# The official post-Election Day thread:11/7/12 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 7, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177 "2012-11-07T05:00:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/1 "2012-11-07T05:00:23Z")
News cycle RESET! Obama wins! We know today that Barack Obama is re-elected President. You can read it in the papers today and you can see it on the news neworks, including Fox News! It’'s everywhere. It happened. The states were called. It was close. Then it started to turn. Obama. Many were worried about Ohio, Florida, Virginia and other states. Romney apparently was worried about Pennslyvania. Even Obama and the Obama campaign was worried about New Hamsphire. Personally, I had guarded expectations. I went into 2012 with the chance that Obama could lose. I’m sure that even the President realized he could have lost especially after the first debate. Then Obama came back! Obama had a brilliant strategy, in hindsight and in foresight. Now Romney has to concede without a prepared speech. That should be good. Now we have to hear from political pundits about how it happened. Well, how did it happen? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/2 "2012-11-07T05:17:55Z")
Romney thought he could win solely by appealing to his base, and he thought his base was 53% of the population. His base agreed with him. They were both wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/3 "2012-11-07T05:46:05Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Well, how did it happen? Barack Obama was never as unpopular as Republicans desperately wanted him to be. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/4 "2012-11-07T05:56:32Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Barack Obama was never as unpopular as Republicans desperately wanted him to be. Indeed. Now, the first story of this news cycle - Romney (apparently) gives his concession speech! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/5 "2012-11-07T05:59:31Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Barack Obama was never as unpopular as Republicans desperately wanted him to be. And Romney was terribly unappealing. ---
**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 7, 2012, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/6 "2012-11-07T06:02:45Z")
Preface: Obama is a shitty president and will still be one for the next four years. With that being said, the people have spoken. At this point, there isn’t anything left to say. I’m bummed about the outcome, but that’s life. As a country, we’re boned. But it doesn’t matter. If I were Senate and House Republicans, I’d just sign on to whatever piece of legislation Obama wants to pass. If that’s what the people want, let them have it. It does no good blocking them, as they’ll just be labeled “obstructionists”. So pass them and whatever happens, happens. If they end up turning the country around, great! If they cause damage to the country then maybe, just maybe, it’ll cause people to rethink their loyalty to the Democratic party. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/7 "2012-11-07T06:06:51Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Preface: Obama is a shitty president and will still be one for the next four years. > > With that being said, the people have spoken. At this point, there isn’t anything left to say. I’m bummed about the outcome, but that’s life. As a country, we’re boned. But it doesn’t matter. If I were Senate and House Republicans, I’d just sign on to whatever piece of legislation Obama wants to pass. If that’s what the people want, let them have it. It does no good blocking them, as they’ll just be labeled “obstructionists”. So pass them and whatever happens, happens. If they end up turning the country around, great! If they cause damage to the country then maybe, just maybe, it’ll cause people to rethink their loyalty to the Democratic party. Perhaps, having been so very wrong in pretty much every way possible throughout the campaign, you might consider your decision making process. If you did so, and started re-evaluating the sources of information you have heretofore relied upon, you might come to understand that we are in fact not boned. Or you could continue per your usual, and continue to make strikingly erroneous predictions and to be stunned and confused by reality. ---
**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 7, 2012, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/8 "2012-11-07T06:14:47Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Perhaps, having been so very wrong in pretty much every way possible throughout the campaign, you might consider your decision making process. > > If you did so, and started re-evaluating the sources of information you have heretofore relied upon, you might come to understand that we are in fact not boned. > > Or you could continue per your usual, and continue to make strikingly erroneous predictions and to be stunned and confused by reality. You really are delusional if you think everything is just fine. We’re headed straight for a fiscal cliff. But, as I said, it doesn’t matter either way. If the electorate really is D+6 now then it’s going to be virtually impossible for any Republican to win a presidential election without major outside influence. Being “obstructionists” isn’t going to help them, which is what they’ll be labeled as if they refuse to sign onto any of the Democrat’s ideas. So they should just go along with whatever Democrats want. Either Democrats are right and “their way” will work or it won’t. Either way, I would think it’s an idea everyone on this board could agree to. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/9 "2012-11-07T06:19:35Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > You really are delusional if you think everything is just fine. We’re headed straight for a fiscal cliff. But, as I said, it doesn’t matter either way. If the electorate really is D+6 now then it’s going to be virtually impossible for any Republican to win a presidential election without major outside influence. Being “obstructionists” isn’t going to help them, which is what they’ll be labeled as. So they should just go along with whatever Democrats want. Either Democrats are right and “their way” will work or it won’t. If it works then that’s great because we’re all better off; if it doesn’t, then perhaps people will rethink their party loyalty. > > Either way, I would think it’s an idea everyone on this board could agree to. You honestly could not possibly be more removed from reality. Obama’s fiscal policies have brought us back from the brink of destruction the Republicans put their toes right up to. Your partisan posturing is frankly disgusting. ---
**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 7, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/10 "2012-11-07T06:23:40Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > You honestly could not possibly be more removed from reality. Obama’s fiscal policies have brought us back from the brink of destruction the Republicans put their toes right up to. Your partisan posturing is frankly disgusting. The present state of the economy says otherwise, but we’re not going to change anyone’s minds here. You believe what you believe and I’ll do the same. Obama’s got four more years. Let’s see where the economy goes. