As we noted in a previous post, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney did not lose the 2012 presidential election as a result of Gary Johnson’s Libertarian candidacy.
Johnson will wind up getting roughly 1 percent of the popular vote … but he didn’t do enough damage in swing states to tilt the outcome of the election one way or the other.
Having said that, there’s a broader case to be made that Romney’s failure to attract fiscal conservative, social libertarian voters was in fact his undoing. How else could the GOP’s “electable” nominee have pulled 1.7 million fewer votes than John McCain received in 2008?
At last count, Barack Obama received 61.2 million votes this go-round compared to 69.5 million in 2008. In other words, the lack of enthusiasm for Obama’s reelection that pollsters projected prior to the election actually did materialize. The only problem? There was no corresponding GOP wave to take advantage of this slumping Democratic support.
Why not? Well, one reason is that the GOP made it perfectly clear to supporters of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul that their views on limited government were not welcome in the Republican tent – which chose instead to rush headlong toward the “middle” of the political spectrum. Paul supporters were, in essence, told to shut up and to accept Romney because a) he looked like a president and b) because he “wasn’t Obama” (all prior similarities to the contrary).
Needless to say … those reasons just weren’t good enough for us.
Consider this: Had Romney won Florida, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia, he would be president-elect right now as opposed to, you know … a Wikipedia entry that people will occasionally check in the years to come.
In Florida, Romney lost to Obama by 52,338 votes (out of nearly 4.3 million ballots cast). How many Floridians voted for Ron Paul in the 2012 GOP primary? 117,461.
In New Hampshire, Romney lost to Obama by 40,659 voters (out of roughly 700,000 ballots cast). How many Granite Staters voted for Ron Paul in the primary? 56,872.
In Ohio, Romney lost by 103,519 votes (out of nearly 2.3 million ballots cast). How many Ohioans voted for Ron Paul in the primary? 113,256.
Seeing the trend?
In Virginia the number of Ron Paul primary voters (107,451) didn’t quite match up with Obama’s victory margin (115,910 votes), but you get the drift.
Obviously we’re not saying that every Ron Paul primary voter chose to stay home on Election Day (or vote for Gary Johnson). In fact we’ve talked to several “Paul-tards” who did vote for Romney (and obviously the most prominent “Paul-tard” of them all, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, endorsed Romney).
Here’s the thing, though. Paul’s support has never been limited to the GOP electorate – and certainly wasn’t limited to the GOP electorate in states with closed primaries (like those held in Florida, New Hampshire and Ohio).
Accordingly, it makes sense to assume that there was a much broader base of Ron Paul supporters than those who showed up to vote Republican during the spring and summer of this year – a base that Romney clearly failed to reach.
This website obviously bailed on the Republican Party a long time ago … and offered this unsolicited advice to its leaders in the wake of the GOP losing the nation’s popular vote for the fifth time in the last six elections.
But at the end of the day we think Romney lost this race because he simply couldn’t be trusted, because he tried to be too many things to too many people …
Well … except of course to the people who could have actually gotten him elected.
***
71 comments
Short and Sweet. Obmaney lost because Obamney is already in the WH.
Moving on. HAGD!! :)
Frank Pytel
You can’t give away enough birth control(what a great return on our money), abortions are up to the individual(I hope my tax dollars pay because its cheaper than another welfare mouth to feed), people should be free to marry their favorite gay goat if they choose(and file a joint return). Tell the Christian right to take a long hike. THEY have held the GOP hostage and run off reasonable people(including every young voter) for long enough. Get lost. I have vented.
If all this is true Fits
And you knew all this
Why did you predict a Romney victory?
I love ex post facto
“Explanations!”
Editorial consistency and intellectual integrity is not required on this website.
332 to 206 electoral votes is a wipeout for the Republicans.
I do not believe Will Folks when he says he bailed on the GOP long ago.
While this website is good for diggin up good dirt on both sides of the asile, it still carries water for the GOP.
What’s the point of electing an Obama imposter when you can have simply Obama?
lmao! good one!
Absolutely. Twice the pain at Twice the price.
HAGD!! :) There won’t be many left with Oshitforbrains in charge!!
Frank Pytel
94 million elible voters didn’t vote (by default voting for no one)
61 million voted for the Black Jesus
58 million voted for the Flip Flopper hailing from Kolob
As a result, “no one” has the mandate. :)
Less then 20% of the US population(312 million) has picked the decider in chief and say he has a mandate.
On the bright side our turn out is still higher than the corrupt gov’t of Columbia:
huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/voter-turnout-latin-america_n_2093819.html
On the dim side the people of Columbia seem to be slightly brighter than our general population.
Check your math boss.
HAGD!! :) There won’t be many left with Oshitforbrains in charge!!
Frank Pytel
I suppose I need a correction Frank? The key word is “eligible”.
Do I still need one?
:)
Hey Artist. I apologize. Not trying to stir the pot. 61+58.
About 120M. 218M eligible voters. That is over 18. 94+61+58. About 210. That’s 50%??
HAGD!! :) There won’t be many left with Oshitforbrains in charge!!
Frank Pytel
A short refresher in arithmetic, assuming The Artist has the correct numbers in the first place:
94 million non-voters + 61 million Obama voters + 58 million Romney voters = 210 million eligible voters.
61/210 = 29% of eligible voters voted for Obama.
Total population of 318 million is meaningless, since no one knows how the ineligible would vote; except the Scholastic Poll of students went for Obama.
Remember that arithmetic is your friend. Nate Silver predicted 50 of 50 states correctly. Those who know arithmetic were not fooled by the Romney/Ryan so-called budget
Long week. Sorry Artist. Thanks Tom
HAGD!! :) There won’t be many left with Oshitforbrains in charge!! Same thing for the white Obamney
Frank Pytel
There is no question Nate Silver did a great job of predicting the election results. I am sure that sticks in many a GOPer craw. I however, am not a GOPer.
Also, just because a liberal statistician correctly did his job doesnt mean the Democrats are *experts* in math. If they were, they would certainly not have their heads shoved as far up their asses on budget issues as the GOP.
Frank: That is why I used the term *eligible*. The 312 number(318 accordng to Tom) is simply to highlight that we have 1/5 the population making the decision who gets to be the big boss.
Stickler might not feel it is relevant, I do of course.
Bull-$#!t….FITS is a ‘fiscal conservative, social libertarian’…
Romney lost because he was not a Conservative…
We knew the Mass. version of Obama-Care was a stone around Romney’s neck…just like his one-time liberal support of abortion…
FITS is like ALL Little Slimey Consultants…they dis-avow themselves, when THEY are proven to be LOSERS…
Note: FITS STILL Whines about alleged ‘fiscal conservative, social libertarian’ John McCain being de-n*tt#d in 2000 (Google FITS Warren Tompkins essay)…The panty Waist moderates like FITS still have not let that go….
FITS is like all Idiots…Victory has a million fathers (as FITS would claim to be) and Defeat is an orphan…
FITS is a liar and a Disgrace..and he needs to take his Lying $#!* somewhere else to try to sell it..it ain’t working here…
Cookoo for coco puffs
“But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen.”
? Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
“FITS is a liar and a Disgrace..and he needs to take his Lying $#!* somewhere else to try to sell it..it ain’t working here…”
Duh!!!! Suppose FITS shuts down this page. Then what the hell are you going to do all day other than wait for mom’s meatloaf?
BigoT you are one of the stupidest people I have ever encountered.
He should have had Sarah”The HALF GOVERNOR” Palin running his campaign.
YOU BETCHA!
YOU BETCHA!
I am as conservative as they come, remind me again, T, why we are against state funded birth control and abortions? Both are excellent ways to stem the demographic tidal wave that we have already pretty much lost.
Why don’t you take your lying ass somewhere else? If you have FITS why do you patronize this site? You’re the idiot!
The thing is that Deminted’s slate of senatorial candidates went down the toilet. The thing is that quite a few House Tea Party incumbents went down the shitter.
The thing is that the Dem’s ventured 23 senatorial seats and the GOP put up 10 — and the Dems GREW by five.
About the same number in the House.
About the same number of Republican governors went down.
And, shit for brains, it had nothing to do with the fact that they were opposing Dems and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that we are all damn tired of the ultra right-wing crap.
Read and weap.
Porchsitter;
I would have to agree that they lost because of the GOP’s values, but I got news for you. They’re is nothing “ultra right-wing” about the GOP. They are as close to the center as the Demlicans. The Repuklicrats and the Demlicraps are two sides of the same coin.
Have a Great Day!! There won’t be many left with Obonehead in charge. :)
Frank Pytel
Kill youself now.
Beat that broken drum Will, beat that broken drum…
https://www.fitsnews.com/2007/12/30/echo-chamber-eight-years-later-the-truth/
Here’s the link…FITS NEVER got over Moderate McCain’s loss in 2000 to Bush, who ran as a Conservative…
He HATES Conservatives for taking out the Moderate McCain…
The GOP wins w/ a Conservative…but Moderate-Libertarians like FITS LOSE nationally…
FITS, you’re comparing vote totals from the final certified totals in 2008 to the totally not certified totals a couple of days after the election. I believe there were about 9 million more votes counted after election day in 2008, which changed the final turnout % considerably.
This is similar to your writing about how Obama was losing the popular vote (a la Donald Trump) before a single vote in the West Coast was counted.
You are confusing Republicans with facts Ken
They don’t like that
Fits is just repeating the mantra coming down from that Clown Karl Rove and other GOPers about turnout
Earlier today Republican pollster Bill McInturff warned Republicans that millions of votes have yet to be counted which could easily raise 2012 levels close to 08
Don’t worry however
They’ll be on to something else shortly
I noticed that too
FoxNews was insistent that the popular vote was going to be “close” or even that Romney might win it
Without factoring in California at all
Obama took California by two million votes
Romney did not lose..America HAS lost…
And all the little hand-out beggars and goverment workers, and a lot of private sector employees will get the SHAFT in Jan.
The GOP will not Tax the people, like Obama is trying to do…so we’ll CRASH…and Obama does not care. He is FAILED as a leader…
And Obama care will lead to MASSIVE lay offs…
Again America LOST…again…
You just got served and you’re having a hard time coping with it. In ur Face! Face! Face!
You have zero credibility around here, so why are you still bugging?
Biggie, get your mom to teach you how to crochet or something…
It’s OK, Biggie is under the allusion that he is Teddy Roosevelt and that he represents the mind of the masses! Poor guy; he didn’t get the memo!!!!!!
“If Romney won Florida, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia…” Right, and if a bullfrog had wings he wouldn’t bounce his ass on the ground when he hopped.
Interesting stats. That is what people do when they don’t have a horse in the race: not place wagers.
If Romney had been more conservative he would have received fewer votes. The main stream voter isn’t an extreme conservative.
Interesting, so your premise is that no one who voted for Ron Paul in the primary voted in the General Election or they voted for Obama.
I prefer Chris Cristy’s explanation for why Romney lost.
“He didn’t get enough votes.”
You may pefer Mr. Creosote^s explanation, but let us not forget he has reason to do spin/damage control on the basis of being Obama biggest cheerleader for a few days right before the election…lol
edit: prefer
President Obama won re-election – period. Get over it.
The polls that came out in the weeks leading up to the election were accurate – they showed President Obama leading – while all of the Lunatic Republicans claimed the polls were “fixed” or not accurate or biased. The polls were right on.
The Republicans lost because the majority of Americans did not like what they were selling.
The Republicans lost because they are a party of crotchetty (sp?) old white males – who constantly demean women and minorities.
Karl Rove spent hundreds of millions of dollars – Republicans nationwide tried every trick in the book to suppress the votes of Democratic constituencies. None of it worked.
President Obama was re-elected fair and square.
Get over it.
And the country will CRASH in Jan. thanks to Obama…so get over that…you Worthless, Anti-American, handout-begging Piece of $#!*…
you are like Lenin or Hitler…you care about yourself and the FILTH that sucks you off….not other people…
I will laugh my @## off when it hits, and the Vermin you lap the anus of…turn on you F^&*kin dolts….
