Doctor's In: Why did Romney/Ryan Lose?
Essentially the voters said NO, to the party of NO! If I had to use one word to define their defeat it would be extremism. However, Republicans, as they often do, shot themselves in the foot, multiple times.
The first and fatal mistake was to line up against Obama on anything he proposed. Until the last minute before the election Romney was promising the end of ObamaCare. I doubt he would have pursued that if he won but he made that a major platform piece. Voters are better understanding the importance of health care for everyone. The work to do in the future is to wrest the grip of private profiteering insurers from the health care of the American people.
Women’s rights were a very large part of the Obama victory. Whatever women say publicly, few want to return to the days of back-alley abortions. Women’s job equity and concerns about their personal freedom were also a factor in strong Obama female support.
The blending of religion into politics played well with evangelicals but that was as far as one could throw the bible. Most churchgoing people understand the need to keep the church out of politics. The religious ideologues and those churches that weighed heavily for Romney made a mistake that should result in the loss of tax exemptions. The Catholic Church proved the leading anti-Obama sect. They overplayed their hand and many of their own parishioners rejected their position. Already reeling from continued scandals and a schism with the sisters, it would be prudent for the Catholic Church to cloister and like the Republicans carefully consider their agenda in the future. Catholic Church tax exemptions should be in serious jeopardy.
Other major issues that hurt the Republican vote included their attack on organized labor, callous immigration rhetoric, lack of sensitivity to human services and the poor, threatening Medicare, and Social Security. Republicans are historically disconnected from human services and the protection of the middle class.
Anti-government extremists within the Republican Party simply scared people. Although they were a noisy bunch they had limited support beyond their own. Republican leadership gave them too much room and too great a platform to present their irrational agenda. Tea partiers and the like belong with the Libertarians and Republicans should send them packing.
Also damaging to the Republican effort was their anti-science and anti-intellectual positions. When leaders came out against evolution, talked about a 7,000-year-old world, made statements about raped women not getting pregnant unless God wanted them to; the general public got very nervous about the delusional quality of this Republican connected rhetoric.
The effort to look seriously at Creationism and teach such nonsense in our schools, played well to the uneducated but made the rest shake heads in disbelief. The 1920s Monkey Trials had resurfaced again.
The Republican rejection of Government agencies and their value, the reckless case against tax equity, their anti-gay oratory, and their obvious alignment with the monied left little to like about the Republican agenda. Romney and Ryan had fallen on their own ideological sword. Sadly, this is not the Romney I came to know as Governor. I don’t know Ryan but I didn’t want him within 1,000 miles of the White House.
Congratulations to President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. I would much rather face the trouble ahead with rational thinking and a caring connection to all Americans.
Barbara Brekke
7:16 am on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Excellent article. Says it all. From a used to be Republican.
Marc J. Yacht MD, MPH
7:41 am on Sunday, November 11, 2012
Thank you for comments, Barbara. The R party will have to do a lot of soul searching to reconnect with mainstream voters and minority groups.
michael mirra
10:42 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
I was very close to a Tea Party woman & they are behind their party like fanatics that school together & have no concept of how negative the view is of their obstuctionism. From the begining, their goal was to make Obama fail. They then did everything they could to try to make Obama look ineffective by trying to make him unable to help America. If he was a success & helped America, their position would weaken. What they were unable to understand is that they would be viewed as the people that stood in the way of America's recovery at every turn & that people would see that as over trhe top shallow, stubborn, selfish, & working against America.
The people spoke & they still tried to block Obama's physcal cliff attempts & keep stalling on a vote to help Hurricane Sandy victims. Even Governor Christie of N. J. has turned on them, but they continue their mindless roadblocks to anything possitive. Not to mention their over zealous bending & twisting Religion to fit their agenda. Americans aren't stupid enough to follow them.
michael mirra
10:46 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
I forgot the Republican stance on minority groups. Thay can't understand why women, blacks, hispanics, gays, etc don't like them. The current brain trust of Consevatism aren't the brightest lights on the tree.
Marc J. Yacht MD, MPH
10:58 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Great comments. I would say it will be a long time before the Republicans win a national election if they don't marginalize the extremists in their party -Norquist for one. Reagan understood this as did Bush senior. Bush Jr didn't have a clue. That's still the case for the moment. This was the party of Lincoln. Go figure.
Marc J. Yacht MD, MPH
11:00 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Above comments for Michael as for Barb you're drinking the cool aide again. Say hello to Rush and Glenn for me.
michael mirra
8:11 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
I don't listen to Glenn or Rush. In my mind, I can picture Barb sitting on a screen porch listening to Rush every day.
