Losing The Demographic Battle
When the final demographic statistics get released, the conclusion will be crystal clear: angry white voters were not going to be enough to put Mitt Romney in the White House. Minorities, whom are heavily socially liberal and progressive, overwhelmingly supported Obama; I expect minority turnout levels, when completely tabulated, will be similar to what it was back in 2008. In addition, the electoral map almost did not change at all from 2008, except that the margin of victory for Obama was clearly smaller. As the Republican Party shifts further to the right, minority resentment for the party will only deepen. To win the demographic battle, the Romney/Ryan campaign and the GOP needed to demonstrate that it can be effective in the arena of social justice, which is the definitive reasons that minorities by large part back the Democratic Party.
The only way that was happening would be if there was a resurgence of moderate Republicans in the tradition of Nelson D. Rockefeller, Richard Nixon, and -- believe it or not -- George Romney. Considering that both parties, especially the Republican Party, insists on ideological purity within its ranks, moderate stances are considered demode and dismissed pejoratively.
The only way that was happening would be if there was a resurgence of moderate Republicans in the tradition of Nelson D. Rockefeller, Richard Nixon, and -- believe it or not -- George Romney. Considering that both parties, especially the Republican Party, insists on ideological purity within its ranks, moderate stances are considered demode and dismissed pejoratively.
In the years ahead, it is going to be a major problem for the Republican Party. The GOP's core constituent population is getting older and still white, and as long as the GOP is seen as the "(rich) white man's party", success in presidential elections will be limited.
Making It Too Much About Obama
The GOP spent the past four years painting Barack Obama as the great big liberal boogeyman, the root of all evil in regards to the current state of the country, and it ultimately cost them the election. Romney's candidacy was fueled by the desire for the conservative rank-and-file to rid Obama from the White House; you could tell this at the moment when conservative pundits actually embraced the return of Mitt The Moderate after the Republican National Convention.
Long story short, the anti-Obama sentiment was largely taken for granted. And in truth it is the exact same mistake that the Democrats made back in 2004, when Democrats believed that the souring mood on the Second Gulf War would have wrestled the White House from George W. Bush after only one term. It is very hard to unseat an incumbent after a single term -- not only it takes widespread resentment, but it also takes fielding a candidate that many voters could be come enamored with, such as Ronald Reagan back in 1980. Romney was a symbol of what enough voters resented to the point that it ended up costing him votes.
Voters were never really allowed to become enamored with Romney because the campaign was never about Romney himself; the campaign was about Romney in spite of Obama. While the whole goal of campaigning is for one politician to paint his or herself better than the other, it is when focusing too much on what is wrong with the opponent and what is right with his or herself that the campaign becomes heavily undermined.
Long story short, the anti-Obama sentiment was largely taken for granted. And in truth it is the exact same mistake that the Democrats made back in 2004, when Democrats believed that the souring mood on the Second Gulf War would have wrestled the White House from George W. Bush after only one term. It is very hard to unseat an incumbent after a single term -- not only it takes widespread resentment, but it also takes fielding a candidate that many voters could be come enamored with, such as Ronald Reagan back in 1980. Romney was a symbol of what enough voters resented to the point that it ended up costing him votes.
Voters were never really allowed to become enamored with Romney because the campaign was never about Romney himself; the campaign was about Romney in spite of Obama. While the whole goal of campaigning is for one politician to paint his or herself better than the other, it is when focusing too much on what is wrong with the opponent and what is right with his or herself that the campaign becomes heavily undermined.
The GOP Becoming An Increasingly Minority Creed
As the United States, in general, continues to shift more and more to the center, the GOP is continuing to head in the other direction, as I mentioned before, by becoming more and more conservative. As Republicans wholeheartedly insist on ideological purity at the behest of its voters, a growing number of voters are being left with a sour taste in their mouths when it comes to the party and the politicians of the party.
The Republican Party needed to purport itself as a more moderate party to make inroads with independent voters that regard themselves as centrist. However, considering some of the more abhorrent comments made by other GOP candidates (i.e., Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, who both lost their elections), a golden opportunity was lost to change people's perceptions and it cost Mitt Romney votes.
The Republican Party needed to purport itself as a more moderate party to make inroads with independent voters that regard themselves as centrist. However, considering some of the more abhorrent comments made by other GOP candidates (i.e., Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, who both lost their elections), a golden opportunity was lost to change people's perceptions and it cost Mitt Romney votes.
In the end, the reality was that Romney had little chance to win the election. He didn't have the right demographics, his campaign took popular resentment and disappointment with Barack Obama for granted, and his party is becoming something that more and more Americans don't like.
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