Obama Won Ohio in 2012 With Fewer Votes Than McCain Received in 2008

Various

[Labyrinthos]

I’m sticking with the Mormon theory. Ohio has enough conservative Christians for it to make a difference. Same with FL and VA and NC.

This has little to do with Romney being a Mormon and a lot to do with him being perceived as a liberal Republican from the bluest of blue states. Four years ago, the GOP-E shoved RINO McLame down are throats. We held our collective noses and voted for him, and when he lost, many of us said "never again" because our conservative principles mean more than whoring out our vote out for the inside-the-beltway GOP-E.

Four years later, the GOP-E not only demanded again that we support a RINO who was all but a democrat when he served as govenor of Massachussetts, but they dissed the Tea Party and conservatives in the process. I suspect that many conservatives decided to stay home rather than compromise their principles again, and that cost Romney the election.

[PMAS]

Sarah has to actyually run for the job first

[103198]

I believe that you have hit on a big reason for the low turnout. Negative advertising works - and that’s why it is done. Barry’s campaign it hard in Ohio, Virginia, and Florida beginning in the summer. The Romney campaign didn’t respond. Negative advertising works to suppress the vote of your opponent. It also affects the campaign conducting it - and you always hope by a lesser amount.

[Wuli]

we need someone, here or through other Conservative activist venues to collect every stitch of anecdotal stories and reports and make an assessment if it sums to more than anecdotal stories, and if so use all our forumns and our best Conserative reps to press the RNC and GOP Congress leaders to make the case public

right now, I don’t know how much is anecdotal and how much can be surmised as systemic

[LS]

Thank you, but honestly it wasn't based on hope or optimism, it was based on what we saw in the OH numbers that led us to think the polling was off. Who on FR would have DREAMED that Romney would gather fewer votes than McCain? Or that Obama would get fewer votes than McCain?

We are still trying to figure out why there was report after report of Republican precincts having incredible turnout then in fact underperforming. I have a theory that involves the change they made a polling places by combining several precincts into one "location" (i.e., one table within a polling place, rather than three or four as we previously had.) This reduced the number of poll workers by 50% at least, and, I think, slowed down the process drastically (hence, long lines, hence the appearance of massive turnout) when in fact it was lower turnout being handled more slowly than ever.

[Arthurio]

Well the Ohio polls were off, to some extent. Many polls were showing Obama up 5 or 6 points - actual margin was 2.

Columbus Dispatch poll was most accurate.

[CPT Clay]

Or as Newt said, Mitt, a Massachusetts liberal...

[zencycler]

McCain > Romney? bad > worse? Ouch

Indeed, and I'd add:

Palin > Ryan - Great > Good