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Voting Rate Dips As Older Whites Stay Home [Enabled 0 to Win OH & PA!]
APReport ^ | July 20, 2009

Posted on 07/20/2009 1:43:08 PM PDT by Steelfish

Voting rate dips as older whites stay home

About 63.6 percent of the nation's eligible voters cast ballots in November

WASHINGTON - For all the attention generated by Barack Obama's candidacy, the share of eligible voters who actually cast ballots in November declined for the first time in a dozen years.

The reason: Older whites with little interest in backing either Barack Obama or John McCain stayed home.

Census figures released Monday show about 63.6 percent of the nation's eligible voters, or 131.1 million people, voted last November.

Although that represented an increase of 5 million voters — virtually all of them minorities — the turnout relative to the population of eligible voters was a decrease from 63.8 percent in 2004.

Ohio and Pennsylvania were among those showing declines in white voters, helping Obama carry those battleground states.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Ohio; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: 2008review; 2008veep; apathy; mccain; obama; swingstates; whitevote
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To: erkyl
refusing to vote for anything less than your perfect candidate

Less then perfect?

He was only ever so slightly better than Odinga and damn sure not good enough to convince the undecided who elect EVERY President.

If McCain hadn't sucked so damn bad he might have changed a few minds, but he did suck so bad.

Without Palin it would have been a slaughter instead of just a butt beating.

The Democrats are going to remain in power forever as long as the GOP keeps serving up RINO POS like McCain and the other clowns in the primaries. Especially when the Dims can cross over and pick the GOP candidate.

In closing my vote is MY vote and it will never be yours.

EVER!

121 posted on 07/20/2009 6:30:38 PM PDT by Eaker (The Two Loudest Sounds in the World.....Bang When it should have been Click and the Reverse.)
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To: Eaker
The Democrats are going to remain in power forever as long as the GOP keeps serving up RINO POS like McCain and the other clowns in the primaries. Especially when the Dims can cross over and pick the GOP candidate.

Then by not voting for RINOs you will be a party to keeping the Democrats in power forever. As long as you're clear on that, I'll make sure to rally as many people as I can to keep the socialist, Marxists out of office. I hate RINOs, but I hate them less than I hate communists.

122 posted on 07/20/2009 6:38:46 PM PDT by erkyl (We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office --Aesop (~550 BC))
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To: Will88

OK, you can believe what you want, we are just going to agree to disagree on some of this, tho I do agree with your last statement....however with statistics.

2008 US electorate (not the population!) was
73% “White”
9% “Hispanic”
2% “Asian”
3% “Other”
13% “Black.” (Wikipedia)

So you said they won with huge margins of blacks, etc, The population demographics don’t seem to support that.

So you said 40% white voted for obama (source?), well ok, that 40 percent is from the mere 66 percent of total whites that bothered to voted in the elections per the article....so perhaps if they had gotten out and voted, we’d be looking at a different summer. Sorry only 66% of white population percent voted (that included college kids btw)—that did not help GOP and enabled the great spender into office.

Statistically, the youth vote is not a large percentage of the total population. If every college-aged kid voted for Obama (& they did not) that would be 40 million; less than 20 million actually did vote in 2008,and the vote was 2:1—so somewhere around 12,500,000 voted for Obama.

So in my opinion, the other voter demographics you mention at the end of your post jwith the addition of unions, Soc. Sec, Medicare are actually the ones who put obama over ^ many of those are older and should have known better. Period. The “starry eyed” colege kids did not put him hin & like i initially said, they may want to lynch those who are responsible.

Here are the numbers: total votes cast 131.3 million
votes for obama 64,629,649
college-aged who voted: <20 mil
2/1 is somewhere a little
uner 13 mill

Who were the other 51,700,000 who cast obama votes?

Again, sorry, I don’t hold up & coming voters or current younger voters fully responsible & they are going have a huge right to be mad. I feel that we as the older generation and their parents should have done a better job of fighting liberalism when it crept in with FDR and LBJ (both before my time btw). Oh —I have had my reps on speed dial for years, but obviously our education system has failed at teaching civics, our media has failed at reporting the news, and so what should we expect from younger and college-aged voters. As I said, many actually get a clue when they graduate and join the grownups in the real world.

the article sums it up Last November, voters under 30 cast ballots for Obama by a 2-to-1 ratio. Still, because of their smaller numbers — in population and turnout — young voters weren’t critical to the overall outcome and only made a difference in North Carolina and Indiana, according to Scott Keeter, Pew’s director of survey research.

I do agree: Who you can really blame are the leftists, and those who vote with them: Liberal white, black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and all sorts of narrow interest groups like feminists and gays and environmental extremists, who have members from all ethnic groups.


123 posted on 07/20/2009 6:48:02 PM PDT by Freedom56v2 ("If you think healthcare is expensive now, just wait till it is free! "~ PJ O'Rourke)
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To: Eaker

It would be nice if we’d close our primaries to rats. Sheesh! Maybe we could at least get OUR candidate.

