# 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:** 120
**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, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2381 "2014-01-22T02:49:24Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > How dare democrats try to steer the conversation towards actual problems instead of playing along with republican scaremongering of the healthcareocalipse. You would think Democrats would want to talk about their biggest accomplishment since the Great Society. if it was doing well, it’s all they’d want to talk about. ---
**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, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2382 "2014-01-22T02:50:48Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Well, that’s exactly where the conversation **should** be, isn’t it? Since ACA is primarily a program meant to alleviate income inequality, perhaps we should talk about it and analyze it’s relative success before we implement any new grand plans the Democrats might have. ---
**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 22, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2383 "2014-01-22T02:54:10Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Since ACA is primarily a program meant to alleviate income inequality, perhaps we should talk about it and analyze it’s relative success before we implement any new grand plans the Democrats might have. It’s not enough to just be laughably wrong, now you have to be bizarrely, laughably wrong? Is that what you’re going for with this post? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2384 "2014-01-22T03:11:44Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Since ACA is primarily a program meant to alleviate income inequality, perhaps we should talk about it and analyze it’s relative success before we implement any new grand plans the Democrats might have. We already are: [Cruz: Obama’s Policies Worsen Income Inequality](http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/cruz-obamas-policies-worsen-income-inequality_774803.html) Forbes: [How ObamaCare Increases Income Inequality](http://www.forbes.com/sites/merrillmatthews/2012/06/22/how-obamacare-increases-income-inequality/) But it’s all OK: saying that Obamacare is a distraction from the real issues is an official Republican talking point that he’s parroting. [Peggy Noonan](http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/01/05/peggy-noonan-joins-obamacare-distraction-chorus/197430) > [@](#): > > Appearing on Face the Nation, Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan became the latest media conservative to claim that President Obama and congressional Democrats are attempting to distract attention from problems with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act by addressing income inequality and pushing for an increase in the minimum wage, echoing several attacks from Fox News. adaher: Nothing But Official Republican Talking Points Since Forever ---
**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, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2385 "2014-01-22T03:42:16Z")
Talking about ANYTHING other than Obamacare since 2010 has been a distraction, and even the Republicans fell for it by focusing on Benghazi in the final days of the election. Of course, Hurricane Sandy had a little to do with Obama’s win as well. The guy’s got a horseshoe in his butt when it comes to elections. He draws Alan Keyes, then the bottom falls out of the economy right when McCain establishes a lead, then Sandy comes right when Romney gets ahead. But his good luck doesn’t rub off on his fellow Democrats. Didn’t work in 2010, won’t work in 2014. ---
**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, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2386 "2014-01-22T03:50:23Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Of course, Hurricane Sandy had a little to do with Obama’s win as well. The guy’s got a horseshoe in his butt when it comes to elections. He draws Alan Keyes, then the bottom falls out of the economy right when McCain establishes a lead, then Sandy comes right when Romney gets ahead. A natural and an economic disaster, how lucky can a guy get. If only the Great Recession had happened earlier, Bush could have had that, Katrina, _and_ 9/11 to help him get reelected. He didn’t need it, of course, but it seems a shame to have wasted the opportunity. ---
**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, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2387 "2014-01-22T03:52:47Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > But his good luck doesn’t rub off on his fellow Democrats. Didn’t work in 2010, won’t work in 2014. I seem to recall another election in there somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2388 "2014-01-22T04:08:49Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > But his good luck doesn’t rub off on his fellow Democrats. Didn’t work in 2010, won’t work in 2014. IIRC, I spent all of 2011 and 2012 telling you over and over and over that 2010 was an anomaly that couldn’t be used as a predictor for 2012. How soon we forget. ---
**Author:** ![2sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e47774/32.png) [@2sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2sense)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2389 "2014-01-22T05:15:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Please. Do you guys seriously think Republicans will lose even if Democrats govern badly because… demographics? I don’t see how you can look at the last few presidential elections and not conclude that Democrats have an advantage now in the Electoral College. They have more safe states to begin with and a slight