Quote:
Originally Posted by dkgojackets
the pop vote was like 50-48. there is no way you can say the current republican party does not connect with >70% of people. with as bad as obama had been a republican candidate worth less than 9 figures and a bit more personable wins
They had an incumbent president with some of the worst statistics of any incumbent in recent memory. A huge percentage of the Republican base would have turned out and voted for Zombie Hitler on the sheer basis that he isn't Obama.
The demographics are shifting. The Republicans rely 90% on white voters, and a majority on rural voters. Both of these groups are shrinking. The 18-29 age group formed a greater % of the electorate this year than the 65+ age group. As the 65+ group dies out and new 18 year olds replace them, you will get more people who are pro-drug, pro-gay marriage, anti-religion. and will live in cities.
The Republicans can win the popular vote sometime in the future. But as states like PA, OH, and FL become less rural and more urban, plus the demographic shifts, I find it hard to imagine a scenario where they can win those states with social policies that only benefit straight white people, and seem frankly bigoted to a large % of the country. And that large % includes a good chunk of people who vote Republican for fiscal reasons.