JCC [Reactions] U.S. Presidential Election Day 2012

I know it was great to watch the Republican reaction to Obama's victory tonight, but truthfully, I'm not sure anything can top June 28th of this year for me. The Supreme Court ruling was a great moment, and I probably had a better time watching that unfold than tonight's events, if only because June 28th's was so unpredictable in what happened.

 

I think FOX News just said Obama won because he embraced gay marriage... wow. What a difference 8 years make.

 

They just promised not to harm, IMO. That should be easy. Latinos were not presented with a lot of great options, and to be frank, many legally here do not support amnesty. Dems control the Senate but not the House. They probably would have trouble passing amnesty, but could give it the ole college try again. Just to throw a bone I guess.

What are the Latino's options? Go with the fence building "show me you papers" party?

The Republicans would undercut the Dems instantly if they just supported amnesty. The rest of the Repubs platform is in line with much of the Latino cultural heritage (though I am obviously being borderline racial here), as many of them come from strongly Catholic backgrounds, they are typically socially and financially conservative. The Repubs manage to be on the wrong side of the most important issue to them though, just to cater to some lunatic fringe in their party.

I keep wondering when the Repubs will wake up to this fact. With each year though, the loyalty to the Dems grows stronger. What a cluster**** that party is right now.

 

Dred Scott!!

 

Republicans with logic will realize they lost because of the HUGE Hispanic gap, and should be open to Immigration reform. Maybe not comprehensive, but more than just the DREAM Act

 

Obviously America is overrun with da gays.

 

Looks like Heidi Heitkamp (D) will win North Dakota senate seat, and John Tester (D) will keep the Montana senate seat! Not confirmed, but VERY likely

 

As a Democrat, this victory is sweeter than 2008. Then, Obama (or whoever the nominee was) had the built-in advantages. This time, he had many disadvantages, including many powerful forces desperate to bring him down.

Romney gave a good concession speech. Also, I bet there was pressure on him to wait and try and contest where he could. Either way, his conduct is in direct contrast to Mitch McConnell's statement. What a total ****.

I wonder what Paul Ryan's future is. He received a loud cheer at Romney's speech. I strongly disagree with his policies (and contrasting voting history) but clearly he's not a disaster like Palin.

But a great victory for President Obama tonight.

 

Everybody has been telling them that for year's though. I think the real problem is that their money is coming on the side of the lunatic fringe. Their money won't let them support the Dream Act, even though they can't be successful if they don't. They set themselves up for failure each election, but the fireball is very pretty to watch.

Once Sheldon Adleson kicks the bucket, that party might get its stuff straight. Still got Rush and Rove, but they don't bring the same money.

 

Well apparently they thought that lunatic fringe would bring in more votes, or else why cater to them in the first place?

 

I completely agree that this win is better than in 2008, at least for me.

 

Guys, I have a question.

1) The US constitution says the President must be born in America;
2) The Constitution says that America's a Christian country.

Therefore, how'd a Muslim born in Kenya win twice? Has to be illegal.

...


...

I'm sorry, I shouldn't. There are people out there who seriously think that and it's not nice to pick on the mentally handicapped.

 

My dad is a full-blown birther, Tea Party, FOX News mouthpiece maniac. When he asked me for my final prediction last Wednesday I said "I think there's a 70% chance Obama wins" and he laughed at me and proceeded to explain to me how the polls were wrong and that Romney would win in a landslide. He said if Obama won, he would begin to plan an early retirement in earnest.

He's been (very uncharacteristically) unreachable by phone all night.

 

I don't think that's the right way to look at it. I think there's genuine, serious academic research to be done on the amount of bubble-creation and data refusal, among other things, by so many Republicans/conservatives today.

As was alluded to just now, a lot of Republicans, at least many in the base, were *certain* of a Romney victory. Many believed a Romney landslide was approaching. Not just thought this, but they were *certain* of it. This means something, and I think it's genuinely important to figure out why people can arrive at such obviously mistaken ideas with such great certainty.

