# Will The Republicans ever figure out why they lost? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 26, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224 "2012-12-26T21:33:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 119
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2361 "2014-01-21T17:39:04Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Medicare’s administrative costs plus the waste and fraud. Still beating that drum, huh? > [@](#): > > Second, competition is essential. For the purpose of driving down costs, by each participant making itself more efficient. Well, the private companies have failed badly in that. But we’re still propping them up, aren’t we? Tell us about waste and abuse some more, Uncle. > [@](#): > > I actually have no problem with government-run health care, so long as I retain the option to contract for the same services with someone else, and so long as the public option is allowed to fail financially should it not compete successfully. Are you also in favor of letting the \*private \*companies fail if \*they \*cannot compete? They can’t, you know. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2362 "2014-01-21T17:41:17Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > There is no electoral college difficulty for Republicans. Except for the winning part, no. And the demographics part. > [@](#): > > All of the models correctly predicted the results of the last two elections based on Presidential approval ratings, economic growth, and the unemployment rate. If those things run in Republicans’ favor in 2016, the electoral math takes care of itself. And you might get a pet unicorn, too. > [@](#): > > the GOP will do well by governing well. Good luck with that. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2363 "2014-01-21T18:37:28Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > All of the models correctly predicted the results of the last two elections based on Presidential approval ratings, economic growth, and the unemployment rate. All of the models said an incumbent president could not be re-elected with unemployment over 7%, so you are wrong there ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2364 "2014-01-21T18:39:47Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > There is no electoral college difficulty for Republicans. All of the models correctly predicted the results of the last two elections based on Presidential approval ratings, economic growth, and the unemployment rate. If those things run in Republicans’ favor in 2016, the electoral math takes care of itself. You mean all the models you spent 18 months insisting were skewed? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2365 "2014-01-21T19:22:37Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You mean all the models you spent 18 months insisting were skewed? haha I knew that was coming ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2366 "2014-01-21T21:04:13Z")
Please. Do you guys seriously think Republicans will lose even if Democrats govern badly because… demographics? I really hope Democrats are that complacent. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2367 "2014-01-21T21:09:25Z")
In any case, New Jersey rips to shreds the argument that demographics are destiny. I know Christie isn’t a Tea Partier, but he’s a lot more conservative than a guy who would normally win a landslide victory in New Jersey. And he did it by governing well, with a big assist from a long history of Democratic corruption in the state. The same thing can happen at the national level. Next time we get a Republican President, he will be reelected if he does well, and it won’t matter what the demographic makeup of the country is. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2368 "2014-01-21T21:15:58Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Please. Do you guys seriously think Republicans will lose even if Democrats govern badly because… demographics? If you and I are being chased by a bear, I don’t have to run faster than the bear. I only have to run faster than you. Though it may be fairly argued that Democrats can govern badly, no one believes they govern worse than Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2369 "2014-01-21T22:26:34Z")
So, the answer to “Will they ever figure it out?” is still No. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2370 "2014-01-21T23:12:18Z")
I will be very interested to hear your explanation then if the Republicans take the Senate next year. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2371 "2014-01-21T23:34:00Z")
The \*last \*election was the one in which they were supposed to take the Senate, remember? What happened? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2372 "2014-01-21T23:41:50Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I will be very interested to hear your explanation then if the Republicans take the Senate next year. I ain’t askeered. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2373 "2014-01-22T00:02:06Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The \*last \*election was the one in which they were supposed to take the Senate, remember? What happened? If he keeps betting on Red, he will be right _eventually_. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2374 "2014-01-22T01:09:13Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > All of the models said an incumbent president could not be re-elected with unemployment over 7%, so you are wrong there You only say that because your thinking is constrained by the ivory-tower orthodoxy that the past is something that actually happened. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2375 "2014-01-22T01:31:18Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The \*last \*election was the one in which they were supposed to take the Senate, remember? What happened? The Democrats successfully shifted the conversation away from ACA and towards the fact that Romney was a rich dude. I’m sure they’ll attempt to change the subject again. Oh wait, they already are. Income inequality! ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2376 "2014-01-22T01:50:58Z")
Gosh, you always have all the answers. However did you become so learned? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2377 "2014-01-22T01:51:32Z")
How dare democrats try to steer the conversation towards actual problems instead of playing along with republican scaremongering of the healthcareocalipse. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2378 "2014-01-22T01:55:20Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The Democrats successfully shifted the conversation away from ACA and towards the fact that Romney was a rich dude. > > I’m sure they’ll attempt to change the subject again. Benghazi, Benghazi, BENGHAZI! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2379 "2014-01-22T02:11:18Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Income inequality! Well, that’s exactly where the conversation **should** be, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2380 "2014-01-22T02:45:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The Democrats successfully shifted the conversation away from ACA and **towards the fact that Romney was a rich dude.** > > I’m sure they’ll attempt to change the subject again. Oh wait, they already are. Income inequality! Romney did a pretty good job of reminding us on his own. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224.md?page=118) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224.md?page=120)