Elections 2012: BFP Watch Party

[Oiler41]

There is always talk of people moving to Canada and Secession after an election. For both, I have but one thing to say:

If you don't like it here in the good old U.S.A. because your candidate didn't win, stop whining about it and threatening to secede; quit making idle threats and get the fuck out and don't come back. There are people lined up around the world who would leap at the opportunity to come here and take your place.

It doesn't matter which political party wins or loses; the other side is going to cry, flail around on the ground, and whimper about leaving the country or seceding. In a few months, it will all pass, as it always does. We live in a free society. If one doesn't like what is happening where they are, they have the right to change that up to and including finding another country to call home. I say quit the foaming at the mouth and get on with it. I will not lose one moment of sleep over anyone threatening to secede or leave the country; it is little more than post-election rhetoric.

Glynn

[Martina]

I honestly have to admire the level of hysterics the conservatives are displaying. The amount of weeping and moaning and gnashing of teeth is impressive. I am enjoying it, honestly.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Martina

This conservative did a little more than wring her hands. She ran over her husband with a car.

Originally Posted by Martina

I honestly have to admire the level of hysterics the conservatives are displaying. The amount of weeping and moaning and gnashing of teeth is impressive. I am enjoying it, honestly.

These are separate posts and I know that you weren't saying you were pleased with the woman running over her husband, but reading both of these posts made me think....

...this could have just as easily been us. The strong beliefs and fear that we had that the country would be doomed if Romney took over office is just as strong in Republicans.

I questioned in a post prior to the election the effect of the election results on the losing party...I wondered if there would be an increase in anxiety, depression, etc. for those whose candidate didn't win.

My guess is that this woman truly, deeply believes that things will get worse for her family due to Obama winning, and it just put her over the edge, so to speak.

[Greyson]

Today I went to the California Secretary of State website to try and analyze election results. What I found surprised me.

There are a total of 59 counties in California. Votes are tallied from each preceint by County. First I looked to see how each County voted on the 11 propsitions on the ballot. To my amazement each of the 59 counties all agreed on each of the 11 Propsitions. Perhaps the percentages of Yes and No votes varied by County but in the final tally of each single vote for the propositions every county had the exact same result. All of the Propostions passed or not, across the board, the same in each County. (I hope this is making sense. The percentages of votes varied but the "pass or fail" was identical statewide.)

Then I took a look at the Presidential vote in each of the counties and it was pretty much what I expected, conservative counties voted in majority for Romney, more moderate and/or Urban Counties voted for President Obama. The exception was Orange County. Historically Orange County votes Republican. This time Obama won in Orange County by a samll percentage.

In the Senate Race, the same. conservative counties voted for Elizabeth Emken, Republican. (In this race Orange County voted in the majority for the Republican.) In the more progressive and/or moderate Urban Areas, Senator Feinstein, Democract won.

Can anyone explain why all counties voted the same on the propositons but not in the nation wide races? Yes, I know propositions are not officially partisan but most of us know which Party supports each Proposition. Thanks for your help.

[*Anya*]

Greyson, I am just trying to wrap my mind around Orange County, CA voting for Obama.

Perhaps the demographic is finally changing but it is still called the Orange Curtain.

It used to be a hotbed of the John Birch Society!

I lived there for 20 years and met more than my share of rabid Republicans.

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Greyson

Today I went to the California Secretary of State website to try and analyze election results. What I found surprised me.

There are a total of 59 counties in California. Votes are tallied from each preceint by County. First I looked to see how each County voted on the 11 propsitions on the ballot. To my amazement each of the 59 counties all agreed on each of the 11 Propsitions. Perhaps the percentages of Yes and No votes varied by County but in the final tally of each single vote for the propositions every county had the exact same result. All of the Propostions passed or not, across the board, the same in each County. (I hope this is making sense. The percentages of votes varied but the "pass or fail" was identical statewide.)

Then I took a look at the Presidential vote in each of the counties and it was pretty much what I expected, conservative counties voted in majority for Romney, more moderate and/or Urban Counties voted for President Obama. The exception was Orange County. Historically Orange County votes Republican. This time Obama won in Orange County by a samll percentage.

In the Senate Race, the same. conservative counties voted for Elizabeth Emken, Republican. (In this race Orange County voted in the majority for the Republican.) In the more progressive and/or moderate Urban Areas, Senator Feinstein, Democract won.

Can anyone explain why all counties voted the same on the propositons but not in the nation wide races? Yes, I know propositions are not officially partisan but most of us know which Party supports each Proposition. Thanks for your help.

Are you sure? The OC Register said this:

http://www.ocregister.com/sections/elections/president/

PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT
Orange County California Precincts Reporting 100%
100%
Barack Obama - D 44.2% 385,963 59.1% 5,581,902
Mitt Romney - R 53.6% 467,901 38.6% 3,645,245
Gary Johnson - L 1.2% 10,598 1% 98,890
Jill Stein - G 0.4% 3,440 0.6% 57,788
Roseanne Barr - P 0.3% 2,429 0.4% 36,974
Thomas Hoefling - A 0.3% 2,218 0.3% 27,105

[Greyson]

Anya and Linus,

Below is the link which I was reading about 7:30AM this morning. I know I was shocked. I remember when the old saying about Orange County was "Behind the Orange Curtain."

Okay, I was on my second cup of coffee when I read this, or thought I did. Do either of you have an idea about all of the counties agreeing on each proposition?

Thanks for your input, seriously.

http://vote.sos.ca.gov/

[Toughy]

I would have fainted dead away if Orange County had voted Obama.....