edge in the swing states as well. That’s not to say that the GOP can’t win if they nominate a decent candidate. What are the odds of that? I assume, though I haven’t read anything about it, that Republicans are quietly shortening their primary election schedule in order to reduce the exposure of noncrazy candidates to the Republican base. The more time and effort serious candidates are forced to spend to earn the nitwit vote the more it will drag them down with the rest of the electorate. I’m not sure how effective that will be but if they can produce a solid candidate then they certainly can win the general election. Democratic-leaning people tend to forget that the big Obama wins were built upon huge turnout in among African-Americans that we aren’t likely to see with white Democratic candidates. Dems have an edge to start with and the likelihood of facing a damaged candidate but they can’t count on a win. ---
**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, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2390 "2014-01-22T11:44:26Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > IIRC, I spent all of 2011 and 2012 telling you over and over and over that 2010 was an anomaly that couldn’t be used as a predictor for 2012. How soon we forget. And 2012 doesn’t predict 2014. Unless of course you’re telling me the polls are skewed now. ---
**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, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2391 "2014-01-22T11:48:06Z")
> [@2sense](#): > > I don’t see how you can look at the last few presidential elections and not conclude that Democrats have an advantage now in the Electoral College. They have more safe states to begin with and a slight edge in the swing states as well. That’s not to say that the GOP can’t win if they nominate a decent candidate. What are the odds of that? I assume, though I haven’t read anything about it, that Republicans are quietly shortening their primary election schedule in order to reduce the exposure of noncrazy candidates to the Republican base. The more time and effort serious candidates are forced to spend to earn the nitwit vote the more it will drag them down with the rest of the electorate. I’m not sure how effective that will be but if they can produce a solid candidate then they certainly can win the general election. Democratic-leaning people tend to forget that the big Obama wins were built upon huge turnout in among African-Americans that we aren’t likely to see with white Democratic candidates. Dems have an edge to start with and the likelihood of facing a damaged candidate but they can’t count on a win. Democrats do have an electoral college advantage right now. REpublicans have a natural Senate advantage. But neither advantage is strong enough to overcome things like the performance of the economy and approval or disapproval of the party in office. It’s hard enough for a party to maintain 12 straight years in the White House. It’s only been done once, and Reagan left office with a high approval rating. There’s no way a Democrat gets elected if Obama’s still underwater. Unless it’s someone who can completely disassociate themselves, like Brian Schweitzer. But can an Obama-basher win a Democratic nomination? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2392 "2014-01-22T13:02:10Z")
Gotta admire your relentless optimism in spite of the facts. Baghdad Bob had nothing on you. Unfortunately for Team Red, the electoral math and changing demographics are against you. The Democratic candidate starts 2016 with these states in the bag: HI, WA, OR, CA, MN, WI, IL, MI, DC, MD, DE, PA, NJ, NY, NH, VT, RI, CT, MA, and ME. That’s 246 electoral votes. Throw in near-certain wins in CO, NM, and IA and you’re at 266. Now all you need is FL or OH or VA or NC and you’re over the top. On top of that, it looks worse each election. There are only so many angry white heterosexual male southern voters out there. And their share of the electorate is slowly shrinking. In 2004, Bush made hay by getting anti-gay ballot measures put on the ballot in key states. That ain’t gonna fly anymore, yet the party continues to act like gays are lepers. Plus they want us all to think that all Mexicans want to storm over the border, take our jobs, and drain our social services. That shit don’t work no more. And after four years of opposing every thing Obama said or did, are blacks going to suddenly start voting Republican? Not on your nellie! ---
**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, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2393 "2014-01-22T13:08:13Z")
Well, then, no need to persuade anyone to vote for you. Their background decides their vote. You can just sit back, relax, and watch the votes stream in no matter how badly you govern. This is the number that should alarm you: [http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/race/president](http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/race/president) See vote by income. Democrats can only win by keeping people poor. It could very well be that a recovering economy is death to the Democratic party. At least if your logic is right, that demographics decides all. You might also want to keep an eye on that youth vote. Didn’t look so good in the VA governors’ race. Your party got completely abandoned by the 18-24 cohort. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2394 "2014-01-22T13:16:16Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Well, then, no need to persuade anyone to vote for you. Their background decides their vote. You can just sit back, relax, and watch the votes stream in no matter how badly you govern. > > This is the number that should alarm you: > > [http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/race/president](http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/race/president) > > See vote by income. Democrats can only win by keeping people poor. It could very well be that a recovering economy is death to the Democratic party. At least if your logic is right, that demographics decides all. > > You might also want to keep an eye on that youth vote. Didn’t look so good in the VA governors’ race. Your party got completely abandoned by the 18-24 cohort. Hard to see how the VA governor’s race means much. You had two stinkwads running against each other. Despite the Republicans’ continuing effort to sabotage the economy, it will not handicap Hillary- I mean the Democratic nominee. Somehow I don’t think a drop in unemployment will spell doom for Team Blue. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2395 "2014-01-22T13:45:49Z")
Yeah, the lesson in Virginia is that not even liberal Democrats like Terry McAuliffe, but he still led the Coochmeister all the way through the race, so the Democrats can run a sleazy, disliked candidate and still win. ---
**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, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2396 "2014-01-22T14:02:07Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Hard to see how the VA governor’s race means much. You had two stinkwads running against each other. > > Despite the Republicans’ continuing effort to sabotage the economy, it will not handicap Hillary- I mean the Democratic nominee. Somehow I don’t think a drop in unemployment will spell doom for Team Blue. No, it should not. It should help them, because governing well gets you voters you wouldn’t otherwise get. What about New Jersey’s demographics allowed Chris Christie to crush Buono? If a Republican can win 60% in NJ, a Republican can win 60% nationwide, demographics be damned. ---
**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, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2397 "2014-01-22T14:03:34Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Yeah, the lesson in Virginia is that not even liberal Democrats like Terry McAuliffe, but he still led the Coochmeister all the way through the race, so the Democrats can run a sleazy, disliked candidate and still win. Well sure, coming off a Republican administration that was corrupt. He should have won by a landslide. Obamacare saw to it that he nearly lost. Obamacare is also the reason the GOP candidate leads in Michigan and why Arkansas and NC are lost causes to the Democrats in 2014. ---
**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, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2398 "2014-01-22T14:13:21Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Well sure, coming off a Republican administration that was corrupt. He should have won by a landslide. Obamacare saw to it that he nearly lost. And I will be satisfied if we nearly lose in 2014. By the way, can you tell me how Republicans pick up seats in the Senate with this kind of cannibalization going on in the primaries: [Steve Stockman Photoshops Jon Cornyn Into Obama Photo](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/21/steve-stockman-photoshop_n_4639562.html?utm_hp_ref=politics) > [@](#): > > Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas), attempting to portray his Senate opponent as too liberal, has put up a new website arguing that Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) loves Obamacare. The site even features a damning photo of Cornyn looking friendly with the president. > > The image, however, isn’t real. It’s been photoshopped. > > The odd-looking image was first noticed Tuesday by Politico reporter Burgess Everett: > > As the Wire later noted, the image was originally a picture from a February 2009 event where Charlie Crist, then the Republican governor of Florida, stumped for Obama’s economic stimulus plan (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak): ---
**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, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2399 "2014-01-22T14:26:25Z")
YOu have the same shortsighted view of elections that most Republicans do. Winning by narrow margins doesn’t let you govern, it just lets you do a victory dance. If this was team sports, narrow wins would be as good as big wins. In electoral politics, big wins mean big mandates. Little wins mean, well, what you’ve seen they mean. Obama is still in office. Hurrah! He hasn’t done a damn thing! Awwww. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224/2400 "2014-01-22T14:26:51Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Hard to see how the VA governor’s race means much. You had two stinkwads running against each other. Yeah, but very different sorts of stinkwads. And I think there are lessons to be learned as a result. Cuccinelli may be a wingnut, but he was much beloved of the wingnuts, and there will be a lot of Republicans a lot like him running in 2014 and 2016. If Cooch couldn’t win in Virginia in 2013, especially against a way-less-than-ideal Dem like McAuliffe, then candidates like Cuccinelli can do well in a bit less than half the country in 2014 and 2016. What we learn from McAuliffe is that while he was able to beat the Tea Party guy in Virginia in 2013, being a faceless pro-corporate Washington insider sort of Dem is somewhat of a handicap - one that can be overcome, but you’d really rather have someone with more connection to the state, less generic, less insiderish, and less business-cozy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224.md?page=119) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-republicans-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/645224.md?page=121)