I’m in the mindset that whoever gets the nomination gets my vote. The fight is in the primary - after that for me there is only one choice - vote against Obama. As far as I’m concerned that $OB wants to kill my mother.


124 posted on 07/20/2009 6:52:47 PM PDT by Aria ( "The US republic will endure until Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the people's $.")
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To: erkyl

I never said who I voted for, so you pulled that out of your ass. Maybe you should pull your head out next and learn to read.

I did explain things to you in as simple a way I could hoping you would understand but I guess I couldn’t make it simple enough.

I’ll try one more time. McCain got the votes he got from the die-hard conservatives and Republicans. He DID NOT get any undecided or swing votes, If he hadn’t sucked so bad he might have gotten some of these vital votes. Without these votes no Republican stands a chance.

The RINO’s in Congress and screwed up primaries didn’t help us a bit either.

Maybe this simpler version will get a brain cell or two of yours clicking as attacking conservative and blaming them for Odinga ain’t gonna get you anywhere.


125 posted on 07/20/2009 7:02:00 PM PDT by Eaker (The Two Loudest Sounds in the World.....Bang When it should have been Click and the Reverse.)
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To: Aria
As far as I’m concerned that $OB wants to kill my mother.

At my age he wants to kill ME!

I agree with what you said but we cannot win without the undecided voters and an idiot like McCain ain't gonna change any minds.

126 posted on 07/20/2009 7:04:58 PM PDT by Eaker (The Two Loudest Sounds in the World.....Bang When it should have been Click and the Reverse.)
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To: bushwon
So you said they won with huge margins of blacks, etc, The population demographics don’t seem to support that.

Yes, they do support it. Just up the white percentage I used some and it supports it perfectly. I told you I was using approximate figures. Here, using your figures:

White vote: 73% X 45% = 32.85

Black: 13% X 95% = 12.35

Hispanic: 9% X 70% = 6.30

Other/Asian 5% X 70% = 3.50

Total 100% 55.00% for Obama

That's very close to Obama's %. Other includes Jews, Muslims, etc, and Obama got high percentages of those ethnics. The first % is your % of what % each group was of the total vote, and the second the % Obama received from each group.

And, just my opinion, young people voting 2 to 1 for Obama are very much responsible for all the additional debt he piles up. Or maybe they didn't know enough to be voting, which is no excuse.

And, as the winner, Obama did much better among whites than Gore or Kerry, so, his minority support is a lesser percentage of his total than for Gore or Kerry. But minority votes are still almost 1/2 the Dem votes in presidential elections.

This is about all the effort this is worth. McCain clearly won the white vote, and Obama got the indicated high %'s of the black, Hispanic and other votes.

127 posted on 07/20/2009 7:45:00 PM PDT by Will88
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To: bushwon

Here from an article. Should have Googled this sooner, but it shows Obama getting less of the white vote than my estimate. Obama 53% of total vote, 43% of white vote:

“McCain beat Obama among white voters by an even more impressive 12-point margin. Obama got 53 percent of the broad electorate to vote for him but only 43 percent of the white electorate. When I say “white electorate,” I don’t mean the white working class, or white Southerners, or any other subgroup whose capacity for racial tolerance has long been held suspect. I mean all white voters.”

http://www.slate.com/id/2204251/


128 posted on 07/20/2009 7:51:03 PM PDT by Will88
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To: bushwon

bushwon, that Slate article I link discussing the things presented in the subject of this thread more clearly than the thread’s lead article.


129 posted on 07/20/2009 7:55:14 PM PDT by Will88
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To: Will88

ok, thanks for the link


130 posted on 07/20/2009 7:56:12 PM PDT by Freedom56v2 ("If you think healthcare is expensive now, just wait till it is free! "~ PJ O'Rourke)
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To: Eaker
Maybe you should pull your head out next and learn to read.I did explain things to you in as simple a way I could hoping you would understand but I guess I couldn’t make it simple enough.

Oh, ad hominem attacks--a typical strategy of those who have no legitimate argument. If you will note in my comments, prior to yours, I was discussing the failure of conservatives to vote for a "RINO" because they aren't happy with 100% of the candidate's positions. I wasn't talking about McCain's inability to persuade swing voters and undecideds. You're the one who mis-characterized my line of reasoning. Now, who needs to learn to read and follow along?

131 posted on 07/20/2009 8:00:03 PM PDT by erkyl (We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office --Aesop (~550 BC))
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To: Jedidah

lol, then the choices are teeatily-dee and teeatily-dum there is no point in voting.


132 posted on 07/20/2009 8:11:19 PM PDT by jpsb
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To: erkyl
Now, who needs to learn to read and follow along?

That would be you as nothing has changed as you think pissing off conservatives is a sensible tactic to getting them on your side.

Every time you post that someone who didn't vote for Odinga elected him or say how they voted when you were not in the booth is an ad hominem attack and a damn lie.

Everyone can see it and you fools spouting this crap are fooling only yourselves.