You will be amazed at their hatred when they figure out what you did to their Stupid @@@#$….
I like white people.
more lapping of anus posts t..you fucking idiot..just come out of the closet already.
“I will laugh my @## off when it hits, and the Vermin you lap the anus of…turn on you F^&*kin dolts….”
I see BiggieTeats is havng one of his more articulate days…
I have read in the last couple of days a myriad of reasons why Romney lost. But this is the first time I have read it was because he didn’t kiss Ron Paul’s ASS.
The reason Romney lost was because there just weren’t enough Obama haters.
There were some that had this pegged from the start. They said Romney would be pulled so far to the right in his quest for the nomination that he wouldn’t have enough time to flip flop his ass back close enough to Obama to win – even though he all but adopted the entire Democratic platform as his own in the last few weeks before the election. He just wasn’t fast enough with his “etch a sketch”, and Sandy took away a precious week – Devine Providence maybe?
Dixie Racist: Media ignored: Bengahzi, energy prices, inflation, Sandy aftermath, ‘You didn’t build that’ and manipulated unemployment numbers…
So it was Romney HATE that actually won it…
But now Obama is FRONT and Center, as his handi-work will roost…
Enjoy it you brain-dead, America-Hating Piece of Liberal $*!t…
This certainly comes under the “Be Careful What You Ask For” mantra…
Because Obama will get reamed by the same dumb$%!*s like you who worship him now…
That’s how it works w/ idols…who are nothing but hyped up idiots, like obama…
i posted this already but its relevant to the biggest idiots post..so sarah: the same fucking idiot who swore everyone was a stupid dumbass, he had all the answers and swore up and down Romney had this in the bag. Im laughing my ass off at you you fucking idiot and those like you..YOU and those LIKE YOU are what caused Romney to lose this election. Period. Your extreme right views, hatred for your country and those that live in it, your hatred of anything non white, non old and non extreme religious nutbag, that hatred so alienated most of the country that a President with terrible numbers and no chance for reelection crushed your out of date, old white people only party. Bang up job loser. Bang up job and thanks, from all the moderates and reasonable Americans across this great country..thank you.
Boehner’s 48 Hours of Pretending to Work with Obama Sets New Record
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) — House Speaker John Boehner today called for an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for the rich, thus ending a streak of pretending to work with President Obama that lasted forty-eight hours.
“We knew he couldn’t hold out much longer,” said Carol Foyler of Guinness World Records.
“Still, John Boehner pretending to be bipartisan for forty-eight hours is pretty darn impressive,” she said, noting that his previous record stood at twenty minutes. “This is David Blaine territory for him.”
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Boehner downplayed the significance of his record-setting performance, saying merely, “It just feels good being a dick again.”
Does it REALLY matter:
Obama Administration Shuts Down Oil Drilling Out West…
STOCKS FALL 3% SINCE RE-ELECT…
COMPANIES PLAN MASSIVE LAYOFFS AS OBAMACARE BECOMES REALITY…
Utah company fires 100, blames Obama…
CEO reads prayer to staff, announces layoffs…
Floodgates open on new health regs…
OLIVER STONE: ‘I find Obama scary’…
RECORD 70.4 Million Enrolled in Medicaid: 1 Out of 5 Americans…
REPORT: Dead Pig In Romney Shirt Dumped At GOP Campaign Office…
Obama-supported Egyptian Islamists rally for Shariah law
Yet the Idiots are Giddy over This Anti-American Bigot that the media put back in office…
the same fucking idiot who swore everyone was a stupid dumbass, he had all the answers and swore up and down Romney had this in the bag. Im laughing my ass off at you you fucking idiot and those like you..YOU and those LIKE YOU are what caused Romney to lose this election. Period. Your extreme right views, hatred for your country and those that live in it, your hatred of anything non white, non old and non extreme religious nutbag, that hatred so alienated most of the country that a President with terrible numbers and no chance for reelection crushed your out of date, old white people only party. Bang up job loser. Bang up job and thanks, from all the moderates and reasonable Americans across this great country..thank you.
