Why 2012 Is Different
iWc ·
September 5, 2012 at 3:29pm
This is the first election in which I have heard normal people, in conversations at work, at the airport, and at restaurants, espouse support for a Republican candidate. It is extraordinary.
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Nov '10
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Remind us where you live. Just so we can get a sense of how remarkable this is.
Edited on September 5, 2012 at 4:17amApr '12
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Yeah, that makes a difference. Where I live, north of San Francisco, it's pretty much always bad form to support a Republican publicly.
Mar '11
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Northeast, in a blue failed city in a failing blue state. I spend a lot of time in airports, though.
Feb '12
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
I live in Rockford Il, and I have yet to find anyone who will admit to voting for Obama in 08. I have yet to see a new Obama/Biden bumpersticker, although I haven't seen a ton of visual support for Romney either. When I engage people in conversation it seems like there is far more support for Romney, or rather ABO. I'm not sure what it means, but if the people in a suburb of Chicago don't like Obama it can't be a bad sign for Romney.
May '11
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Are you trying to say that we're... not normal?
Dec '10
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
For the record, I hazarded such a comment when talking with an employee at a body shop. Granted, this is arguably friendly territory: He was a blue collar white guy. On the other hand, this was on the outer fringes of Philadelphia's Main Line. Malvern, PA, to be exact.
Heard an excerpt from the television of Obama taking a swipe at the GOP by pointing out that tropical depression Isaac did not do the same number on the Gulf Coast that Katrina did.
I said, "Did I just hear the President take credit for saving New Orleans from a rainstorm?"
He responded, with a chuckle and a sage nod, "I do believe you did."
What is actually notable about this is that I felt comfortable making the comment. That is unusual. So I guess I am guardedly optimistic. Even though I may very well vote for Johnson ;-)
Oct '10
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
C'mon Karl, not even Ron Paul is doing that!
Nov '11
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Severely Ltd.
C'mon Karl, not even Ron Paul is doing that! · 4 hours ago
No, but he had some nice words to say:
Mnnn.. That's a very libertarian thing to say.
Nov '10
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Further down the page, there is a post with a link to news coverage of a Paul Ryan appearance in Raleigh. If you click through, you will see the transcript of the local news coverage. It quotes a college sophomore saying he is looking forward to casting his first presidential vote for Romney because he thinks it would be good to have jobs and opportunities when he graduates. Seriously folks, have you ever seen such a thing? Not just the fact of a college kid voting that way, but also local news covering it?
Edited on September 5, 2012 at 3:14pmNov '10
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Agreed. Was out crabbing the other day with a friend who voted for Obama. I had that morning posted on Facebook the video of Paul Ryan rebutting his factchecking (can we use that term the way the left uses "swiftboating"?). He told me he had watched my video and had one question: why isn't Paul Ryan running for president? He then went on a tirade about Obama and how much damage he's done and there's no way that guy is getting my vote again. I've heard that a lot.
For the record, I live in north west Washington. A blue county in what I consider a purple state.
Editors Note: I had said "evening" but I was actually out during the day. I misremembered. I re-edited in an effort to keep my factcheck score low...or is it high? I'm so confused.
Edited on September 5, 2012 at 3:46pmNov '10
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
A few weeks ago I posted a bleg of sorts for people to tell stories about people they know who are switching their votes from Obama last time to Romney this time. This might be a nice thread on which to get that conversation started. When I wrote it, I knew several such Obama-2008-Romney-2012 voters and wrote about them, but I had one friend who was holding out, saying he might not vote at all or might vote for Obama again.
Monday he sent me a text message: "You are very persuasive. I am going to vote for Romney." I'm going to keep after him to make sure he doesn't change his mind again, but so far that's one more Romney vote in North Carolina.
Apr '11
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Folks, the media are swooning all over themselves in praise of the DNC in Charlotte. Tonight Bill Clinton will be the 2nd coming to them and Obama will absolutely nail it on Thurs. Yet, Fri morning everyone will be sobered up and smacked in the face when jobs numbers are posted and realize that all the talking has been a bunch of BS! Romney will hit hard and often with the actual numbers (CNN, of all outlets has a fact-check basically debunking the 4.5 million jobs created meme this morning) during the debates giving casual viewers their 1st and only unfiltered access to this info. Most of them will wonder why the newspapers and news shows they consume never shared these facts.
At the end of the day, when they go into that booth on Nov 6, too many will look at the name "OBAMA" and will simply pull the lever for any alternative. There is no media to interview them, no embarassing pollster on the phone or liberal neighbor to suck up to. Just an individual with the knowledge that things are really bad and there is no way 4 more years of Obama can be good.
Edited on September 5, 2012 at 4:06pmDec '10
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
It's perhaps too cynical by half, but I can't imagine Obama allowing a negative jobs report to come out 12 hours after he accepts the worship of his followers.
Aug '11
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
I'd like to say that my remarkable powers of persuasion have led a few to come to the GOP side but believe it's more about those very people living in the reality that has become our stagnant financial lives that has led them to change their vote.
One friend, a very un-political person, voted for Obama in 2008 because she thought he was a decent guy and kind of cute (ok, we can argue the merits of her voting at all but that's another post). Anyway, she's seen the light and is now posting political stuff on her Facebook site. Who da thunk?
Bottom line: people are unhappy and want change and change can only happen one way.
Jul '12
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Agree. It is very different this time. I believe the Landslide talk. I am in upstate New York. Except for known lefty fellow lawyers, I can make an anti-Obama comment in almost any setting and will get agreement. It has not been like this previously. This time is definitely different. I used to be reluctant to say anything political to strangers or people I am meeting in a business context. But this time, there is virtually universal repudiation of Obama. The clincher for me was when my Long Island brother in law who voted for Obama in 2008, said this was the biggest mistake he ever made. Note that he lives in a New York City media environment and is just an average guy. I also find that this phenomenon extends to women, young and old. When I am on the local university campus, I use more caution and do not make political comments, but I am not sure that if I did, the result would be any different--at least among the students. Of course, the faculty and administration types, I figure as the toughest nuts to crack as they are in the soup card-carriers.
Apr '11
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
At some point, the polls have to start showing this for me to believe it is happening. Many votes have to be taken away from Obama's near-landslide cushion.
The fawning over Michelle and the DNC last night was absolutely disgusting, but it has an affect, and a big one.
Edited on September 5, 2012 at 4:40pmJul '10
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
Precisely!
Jul '11
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
I wish that were the case from my vantage point. However, after reading some of the threads of Dem to Rep conversions, you may well be right and there may be a silent conversion going on that I don't see.
I did notice though, that people are suddenly becoming aware of other branches of Government and actually discussing them - the realization that US Government is not a Monarchy is a good start for me :-D.
Apr '11
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
The King Prawn
It's perhaps too cynical by half, but I can't imagine Obama allowing a negative jobs report to come out 12 hours after he accepts the worship of his followers. · 37 minutes ago
You're right, the report actually comes out about 9.5 hrs after he speaks. He has not control over it as the markets are expecting this info for the opening bell.
Nov '10
Re: Why 2012 Is Different
I also saw this, written by a friend of a friend in response to one of her FB posts. I don't know the person of course, and therefore can't vouch for the post's honesty, but it was pretty striking and I have never before seen posts like this on my liberal friends' FB feeds: