sits in seats with Republican underpinnings (at least at the presidential level) is almost certain to keep a liberal dream agenda from moving through Congress. The first rule of politics is survival, and if these new arrivals to Washington want to stick around, they are likely to build centrist voting records between now and 2010."
4. "McCain made a huge mistake in picking Sarah Palin."
"[O]f the 60 percent of voters who told exit pollsters that McCain's choice of Palin was a "factor" in their final decision, the Arizona senator won 56 percent to 43 percent. For skittish conservatives looking for more evidence that McCain understood their needs and concerns, Palin did the trick. It's hard to imagine conservatives rallying to McCain -- even to the relatively limited extent that they did -- without Palin on the ticket. And without the base, McCain's loss could have been far worse."
5. "A Republican candidate could have won the presidency this year."
"Why not? Three words (and a middle initial): President George W. Bush."
You may wish to review your math a bit. A 2-point rise in black voters from 11-13% is a 2% increase in total electorate, but an 18% increase in black voters. By all definitions, that is statistically significant.
If white people who never voted before, voted this time so they could vote against BO, is that racist?
If black people who never voted before, voted this time so they could vote for BO, is that racist?
Sitakali, you're assumptions are wrong. The percentage of the total electorate represented by blacks can increase even if the absolute number of black voters remains stable or even declines. If the number of non-black voters decreases, or if it increases by a smaller percentage than black voters, the percent of black voters in the total electorate would increase without actually changing the number of black voters much.
I also take exception to #5. McCain did pretty well considering GWB's popularity, but he also made numerous strategic and tactical mistakes--he simply did not campaign well--and he also never won the hearts of the base, many of whom supported him mainly because they couldn't stomach Obama. Without the base solidly behind him, the swing voters were harder to swing. I am of the opinion that a better candidate with a better campaign could have won. Obama really isn't that great of a leader, but he did run a tight campaign.
During the campaigns according to the Meida, it was everything good about Obama, and otherwise about Palin. I agree with the rise of the Phoenix, that the Liberal surge in the West is short temporary. I hope Republicans don't move to the center left but re-establish Conservative social values.
Shame on you all. This should be a place to gain a deeper understanding of our religious foundations and, thus, our faith.
There are plenty of outlets to discuss petty, fleeting, partisan politics -- left or right.
Today's Republican party is feckless, weak, unprincipled, sycophantic, witless, essentially leaderless, and has a long way to go before they get my vote again. I recently dropped out of the party and registered as an Independent. You betrayed us, and deserved your loss. Perhaps someday you will learn to nominate somebody with conservative principles after the Socialists destroy the Supreme Court and Federal courts across the land, and take America broke in the process.
Until then, Goodbye Losers!
Wow, anyone else here think that maybe the left wing illuminati are obviously feeling SO very threatened by Gov Palin that they have nothing else better to do then continuing on with the media attack of her?! All you hear about is how Palin brought McCain down, and gave him the loss. It sure is good seeing people going to the media to FINALLY stand up for Palin. She has been ran over by the media and hacked to pieces and it's really getting old. When will the liberals be ready to move on? Obamatrons--find something else to do--something positive even! Or is that impossible for you?!
It is impossible for them! They are liberals. Libs thrive on misery, hate, depression, drama and primadonaism. Everything is going their way right now, they rule the freakin' world via the media, celebrities, education,popular culture, modernism and now the government! But that STILL is not enough. I would think they would all be floatin' on air that their messiah Obama was elected! But no no no....now you hardly hear about the man and yet the left is STILL hackin' apart our Sarah! For ridiculous, totally just...irelevant things that don't amount to anything or even matter! The fact that they have to dig up so much nonesense about sarah proves there is nothing to dig up about her! Ooooh , still on about her clothes and we have the issue resolved, on about if Trig is hers,about Africa on about newspapers and interviews and Troopergate....just on and on and on and OOOOOON about things that have answers already or have already been shown to be false! I am seriously getting burnt alive listening to it! I adore Sarah, she is brillant, down to eath, realistic, smart, informed, in touch, honest, has real solutions and fresh ideas..it outside of the pathetic good ol' boy, elitist circle! She is EVERYTHING that a politician should be and everything this nation NEEDS to get its ass back in gear! All I can say to the libs is that you are STILL jealous of her! Jealous she is above your pettiness and perpectucal whinng and bithcing and moaning and neediness and entitlement mentalities! That is why you tear her down! STILL tear her down! I could go on and on about your candidate but he is SO unimportant too me I don't even know what he is doing right now! He is NOT my president, and I am movin' to Alaska where MY president is! Give Sarah a freakin' break, she has far more substance, value and worth than anything the left has shat out of their donkey stained asses! No matter what she did or didn't do, she would still be massacured by the leftist controlled media, it just does not matter at all! She is the image of hope, light out of darkness and representation of what I hold true in my heart and what I know to be right in my soul! I adore her! I would follow her anywhere! And I hope someday to follow behind her as MY president of this nation that CAN be great again, after we drudge through this four years of darkness that has been thrust upoun us! GO PALIN 2012!!!!!!
Oh and also....I am totally awesome and should be her VP.
HEY that has a pretty damned good ring to it.
Palin/Yoder (my last name) I LOVE IT! Gawd I am soooo cool!