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Biggest mistake of the campaign? Republicans assumed voters were smart
http://www.joepags.com/blog/the-biggest-mistake-this-campaign-republicans-assumed-voters-were-smart/ ^ | Joe Pagliarulo

Posted on 11/11/2012 7:26:20 PM PST by oneprolifewoman

Let’s face facts. Democrats gained in the House of Representatives, the Senate and the chief Democrat in charge was re-elected after one of the worst four year periods in American history, economically and constitutionally. How does that happen? Republicans/Conservatives gave voters credit for being smart while Democrats assumed they’re not. Let’s break down what Obama, Pelosi, Reid, the Obama SuperPACs, et al were saying for a year and a half: Republicans are prosecuting a war on women Romney only cares about his rich friends and Wall Street Romney is responsible for the death of a woman by somehow giving her cancer Romney specialized in closing down businesses, laying people off and outsourcing jobs — especially to China Romney is a liar. All he does is lie. And, after he lies, he lies about the lies he told. Republicans are trying to outlaw contraception Republicans are trying to close down Planned Parenthood to stop women from getting cancer screenings Republicans want to put all Latinos on buses and send them back to Mexico Republicans think rape is okay — and women should just stop talking about it Republicans all own stock in oil companies and are forcing gas prices up Republicans want to give rich people a tax break and make the poor and Middle Class to make up the difference Romney hates half the country (47%) Romney will end Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid Only problem with that list is, not one bit of it is true. Republicans/conservatives assumed everyone hearing this list of Democrat/liberal talking points would know it was completely false. They gave the American people credit for being smart enough to know better. Millions are and do — but, unfortunately, more millions aren’t and don’t.

(Excerpt) Read more at joepags.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012; blame; election; obama; pagliano; romney2012; sourcetitlenoturl
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To: SquarePants

And throw in the MASSIVE voter fraud in the country and there you have it...Absolutely no one will ever convince what my eyes saw before the election —— a DEFEATED president.


21 posted on 11/11/2012 8:11:40 PM PST by bluebonnetgirl
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To: oneprolifewoman

I’ve been thinking the same, as all the prognosticators discuss the election with deep theories about what happened. What happened is too many dumb people believed all that stuff. And as the saying goes, he who controls the information controls the perception. The media was happy to spread the Obama message. In 2016 conservatives should find some pop culture figure to run. It doesn’t seem to matter how qualified a candidate might be.


22 posted on 11/11/2012 8:18:06 PM PST by Fu-fu2
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To: oneprolifewoman; Gilbo_3; Clintonfatigued; GOPsterinMA; fieldmarshaldj; Perdogg; BillyBoy

Well how about all those Republicans who seemed sure that Romney was going to win big and who shopped around for polls and radio stations to tell them what they wanted to hear.

Shoving your head in the sand to avoid reality will never win an election. That is hardly ‘smart’.

Romney was a crappy candidate, and lots of others like Akin gave him help losing.

If this is really a ‘wake-up’ call then is the new plan just to give up?


23 posted on 11/11/2012 8:23:01 PM PST by sickoflibs (How long before cry-Bohner caves to O again? They took the House for what?)
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To: Reddon

Probably right - but if you’ve got people who really know the game but can’t play themselves, they become your coaches. ALl those you named should be on the Board of Directors for “The Conservative Channel”, and Heritage Foundation, Hillsdale College, and other resources should be cranking out the material for them to present in primetime, on the internet, and especially on programming tailored to Hispanic Americans who aren’t going to get the message of conservatism by channel surfing or osmosis.

To use a different metaphone, we’ve got a great product, but lousy packaging and no marketing.


24 posted on 11/11/2012 8:33:57 PM PST by bigbob
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To: oneprolifewoman

Wasn’t it Mencken who referred to our political system as a “boobocracy?”


25 posted on 11/11/2012 8:34:44 PM PST by luvbach1 (Jail to the Chief!!)
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To: Slings and Arrows

And: “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.”

Almost all of us here saw the mysterious middle hitting getting hit over the head with a hammer, by itself, so—as the old joke goes—when the dust settled Wednesday morning we asked it:

“Why in the h*** are you still beating yourself with the hammer?”

“Because it feels so good when I stop!”

Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense. As just one example, if I see any car stopped by the side of the road, hood up, on a dark night, once I make out a `Hope and Change, 2012’ bumper sticker, I’m going to politely suggest: “Call Obama.” (tires screeching).

I’m talking to you, lurker. Elections have real consequences, as well as the hopey-changey BS.
I was always quick here to defend the average American, but you’re on your own now. Knock yourself out.


26 posted on 11/11/2012 8:35:00 PM PST by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: All armed conservatives.)
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To: sickoflibs

GOP did not assume voters were smart. They did assume that voters had a minimal connection to reality and a little bit of common sense.

Wrong on both counts. US headed to Hell in a hand basket.