Greyson my friend....I'm not sure what you mean about the Propositions vote because if you go here: http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/maps/...sures/prop/34/ you will find that 11 of 59 counties voted yes while the rest of the counties voted no. For those who don't know a yes on Prop 34 would have abolished the death penalty (yes CA has the death penalty) and instead made it life without the possibility of parole. It failed 53% no to 47% yes.

Prop 30, 32, 33, 34, 37, 39 also had counties voting yes and no.....that is 6 of the 11 Propositions.

I am confused by your question.

[Martina]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

...this could have just as easily been us. The strong beliefs and fear that we had that the country would be doomed if Romney took over office is just as strong in Republicans.

Well, yes, there would have been a lot of dismay, but I think it's a little different. I think on some level the conservatives are aware that their time as the big bully on the block is over. Seriously, I do think the election marks the end of the so-called culture wars. I think the conservatives got to flare up big in the primaries and were slapped down in the general election. They know what the demographics mean. In addition, they have used gay rights propositions cynically to get the white vote out so that their candidates got a boost. This time gay marriage won. It's a sea change. Not just Obama winning.

These are white people, sometimes well off people, having to face the fact that they may never be the force they were in this country. (BTW, I have no idea whether the driver of that car was white. Speaking in general). They are enraged. The tone is different than it would be for us. Even though Obama is the encumbent, even though the Democratic Party is in less disarray than the Republican Party, the fact is that historically the people currently represented by the Republican Party have held much more power in this country than those represented by the Democratic Party. They still do.

But they couldn't buy this election. That's one amazing thing. And demographics are changing. The culture is changing. Young white evangelical males are not even as conservative as their parents on some social issues, like gay rights. The misery they are feeling is not just because they lost an election. They truly see that the future is not theirs. They do not know what to do with themselves, they are so pissed off.

And that's why I am gloating. Not just because the other side lost.

[Kobi]

I am a big believer that history repeats itself over and over, and it gives us such an opportunity to learn. Also helps temper our perceptions into a more realistic range:

Don’t get cocky, Democrats: The post-Romney GOP looks just like you did two decades ago


Why Obama is surely facing a second term riddled with scandal and upheaval


People are not simple beings. They are very complex, very unpredictable, very fickle, and very self absorbed. Yet, they are also gullible, malleable, easily manipulated given the right message.

Kind of what makes the game of politics so fascinating.

Anyone want to take bets on the winner of the 2016 presidential election? I'm betting it will be a reformulated but still racist, sexist, white Republican male. And, he will win by a landslide. History indicates that is exactly what will happen.

[Martina]

That's party shit. The fact is that white male people will never ever hold the power they once did in this country barring some kind of change in civilization a la The Handmaid's Tale.

It was all I could do not to sing out loud to someone I know, "It's the end of the world as you know it. It's the end of the world as you know it. It's the end of the world as YOU know it. And *I* feel fine."

*proudly dancing on the grave of the moral majority and nothing anybody can say or do is going to muffle one little bit my BLISS*

I have lived through Reagan, Bush and W. Clinton was more Republican than Nixon in many ways. He sold poor people down the pike with welfare reform and has talked for years about that with pride. He knows better. I have forgiven him, but his Presidency did not feel like much of a relief from the Reagan ideology that has prevailed most of my adult life.

It's a new day. It really is. We are going to raise taxes on the RICH. OMFG.

*It's the end of their world as they know it . . . . . . *

[Kobi]

......Art Linkletter would be proud......

Any adults wish to make a bet on the 2016 presidential election?

[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by Oiler41

There is always talk of people moving to Canada and Secession after an election. For both, I have but one thing to say:

If you don't like it here in the good old U.S.A. because your candidate didn't win, stop whining about it and threatening to secede; quit making idle threats and get the fuck out and don't come back. There are people lined up around the world who would leap at the opportunity to come here and take your place.

The thing I found most beautiful about pseudo-conservatives who thought Romney would win in a landslide saying they are going to Canada is the breathtaking ignorance it displays. Think about it, these people are saying, "A Kenyan, Muslim, Atheist, Marxist, Socialist, has taken over the country and tried to bring European Social Democracy to our nation so we're going to move to Canada which is a nation with a Social Democratic social contract."

You've *got* to love the idea of moving to a *more* left-leaning nation because this country took a few incremental steps to the left.

Cheers
Aj

[Linus]

Originally Posted by dreadgeek

The thing I found most beautiful about pseudo-conservatives who thought Romney would win in a landslide saying they are going to Canada is the breathtaking ignorance it displays. Think about it, these people are saying, "A Kenyan, Muslim, Atheist, Marxist, Socialist, has taken over the country and tried to bring European Social Democracy to our nation so we're going to move to Canada which is a nation with a Social Democratic social contract."

You've *got* to love the idea of moving to a *more* left-leaning nation because this country took a few incremental steps to the left.

Cheers
Aj

I think it's the allusion of the White Christian Man ruling a nation, especially a Conservative. They seem to believe that because the Conservatives are in power somehow we're not as socialist as we are as a nation/culture.

[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by Linus

I think it's the allusion of the White Christian Man ruling a nation, especially a Conservative. They seem to believe that because the Conservatives are in power somehow we're not as socialist as we are as a nation/culture.

Well, you know how it is. I mean, when's the last time *you* saw a white man in the halls of American power? I mean, we haven't had a white president in, what, almost four years! It's even worse when you think about Secretary of State. When was the last time a white man held that position? It's been at least 10 years.

Cheers
Aj