Conservatism has a really big problem ahead

[SamHarris2012]

Before I begin, this will be my first post and it will be relatively short. Just getting my feet wet around here.

President Obama won re-election by getting 39% of the white vote. In 2008, he only got 43% of the white vote. That's a 4% difference. So basically, 4% of the white vote either voted for Romney or voted for someone else. I believe its relatively safe to say 39% of the white voters are democratic. I suspect that also means liberals, progressives and independents.

What does this all mean?

It means Mitt Romney got beat by a black man who received 39% of the white vote. He got beat by a black man during economic distress and surrounded by Bengahzi witch hunters. The man was portrayed as a socialist Muslim Kenyan hell bent on destroying America.

And he still got 39% of the white vote.

Point being this. That 39% is probably the lowest percent a Democrat will get for decades to come. The Democratic Party is starting out, every general election, with a built in advantage over conservatives. What we learned from this election is all a Democrat needs to win is 39% of the white vote, 90% of the Black vote and 65% of the Latino vote. Looks like Obama won the popular vote by 4 million voters. These are rough numbers but I think its pretty close to the truth.

To sum all this up. If Obama "the Muslim" won, it should be a walk in the park for a white christian male or female to win.

[Old and In the Way]

1. Welcome onboard!

I agree that Teapublicans and their odd variation of conservativism has a bleak future. But they are still acting like the election never happened. They continue to govern against the best interests of the vast majority...at their own peril.

[hrmjustin]

2. Great post! welcome to DU.

[AverageJoe90]

3. Hey Sam, welcome aboard!

Good post. Hope you'll stick around.

[NightWatcher]

4. I say we run a white guy from the middle of the country next time

and push the rw over the cliff. As long as we run a white guy, we take away their cards. I think that in a few more cycles we could get make the repukes obsolete.

[Fridays Child]

11. Yes, but his Christian piety must be above reproach.

Can that be reconciled with being in favor of women controlling their own bodies and marriage equality?

[Jamaal510]

5. Regressivism has a big problem ahead.

Robert Reich calls the GOP the "Regressive Party" because most of them want to revert to policies from back in the day where there were no food or environmental regulations, no safety nets, no anti-discrimination laws, and a time where less people could vote. True conservatives are all about "conserving" things. But today's Republicans are not conservatives--they're aspiring time travelers.

[davidn3600]

6. To be fair, Romney was a really crappy candidate. So it's difficult to say really.

I think many people have a lot of respect for McCain even if you dont agree with him. I feel he is a good man deep down, and he put his life on the line for his country and what he believes in.

But Romney can't relate to anyone. He seemed disconnected with the average voter. His personality is terrible. He offered nothing. etc...

Now if the GOP had nominated Jon Huntsman or Gary Johnson and the party put its stupid social platform on the back burner....Obama would have probably lost.

[k2qb3]

7. The real problem they have coming...

Will be if that Commie Kenyan usurper actually does a good job in his second term.

The FOX crowd are convinced he was just waiting for his second term to start the purges.

Agree a Huntsman/Johnson ticket would have been tough to beat, but the GOP base doesn't want that kind of platform, even now they'd rather lose than go that way.

[City Lights]

8. Hiya, Sam!

Welcome to DU!

Great post!

[Fridays Child]

9. This looks good on paper.

In practice, though, we should probably never underestimate the willingness of Republicans to lie, cheat, and steal their way into the White House. They didn't succeed this time, partly, because they so arrogantly put their bigotry on parade and, partly, because their voter suppression, fraud, and misinformation tactics were insufficient to compensate for that arrogance.

We need nationwide uniform voting standards and easily verifiable paper trails. Our Democratic leaders need to follow through on promises made. And we need to work harder than ever to expose Republican misdeeds at every turn. Because, unless I'm woefully mistaken, to say that they plan to double down in upcoming elections is a masterpiece of understatement.

[dem4ward]

10. We still have a major responsibility to govern the land

sensibly, responsibly and with innovative technologies. That's what makes our party great. So long as we don't falter, we should continue to prosper in our conquest to achieve greatness.

[treestar]

12. The candidate himself or herself being white

IMO is less relevant that this overall perception that whites pay into the system and blacks collect. False, but I don't know how many white people between postings on FB and the things they say play into this falsehood in order to feel superior about themselves. They work so hard to support the 46%. Boo hoo and false. It's their excuse for voting Republican.

[Fumesucker]

13. You're like a teenager checking Jason's pulse, "Hey, he's dead, we're safe"..

Republicans always have another angle to play and they have all the money in the freakin universe to play with.

Not to mention a poisonous snake is dangerous even after it's dead.