133 posted on 07/20/2009 8:11:56 PM PDT by Eaker (The Two Loudest Sounds in the World.....Bang When it should have been Click and the Reverse.)
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To: erkyl
I was discussing the failure of conservatives to vote for a "RINO" because they aren't happy with 100% of the candidate's positions.

How can you expect anyone to vote for someone who you do not agree with 100% of the time?

Is this what you really meant?

134 posted on 07/20/2009 8:15:56 PM PDT by Eaker (The Two Loudest Sounds in the World.....Bang When it should have been Click and the Reverse.)
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To: erkyl
Voting has consequences but so does NOT voting

Yes it does and hopefully the GOP got the message. But if not I'll skip the next election too and I certainly hope millions of other conservatives will join me. After 8 years of big spending, government growing, open borders outsourcing George Bush I am never voting for another progressive liberal democrat, even if he does have an R next to his name. Want to keep on losing? Keep on nominating liberals.

135 posted on 07/20/2009 8:27:45 PM PDT by jpsb
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To: Eaker

“McCain beat Obama among white voters by an even more impressive 12-point margin. Obama got 53 percent of the broad electorate to vote for him but only 43 percent of the white electorate. When I say “white electorate,” I don’t mean the white working class, or white Southerners, or any other subgroup whose capacity for racial tolerance has long been held suspect. I mean all white voters.”

http://www.slate.com/id/2204251/

There, now, I’m not saying it, Slate is saying it. White conservatives who stayed home could have very well been the difference. And why is asking someone to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions offensive to you? If you didn’t vote for anyone, on principle or out of protest, you have lost your right to complain about the outcome of the election.

If conservatives chose not to vote for McCain on principle, then why should they be pissed off now? I mean, they didn’t want either candidate to win, since they didn’t vote, so why do they even care now?

How is asking them to be held accountable for their inaction in a country where voting is our only defense against tyranny and the leftist mobs (ACORN, Black Panthers) who seek to steal our free and fair election process from us, how is that so out of line with conservative principles which espouse personal responsibility and a greater engagement in the electoral process?

When I screw up, I usually swallow my pride, admit my mistake and suffer the consequences for it. Conservatives who didn’t vote at all need to man up and do the same.


136 posted on 07/20/2009 8:30:15 PM PDT by erkyl (We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office --Aesop (~550 BC))
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To: Eaker
How can you expect anyone to vote for someone who you do not agree with 100% of the time?

Because I'm pragmatist. I have never, ever in all my adult life voted for someone with whom I agreed 100% on all the issues. I don't think that's unusual. My positions on issues are not in lock-step with my leaders. I am an individual with my own personal views, so I vote for the person with whom I am most closely aligned. But I never, ever refuse to have my vote cast and counted in a national election.

137 posted on 07/20/2009 8:35:12 PM PDT by erkyl (We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office --Aesop (~550 BC))
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To: erkyl
"I think you are delusional."

Think? I doubt you can engage in such a complicated process. Thinking requires one to consider all angles. McInsane is out for McInsane and nothing more. He derailed many a Conservative issues with his "Moderate" (A.K.A. Liberal) stance including the G.O.P. Opposition to the Bailout.

Time and Time again he has stopped true progress towards a more Conservative and Fiscally Responsible Federal Government. He is the worst sort of Politician and he is now engaging in torpedoing Palin's chances at National office because he was embarrassed by the attention she garnered which made him look small.

McCain is a loser and he would have given us nothing but Liberal Lite.

McCain would have kowtowed to whatever the Democrat Congress would have demanded of him so he could make it look like he was leading.

Here's hoping he retires soon and goes away for good.

138 posted on 07/20/2009 8:36:40 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (will work for bailout bonus.... Twitter: maddawggmorgan)
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To: erkyl
They're not working out well for any of us.

Dude, things are working out perfectly, exactly as I and many many others figured they would.

First off McCain would have done just about everything Obama's done anyway, but then Republicans would have been blamed instead of Democrats. Now Republican have a chance to get there act back together.

McCain was already on board for a bailout. McCain would not have let GM and Chrysler go bust. McCain believes in Global warming so he'd have done something there too. He's pro amnesty. Not sure if he'd be up for socialized health care but he's a big government guy so it would not surprise me.

Personally I don't see much that Obama's doing that McCain would not have done too. So yea, I am very happy that I did not vote for either one. And if the GOP nominates another McCain I'll sit the next one out too.

139 posted on 07/20/2009 8:58:13 PM PDT by jpsb
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To: erkyl

Ok, I got it. Since I don’t agree with Odinga 100% of the time I should have voted for him? In fact I don’t agree with him 100% of the time so I didn’t. It would not have made sense to do so.

Hell I never agree with Odinga yet you think I should have voted for him? That is not being a pragmatist, it is a lack of understanding English or a lack of the ability to write clearly.

Finally, people like you allow the GOP to run liberal RINOs that many people cannot stomach so in fact it is your fault not theirs that Odinga won.


140 posted on 07/21/2009 6:36:04 AM PDT by Eaker (The Two Loudest Sounds in the World.....Bang When it should have been Click and the Reverse.)
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