 

Technically, most Hispanics are nominally only socially conservative with Cubans being the only ones prominently also fiscally conservative. In how, the Catholic Church is pretty fiscally liberal with them strongly supporting such actions like Welfare and Healthcare. There is a reason that Paul Ryan and his budget got called out by the U.S Catholic Bishops, Jesuit Theologians from Georgetown, the Nuns on a Bus, and even his own former pastor on how it seemed he was following Rand more then he was following Jesus.

 

Heh. Most of my family is conservative. My brother and his wife are visiting this week from LA. All of us, including myself, are depressed. They're sitting around having wine and eating bad pie, because Obama gets a second term. My sister-in-law is a nervous wreck, on the verge of having panic attacks. My brother, the most passionate, outspoken of the conservatives in my family, is dealing with it in the oddest way: by laughing shrilly, and before every vote was counted, taking the Rove route of "Wait! They always call it too early!" My father's an Eeyore so this election was no surprise to him.

Last but not least, I'm depressed because this all but ensures my brother and his fledgling family will be choosing Texas over the Bay Area to work in. Buh-bye, nephews.

I would call myself an "undecided" voter up until the moment I got to work on my ballot, connecting lines to make my votes. Just like in 2008, as "undecided" as I thought I was, my hand always so quickly connected the two little lines next to "Barack Obama" and "Joe Biden." Funny, that. I'm glad you won, and I love you, Barack Obama, but I also hate you for putting frequent trips to Texas in my immediate and long-term future.

 

The bubble-creation especially. Whenever I argued with my dad about this election (in the months before the first debate, I told him repeatedly Romney was going to get "steamrolled". After the first debate I said Romney had a shot but that Obama would still probably win), I always tried to parse my words as carefully as possible, i.e "I'm not saying I hope he wins, I'm just saying he probably will". He'd have none of it, and would instead rant about how "the mainstream media" was covering up the truth. I warned him several times that the FOX News sphere was like a bubble and that he was being spoon-fed nonsense, but he just intransigent. I explicitly asked him a number of times, "Seriously, you actually believe this stuff?". Yes. Completely.

I can't even imagine what he's feeling right now, but I hope at least part of it is anger and reflection on FOX.

 

Oh don't get me wrong, KW. I'm fully aware that the serious denial that they exhibit is simultaneously no laughing matter, and a laughing matter. But, there's no need for research to confirm what we already know, which is that people will go to extraordinary lengths to convince themselves an articulate, educated black man is President of the USA. Or, racism 21st Century style.

 

Right, but it could easily be about something else, and no doubt will be in the future.

 

Mia Love lost



So.......... about Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state.....


Lowbacca_1977, it looks like the popular vote is closer because EVEN MORE people voted against Obama in Appalachia and Deep South (though Mississippi is more Obama)

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...s_predictions_against_the_actual_results.html

Interesting; national review called it almost in reverse.

EDIT: Also, #natesilverfacts is trending now. Some of my favourites:

Monica Rogati ‏@mrogati
Nate Silver doesn't understand makeup; his models are already perfect #natesilverfacts
Dan Cutler ‏@dccutler
Nate Silver's foresight is 20/20 #natesilverfacts

John Collison ‏@collision
Results ask Nate Silver if they're significant. #natesilverfacts

Scott Berkun ‏@berkun
#natesilverfacts When they find the Higgs-Bosson particle it will contain a note from Nate with winning lottery numbers for that day

 

How the hell did this Puerto Rico thing stay completely under the radar? I hadn't heard a word about that until Vivec's post, and even then I was sure it was some kind of joke that was going over my head because if something like that were on the table, I figured I would have known about it.

 

They forgot Dick Morris's "Romney Landslide".

Check out his Twitter feed from tonight. It's laugh-out-loud funny, especially how it just suddenly goes dark.

 

Dick Morris is on there. Maybe the fact that you didn't notice him says all you need to know about his prediction.

 

It's apparently the strongest Puerto Ricans have favored statehood, but as I said Congress is in the way... and there may be other obstacles. I'm not sure.