Most of us find YOU scary! go away! Teddy Black, go away! go hit on some women while holding your bible filled with Viagra you jackass!
“REPORT: Dead Pig In Romney Shirt Dumped At GOP Campaign Office…”
Just thank God’s grace that pig wasn’t you…
“OLIVER STONE: ‘I find Obama scary’…”
Well, BigTurd. I thought you didn’t agree with Global Warming. Since you think enough of Oviler Stone’s opinions to post that, here you go:
From eonline:”In an interview with HuffPost Live on Tuesday, the 66-year-old filmmaker expressed dismay that neither presidential candidate has been willing to talk about the impact of global warming, especially after an unprecedented superstorm savaged the East Coast earlier this week with a catastrophic intensity some scientific experts have attributed to warming seas and melting of polar ice.”
Also from the same interview: ” …Stone, by the way, also revealed that he voted early and cast his ballot for Obama…”
Forgot the damn fool I was posting to. Fox News left that part out, only linking it to Politico. …and the rest of your rant came right off the headlines of Drudge….also Drudge only linked it to Politico as well. What a great investigator you are…
How do you live with the constant fails of your reality?
Which Romney are we discussing….? Moderate Mitt or severely conservative Mitt..???
Severely whipped Mitt
Ouch!
Romney is plain out unelectable. He appears to be ‘to rich’ and out of touch with regular people. END OF STORY.
His policies were not the canidates.
Hitler’s charred remains were found in a bunker…He could, and should have been, stopped much sooner..
But Evil and corruption can ride for a while…eventually it comes home to roost…
Ridding the world of this demon led to enormous prosperity. When America wakes up to the reality of whay Obama we’ll begin to heal and eventually rebound…but too many people have learned nothing from history…
“…but too many people have learned nothing from history…”
Apparently, the GOP hasn’t! You guys should stay far away from the Fox News, Drudge and Limbaugh ideologues. They have eaten your brain and put a bunch of shit in its place. Will you? Doubtful, after you fell for Palin in ’08 and the recent clown show starring Gingrich, Backmann, Santorum…and that really rich white guy.
Take your own advice from months ago…something like: “you had your @$$ kicked so take it like a man.”
You forgot to mention The Herman Cain Show…..
That show was a hoot, indeed!
Amazing how the Lindsey Grahamnesty wing of the party keeps shooting off in the mouth about a big tent for liberals, moderates, Democrats, and illegal aliens but then FOAMS at the mouth at the mention of Ron Paul’s name and tells libertarian leaning GOP folks to hit the road.
Well, guess who hit the road back to Assachusetts, November 7th? Butt then, Romney couldn’t even win his home state so maybe he didn’t go there after all.
He’s got mansions all over, though, doesn’t he? The corporate welfare state has made him a very wealthy man. Wonder how he’d have done if, years ago, he had lost all his special exemptions and other rich guy tax loopholes and the concept of equality under the law were applied to corporations as well?
The Grahamnesty wing of the party now includes Rand Paul and Sean Hannity.
The US needs a third party so badly that it’s a fair trade for a few spoiled elections.
Demublicans and Repocrats count on us choosing between them, instead of against them
Groups bedded in the middle have never gotten traction because they refuse to be corrupted by any special interests. Until you take money out of the system we will be stuck with choosing between the lesser of two evils.
“the same fucking idiot who swore everyone was a stupid dumbass, he had all the answers and swore up and down Romney had this in the bag. Im laughing my ass off at you you fucking idiot and those like you..YOU and those LIKE YOU are what caused Romney to lose this election. Period. Your extreme right views, hatred for your country and those that live in it, your hatred of anything non white, non old and non extreme religious nutbag, that hatred so alienated most of the country that a President with terrible numbers and no chance for reelection crushed your out of date, old white people only party. Bang up job loser. Bang up job and thanks, from all the moderates and reasonable Americans across this great country..thank you.”
The GOP made sure Obama won. Twice.
BigT, ya gonna help elect Biden in 2016? :-)