27 posted on 11/11/2012 8:37:21 PM PST by mwl8787
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To: tumblindice

Here’s another one to help you get through the next four-plus years:

“Life is a tragedy for those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.”
—Horace Walpole (paraphrased)

The upcoming term will be very tough economically, but intensely amusing to those of us with a sufficiently morbid sense of humor.


28 posted on 11/11/2012 8:44:44 PM PST by Slings and Arrows (You can't have IngSoc without an Emmanuel Goldstein.)
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To: oneprolifewoman

Never underestimate the stupidity of the American people.


29 posted on 11/11/2012 8:47:44 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: oneprolifewoman

What do you think is the aim of decades of public education? To make for a smart voting population?


30 posted on 11/11/2012 8:49:25 PM PST by Fester Chugabrew (double trouble, here we come)
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To: SquarePants

“Nominating a candidate who doesn’t reflect the core values of your base and suppressing your own vote doesn’t help much, either.”

True words.


31 posted on 11/11/2012 8:54:14 PM PST by Psalm 144
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To: Reddon

The problem is not merely that the conservatives you mention can communicate, but more importantly that they communicate conservatism. The Republican apparat has been dismantling grassroots conservatism and Reaganism since the day George Herbert Walker Bush was sworn in for his first and final term as President. The Rockefeller Republicans run the GOP.


32 posted on 11/11/2012 8:57:48 PM PST by Psalm 144
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To: oneprolifewoman

We assumed they were paying attention to reality.


33 posted on 11/11/2012 9:01:24 PM PST by RichInOC (Palin 2016: The Perfect Storm.)
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To: oneprolifewoman; icwhatudo; SquarePants; indthkr; frnewsjunkie; muawiyah; hoosiermama; ...
Let’s face facts. Democrats gained in the House of Representatives, the Senate and the chief Democrat in charge was re-elected after one of the worst four year periods in American history, economically and constitutionally. How does that happen?

Yes, the American population collectively is getting dumber with the passage of time. Just look at the trajectory of SAT scores over the last 50 years. SAT test takers now "graduate" into the general voting public after years of politically correct "education" where the basic facts and patterns of American history and government are de-emphasized in favor of feel good mythology. And if that isn't enough, the average intelligence of the American voter is declining (of course, we can't really verify it because routine IQ tests are pretty much of a taboo) largely because the higher intelligence parents tend to have fewer children than their lower intelligence cohorts.

Then, too, modern day immigrants tend be less intelligent than newcomers of previous generations because they are attracted to the country less by economic opportunity than government goodies. That's another factor driving average intelligence of the American population in a downward direction. We are dumber on average as a society now than at the time Mencken and Barnum made their now-famous quotes.

Despite the fact that all of these factors and those discussed in the posted article are true, the 'Rats still would not have had the success to the degree that they had in this election had they not engaged in massive fraud and cheating in a wide variety of aspects of the election process, most notably in strategically selected counties and districts in the swing states. It's not surprising that such a massive loss of integrity in the electoral process is facilitated by a dumbed-down electorate which in too many cases was never taught the fundamental importance of that integrity to the functioning of a free republican government and society.

34 posted on 11/11/2012 9:03:45 PM PST by justiceseeker93
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To: oneprolifewoman
Republicans hope that most voters are smart.

Democrats know that most are stupid.

35 posted on 11/11/2012 9:07:40 PM PST by Washi (Look on the bright side: the world is scheduled to end on Dec. 21st.)
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To: oneprolifewoman

What is happening to this country is what de Tocqueville and other wise men warned us about.


36 posted on 11/11/2012 9:08:15 PM PST by windsorknot
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To: oneprolifewoman

Here’s an example:

The Dems took the phrase “self-deportation” to be a terrifying aspect of Romney’s immigration policy. Why? They just ignored the prefix, “self-,” and focused only on the root, “deportation.”

What grade is it again where we learn about prefixes and how they modify the root of the word?

“But ‘deportation’ is a scary word!” Not knowing how to read the English language is possibly a tad scarier.


37 posted on 11/11/2012 9:09:55 PM PST by firebrand
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To: oneprolifewoman

Over the last 10 years the HS graduation rate in Miami, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, DC, Philly, and Detroit hovered between 30% and 60%. These cities overwhelmingly voted for Obama.


38 posted on 11/11/2012 9:18:44 PM PST by proudpapa
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To: oneprolifewoman

As I have repeatedly said for many years, Republicans HOPE people are smart, but Democrats KNOW people are stupid.

2008 - Ignorance won the day.

2012 - Stupidity overwhelmed Ignorance.


39 posted on 11/11/2012 9:30:44 PM PST by Kickass Conservative (Win or lose, Impeach Obama Ben Ghazi...)
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To: oneprolifewoman
Biggest mistake of the campaign? Republicans assumed voters were smart

Ummm.
Well, no.

Republicans assumed [half of all] voters were smart [below average intelligence.]

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

40 posted on 11/11/2012 9:59:42 PM PST by publius911 (Formerly Publius 6961, formerly jennsdad)
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