# Most interesting national exit poll results **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 5, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756 "2014-11-05T13:58:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/41 "2014-11-05T17:55:43Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > [Polls: Republicans Don’t Want ‘Amnesty,’ But Don’t Mind Citizenship | The Daily Caller](http://dailycaller.com/2014/05/29/polls-republicans-dont-want-amnesty-but-dont-mind-citizenship/) > > It seems that it’s the loaded term “amnesty” that Republicans don’t like. Although it’s an accurate description if illegals are automaticlally forgiven any felonies they might have committed in order to stay here. Which is exactly what it is going to be called by anyone they pay attention to in the media. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/42 "2014-11-05T17:57:37Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Sean Trende looked at exit polling from the last few elections and found that unlike African-Americans, who are solidly Democratic regardless of income, Latino voters tend to be Democratic because they tend to be poor. Even wealthy Latinos are more likely to vote Democrat than Republican, but the margins aren’t anything for Republicans to worry about given their dominance with the white vote these days. > > the way to do well among Latinos is to make more middle class and wealthy Latinos. Encouraging assimilation is a very Republican way to do that, but also making it easier for this rather entrepenurial people to start businesses also helps. The Latino problem for the GOP is primarily a long term problem. In the short term, only 8-10% of voters are Latino. The GOP can survive quite fine on only 30% of their votes for quite some time. In the long run, they can do better as Latinos get more prosperous and more assimilated. Religion also plays a big part: Latino Protestants are much more Republican than Latino Catholics. If evangelical churches do well in their efforts to convert more Latinos, then that’s going to be bad for the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/43 "2014-11-05T18:04:16Z")
Maybe. But there has to be respect. I don’t believe the GOP is racist, but I do agree that they fail to show proper respect to minority voters because they expect to just lose them anyway. You have to ask for their votes, you have to explain why conservative policies will work for them, and you have to stick to it for a long time. Democrats didn’t win the African-American vote in a day, they kept at it and kept at it. Republicans just occasionally announce they are doing “outreach” but don’t really put much heart in it. Rand Paul is the first Republican in a while to really try. And judging by some of the things he’s proposed in the Senate on issues like sentencing reform, he’s listening. African-American voters may never support Rand Paul, but at least they won’t feel he’s their sworn enemy. ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/44 "2014-11-05T18:08:24Z")
And yet the most rapidly growing demographic group is secular Americans. That should pose a bigger problem for the GOP than anything else mentioned here, right? ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/45 "2014-11-05T18:12:59Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > They didn’t have the votes to stop a compromise before and they still did. Using your newly elected senate majority to pass absolutely any kind of immigration reform would be seen as a huge betrayal by the Republican base. [This](http://www.redstate.com/2014/11/05/dear-republicans-one-elected-work-democrats/) is what you have to deal with from now on. It’s the truth. I don’t see why Republicans should have to compromise with Democrats. Democrats have spent the last six years adopting a “We (I) won, so suck it up!” strategy. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/46 "2014-11-05T18:14:27Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > It’s the truth. I don’t see why Republicans should have to compromise with Democrats. Democrats have spent the last six years adopting a “We (I) won, so suck it up!” strategy. Thank you for proving my point. You have to compromise because that is how government works. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/47 "2014-11-05T18:19:59Z")
> [@Lemmytheseal2](#): > > And yet the most rapidly growing demographic group is secular Americans. That should pose a bigger problem for the GOP than anything else mentioned here, right? Religiosity comes and goes in this country. We’ve had a few Great Awakenings. > **[Great Awakening](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Awakening)** > > The Great Awakening was a series of religious revivals in American Christian history. Historians and theologians identify three, or sometimes four, waves of increased religious enthusiasm between the early 18th century and the late 20th century. Each of these "Great Awakenings" was characterized by widespread revivals led by evangelical Protestant ministers, a sharp increase of interest in religion, a profound sense of conviction and redemption on the part of those affected, an increase in evange... No particular reason that we can’t have another. Although really, I don’t think it’s necessary for the survival of conservatism. If anything, conservatism is hurt as much as helped by the power of evangelicals. On one hand, evangelicals are an enthusiastic and reliable voting bloc. On the other, they scare away voters. Before the Religious Right took over, Democrats were certainly the preferred party, but people didn’t outright hate Republicans. Now there’s a ton of hate for the Republican Party mainly based on the fact that it seems to be run by religious fundamentalists. So a more secular society could actually be good for Republicans. As with any big long term change in the political scene, a lot depends on who navigates the changes better. I don’t know that Democrats are any smarter about that than Republicans. They just seem to assume that things will break their way and that no adjustments to these new realities are necessary. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/48 "2014-11-05T18:21:28Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Thank you for proving my point. You have to compromise because that is how government works. Most of the time. If the status quo is judged acceptable and the public is opposed to a proposed change, then pure obstruction is the way to go. Such as when the Democrats refused to make a deal on privatizing Social Security. They were smart to stand their ground and refuse to even talk about a compromise. ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/49 "2014-11-05T18:34:52Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Religiosity comes and goes in this country. We’ve had a few Great Awakenings. > > [Great Awakening - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Awakening) > > No particular reason that we can’t have another. Although really, I don’t think it’s necessary for the survival of conservatism. If anything, conservatism is hurt as much as helped by the power of evangelicals. On one hand, evangelicals are an enthusiastic and reliable voting bloc. On the other, they scare away voters. Before the Religious Right took over, Democrats were certainly the preferred party, but people didn’t outright hate Republicans. Now there’s a ton of hate for the Republican Party mainly based on the fact that it seems to be run by religious fundamentalists. So a more secular society could actually be good for Republicans. > As with any big long term change in the political scene, a lot depends on who navigates the changes better. I don’t know that Democrats are any smarter about that than Republicans. They just seem to assume that things will break their way and that no adjustments to these new realities are necessary. Except that things might be different this time around. The US now is more religiously diverse than ever before (which weakens religiosity in the next generation, who are less likely to take a stance that condemns their friends and relatives, or even marks them as the “other”), and on top of that, there are so many vocal, out-of-the-closet secular Americans, which makes it easier for more non-religious people to take the same stance. It’s the same strategy that worked pretty well for gay people. This matters for the GOP because, especially at the state level, it’s a theocratic party. Religious believers aren’t just going through the motions, they really believe it, and so battling against gay rights, against science education, against the rights of non-Christians, against the sexual revolution, and so on and so forth is not going to be a winning stance too often. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/50 "2014-11-05T18:35:09Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Most of the time. If the status quo is judged acceptable and the public is opposed to a proposed change, then pure obstruction is the way to go. Such as when the Democrats refused to make a deal on privatizing Social Security. They were smart to stand their ground and refuse to even talk about a compromise. The public you are working with are people like OMGABC who see any compromise at all as a complete betrayal of what republicans were elected to do and will sabotage any efforts of your party to look like they can actually govern and get things done. I honestly wish what you think is going to happen did, but there is simply nothing in recent history that supports your view point. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/51 "2014-11-05T18:42:05Z")
> [@Lemmytheseal2](#): > > Except that things might be different this time around. The US now is more religiously diverse than ever before (which weakens religiosity in the next generation, who are less likely to take a stance that condemns their friends and relatives, or even marks them as the “other”), and on top of that, there are so many vocal, out-of-the-closet secular Americans, which makes it easier for more non-religious people to take the same stance. It’s the same strategy that worked pretty well for gay people. > > This matters for the GOP because, especially at the state level, it’s a theocratic party. Religious believers aren’t just going through the motions, they really believe it, and so battling against gay rights, against science education, against the rights of non-Christians, against the sexual revolution, and so on and so forth is not going to be a winning stance too often. That’s all true. I wouldn’t rule out another Great Awakening, but your reasoning about why it might not happen again seems pretty sound. But again, the GOP has been a relatively secular party before and had success. Political coalitions change all the time. I can’t think of a single constituency that has always supported one party. Eventually we’ll see a period of political shuffling again and both parties will be different as a result. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/52 "2014-11-05T19:33:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Fotheringay-Phipps** : > > Gay marriage is happening by court fiat. > > Question is once that’s done with are there going to be any more gay-related hot button issues, or are we done? Full legal equality between blacks and whites has been a done deal for over a half-century now. Do you think that there aren’t any hot-button issues relating to racism any more? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/53 "2014-11-05T20:12:34Z")
There are. Affirmative action, welfare, crime & punishment, maybe some others. What do you see as possible wedge issues that would drive gay voters away from the Republican party? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/54 "2014-11-05T20:15:14Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Border security is actually stronger now than it’s been in awhile. That’s actually been the low hanging fruit and the Obama administration has done a pretty good job. Where they’ve shown a reluctance to act is in internal enforcement. People overstaying their visas, illegals pulled over for traffic offenses, illegals arrested for crimes, illegally working with fraudulent paperwork… If we deported all of the people in those categories, people where we already know where they are or have them in custody, internal enforcement would be more than adequate. Instead, we just let them go most of the time. My understanding is that [deportations under Obama are pretty substantial](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/10/02/u-s-deportations-of-immigrants-reach-record-high-in-2013/). But deportation is not any kind of _solution_. Most deportees will have as much, or even more, reason to try to return again. Perhaps they’ll be a little wiser about evading capture, or perhaps they’ll end up being deported (and we’ll pay for it), again. The only practical, effective way to genuinely crush illegal immigration is to remove the incentives. Making life hard on illegal workers is a never-ending process, with millions of moving targets. Catching and deporting 100 illegally-employed workers means opening up 100 jobs for similar immigrants. Making life hard on illegal _employers_ ought to be vastly more cost-effective; one prosecuted American businessman could mean 100 jobs taken out of the illegal market permanently. More, if the prosecution is exemplary enough. One might almost conclude that nobody in power, on either side, is really interested in stopping illegal immigration at all, but simply playing politics with it. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/55 "2014-11-05T20:21:00Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > What do you see as possible wedge issues that would drive gay voters away from the Republican party? Continuing statements about the immorality of homosexuality would do it, as would last-gasp legal challenges to gay marriage. And opposition to protections against firing someone for being gay, or refusing to serve someone for being gay, and gays in the military. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/56 "2014-11-05T21:24:10Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Continuing statements about the immorality of homosexuality would do it, as would last-gasp legal challenges to gay marriage. And opposition to protections against firing someone for being gay, or refusing to serve someone for being gay, and gays in the military. Or simply good memory. You can’t just say “fine, you can marry now i guess” and expect gay voters to come back. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/57 "2014-11-05T21:33:58Z")
Not all and not right away. But many and over time. The thing about gays is that they are a very small segment of the population to begin with. If they support one side in overwhelming numbers (e.g. the current 76-23) then that’s something. If it gets to 60-40 or thereabouts, then it’s largely irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/58 "2014-11-05T22:07:25Z")
I don’t i could get over it in one lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/59 "2014-11-05T23:59:25Z")
There are no permanent friends in foreign affairs, only permanent interests, someone much smarter than me once said who I can’t bother to look up. I think the same applies to domestic politics though. Once an issue goes away by being solved, people tend to worry about what’s happening right now. Slavery sucked. Republicans freed the slaves. For some odd reason, that fact doesn’t make African-Americans hate the Democrats very much. As a matter of fact, there were still slaves alive when the African-American vote started to turn. If there are no major problems caused by being gay that are amenable to a political or legal solution, then gay voters will be primarily influenced by the same issues as everyone else. A gay man in 2050 isn’t going to think, "Those Republicans supported gay marriage ten years later than Democrats did. I’m a Democrat!’ He’s going to think, “My taxes are too damn high.” or “I really like my guns” or “Those damn immigrants!” ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756/60 "2014-11-06T00:06:39Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Not all and not right away. But many and over time. > > The thing about gays is that they are a very small segment of the population to begin with. If they support one side in overwhelming numbers (e.g. the current 76-23) then that’s something. If it gets to 60-40 or thereabouts, then it’s largely irrelevant. The major problem for the Republicans isn’t with gay voters, it’s with the other voters who aren’t willing to vote for a party they think of as homophobic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-interesting-national-exit-poll-results/703756.md?page=4)