Marc J. Yacht MD, MPH
11:22 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
I will admit Barbara, I'm not as smart as you are. I can't make those kind of predictions. At any rate, sit back and enjoy the show. By the way on the gun issue, read my post which tries to encourage gun rights people and gun control folks to stand together and advocate for better mental health funding (see post). I would agree taking dangerous people off the street would be more effective than the polarized and expensive effort to get needed gun legislation. Thanks for your comments. MJY
michael mirra
8:08 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
I respect you Marc, who began this discussion. You are a sensible Republican that sees why your party is going down in flames & you would like to correct it. It would be good for Ameria to have a viable two party system again. Unfortunatly, those in control of where the Republican party is headed call you a Republican In Name Only.
That is why they are going down in flames. They have left common sense behind.
Marc J. Yacht MD, MPH
8:25 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
Michael: Actually, I am a registered Independent that looks carefully at the candidates and then votes. I can go either way. I am definately not into slogans and mantras. I might be described as a little left of center. I believe very strongly in funding for human services. I also see austerity and and job slashing as the wrong approach to rebuild the economy and accomplish economic recovery. That puts me at serious odds with many of my Republican friends; that will probably be the subject of my next blog. Lately with few exceptions, I have pulled the "D" lever..
michael mirra
10:15 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
I too am indepenent. I don't vote Democratic as much as I vote anti- Republican. I just never liked the Republican mindset. As a youth, I became somwhat radicalized in the late 60s. I marched againts the war & for civil rights. I was touched by some of the events, as I knew the kid at Kent State that is pictured dead on the sidewalk with the anquished girl over him. I also knew Marvin & Melvin King who's uncle was Martin Luther King. We participated in civil rights rallys together. I once met William Kunsler. I am to the left of the Democratic Party, but not as radical as I once was.
I voted for Nader in 2000 & learned that if I want to vote anti-Republican I better vote where it counts from now on.
I seldom vote for a Democrat as much as I vote against a Republican. I have voted for Dick Gregory & have written in various polticians that weren't on the ballot, but I thought would do a great job. After 2000, I support the Green Party platform, but vote Democratic because that's the only true anti-Republican vote out there that can actually help stop Republicanism
Marc J. Yacht MD, MPH
10:33 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
Michael: Wow! You have many important stories to tell. I hope you write them. Marc
michael mirra
12:20 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
I'm not a writer. They aren't that important. I was just one of a crowd of marchers. I knew the kid from Kent state, not because I was involved with him in protest. He was Jeff Miller from Plainview & I graduated about three years before him & was friends with his brother Russ Miller. His Mother was the lady who worked in the school office & his stepfather was my guidence councelor, Mr. Holstien.
I attended Nassau Community College in the late 60s & Marvil & Melvin were students there too. Their Father was the school psycologist who I met when my accounting teacher sent me to see him because my mind kept wandering in his class.
It's all no big deal. I met Kunsler once when he passed by in Kennedy Airport while he was involved in the Chicago 7 trial. A bunch of people I was with exchanged raised fist salutes with him, he said hello & we all went our seperate ways.
I did have professors tht were much more important than me. My Freshman English prof. took a week off to march in Selma. He told us many stories about the people he had run ins with. I never did much but go on strike during the moritoriums to end the war.
michael mirra
12:29 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
Thats Marvin & Melvin Just a typo earler. Note of interest. They were identical twins. I wonder what ever became of them.
About 10 years after Kent State, I saw my old friend Russ Miller & his Mother on a news TV show. It struck me that Jeff Miller had become a part of America forever in history.
Jeff Miller's death radicalized the whole town of Plainview, L.I. There was a massive funaral march down Old Country Rd. ( sort of the US 19 of Plainview) thousands turned out & traffic was closed off.
Marc J. Yacht MD, MPH
12:50 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
We all cried at the Kent shooting madness by the National Guard. The picture of the inconsolable coed with her arms outstretched by the body of the student is one I will never forget. It is one of the most important photographs ever taken. It belongs beside a number of other photographs of similar power. I'd like to know what happened to the commander that ordered the troops to fire on the student body. If he's dead he probably went to his grave thinking he did the right thing. Those people with that mindset are out there and there are a lot of them.
michael mirra
1:03 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
I always feel special meaning when I hear the song Ohio at the line, "what if you knew her (him) & found her(him)dead on the ground? How can you run once you know?"
I was a school teacher for a short time at Tampa Catholic High School back in 1973 & in my 11th grade homeroom I was looking through a kid's history book & saw the famous picture of Jeffery Glenn Miller. It was all so recent then. More like current events. I realized then for the first time that he had become an imortal piece of America. I didn't even know who he was at first. THe news said he was from Plainview, & that day, I was visting my friend Bob Anderson & he pointed to a newspaper on his chair & said, "did you see what they did to Russ' brother?" That's the first time I recognized who he was.