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/11 "2012-11-07T06:29:50Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > You really are delusional if you think everything is just fine. We’re headed straight for a fiscal cliff. But, as I said, it doesn’t matter either way. If the electorate really is D+6 now then it’s going to be virtually impossible for any Republican to win a presidential election without major outside influence. Being “obstructionists” isn’t going to help them, which is what they’ll be labeled as if they refuse to sign onto any of the Democrat’s ideas. So they should just go along with whatever Democrats want. Either Democrats are right and “their way” will work or it won’t. > > Either way, I would think it’s an idea everyone on this board could agree to. People haven’t voted for Obama because everything is fine. They’ve voted for Obama because everything is better than it was. I hope that Republicans change in terms of acting like obstructionists. I doubt they will. But Democrats ideas have already been demonstrated to work. Republicans ideas have been demonstrated to be devastating. Let’s start doing the things that work. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/12 "2012-11-07T06:30:48Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > If the electorate really is D+6 now then it’s going to be virtually impossible for any Republican to win a presidential election without major outside influence. It’s not really D+6. It’s obvious that lots of diehard Republicans just pretend not to be when they’re asked (lots of Democrats do the same thing, but Republicans are doing it more right now). I’d like to think that it’s because of shame at being associated with the party, but I actually think it’s because the tea people bought the myth that they were a nonpartisan movement concerned about fiscal policy. ---
**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 7, 2012, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/13 "2012-11-07T06:35:34Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > People haven’t voted for Obama because everything is fine. They’ve voted for Obama because everything is better than it was. > > I hope that Republicans change in terms of acting like obstructionists. I doubt they will. But Democrats ideas have already been demonstrated to work. Republicans ideas have been demonstrated to be devastating. > > Let’s start doing the things that work. Romney consistently polled better at handling the economy than Obama (not sure what the most recent exit polls say as I don’t feel like reading the headlines on CNN or whatever) and most people don’t believe they’re better off than they were four years ago, so that’s a moot point. As much as I’d like to believe otherwise, the reality is that some groups will simply vote for “their guy” because he’s “their guy”, and without some outside force, that won’t change. Republicans won’t win any favors with those groups by being “obstructionists”, so there’s no need to be. It’s a lose-lose situation as there’s no real difference between being an “obstructionist” and Obama being successful; both will result in electoral losses going forward. Might as well just go along with the Obama mandate and let the cards fall as they may, good or bad. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/14 "2012-11-07T06:38:54Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > As much as I’d like to believe otherwise, the reality is that some groups will simply vote for “their guy” because he’s “their guy”, and without some outside force, that won’t change. You don’t say. ---
**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 7, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/15 "2012-11-07T06:44:30Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > You don’t say. I don’t vote straight ticket. Do you? ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/16 "2012-11-07T06:46:08Z")
No, actually, I don’t. I elected Bill Young in my district. It doesn’t make your statement, when compared to literally every one of your posts, any less ironic. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/17 "2012-11-07T06:46:52Z")
Seriously, how you think about things is a crucial process to check and validate. If pounding a screw with a hammer doesn’t seem to yield the results you would anticipate, it’s time to think about whether pounding a screw with a hammer is the best method to achieve good outcomes. ---
**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 7, 2012, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/18 "2012-11-07T06:49:24Z")
Yeah, ironic, since I’ve been saying Obama is a shitty president after voting for him in 2008. …Oh, wait. How does that fit your rhetoric? It doesn’t. This is almost as bad as those posts about me supporting Bush when I never voted for him (being I was too young in 2000 and I didn’t care who won the 2004 election enough to vote). ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/19 "2012-11-07T06:51:43Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Romney consistently polled better at handling the economy than Obama (not sure what the most recent exit polls say as I don’t feel like reading the headlines on CNN or whatever) and most people don’t believe they’re better off than they were four years ago, so that’s a moot point. Some reading for you. Not that this will change your opinion. [http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2012/09/03/america-is-definitely-better-off-under-obama](http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2012/09/03/america-is-definitely-better-off-under-obama) [http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2012/09/06/bill-clinton-is-right-the-economy-really-does-do-better-under-democrats](http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2012/09/06/bill-clinton-is-right-the-economy-really-does-do-better-under-democrats) [http://www.foxbusiness.com/investing/2012/09/04/history-shows-markets-gdp-outperform-under-democrats/](http://www.foxbusiness.com/investing/2012/09/04/history-shows-markets-gdp-outperform-under-democrats/) [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/us/politics/obama-erases-romneys-edge-on-economy-poll-finds.html?pagewanted=all](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/us/politics/obama-erases-romneys-edge-on-economy-poll-finds.html?pagewanted=all) ---
**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 7, 2012, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177/20 "2012-11-07T06:57:02Z")
Way to not read my post. When the question “Are you better off than you were four years ago” was asked to people, a minority of those polled responded “yes”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-official-post-election-day-thread-11-7-12/640177.md?page=2)