Posted on 11/04/2009 7:20:33 PM PST by greatdefender
RICHMOND, Va. - Last year, 23-year-old Rashida Hill watched the presidential debates, visited the college political party meetings and put a Barack Obama bumper sticker on her townhouse door. She voted for Obama because she felt like the election was about "being a part of something."
But on Tuesday, the Virginia Commonwealth University student didn't bother voting in the governor's race because, she said, the candidates didn't give her anything to get excited about.
"The simple fact is, unless you put it in front of somebody, they're really not going to seek it out," Hill said.
Many of the young, first-time voters who propelled Obama to the presidency stayed home this year, a glaring absence that helped Republicans win governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey. More than 3 million voters who cast ballots in the 2008 presidential election — many of them minorities — failed to show up at the polls in either state.
Obama carried Virginia with 52 percent of the vote last year, but only 43 percent of voters surveyed in Associated Press exit polls Tuesday said they had voted for him.
Another group that solidified Obama's victory — independents — turned their backs on Democrats this year.
In Virginia, independents in 2008 helped make Obama the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1964. But on Tuesday, they voted 2-1 in favor of Republican Bob McDonnell, who easily defeated Democrat Creigh Deeds. About one in 10 Virginia voters switched their support from Obama in last year's election to the Republican candidate for governor this year.
In New Jersey, independent voters who narrowly favored Obama last year strongly supported Republican Chris Christie for governor over Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine. Christie won 49 percent to 45 percent.
"A lot of this had to do with the collapse of the economy and future prospects for the nation and the state," said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta.
Independent voters "are very performance-oriented. They just want to know what have you done for me lately or what have you done to me lately," he said.
Outgoing Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who also serves as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said the Democratic losses in Virginia and New Jersey had more to do with local issues than Obama's first-year performance.
Exit polling showed support for Obama remained steady despite the Republican victories.
The president campaigned hard for Corzine, making three visits to the state, including one on the last weekend.
The president's appeal worked for Roger Johnson, a 50-year-old restaurant employee from Cherry Hill, N.J., who said he had qualms with Corzine but voted for him, anyway.
"I went in to help the president. I wasn't going to vote for Corzine," said Johnson, a registered Republican who usually votes for Democrats. "But I did."
About 60 percent of voters in both states said their feelings about Obama were not a factor in their vote in the governor's race, exit polls showed. In Virginia, a quarter of voters said their vote for McDonnell was in direct opposition to Obama. In New Jersey, those who said he was not a factor were evenly divided in their support.
Even some of those who did not support Obama last year said they feel like he's doing the best he can considering the circumstances under which he's serving.
Linda Doland, 60, of Chesterfield, Va., said she thinks Obama is way off the mark on health care and Afghanistan, but "I think he has the best interest of our country at heart."
Still, many just chose to sit this one out.
Mark Dorroh, 58, of Richmond, has not missed an election since he turned 21. He voted for Obama last year, not because he was particularly inspired, but because he said the Harvard graduate "seemed like he would be competent and able."
Neither of the candidates impressed him, so he skipped this election.
"I just wasn't in the mood to vote," he said.
Maybe they all were all lookin for jobs in a recoveryless recovery with 17% real unemployment?
She voted for Obama because she felt like the election was about “being a part of something.” ..................... “Part of something” or getting something? Geeez, I’m still waiting for my free gas and mortgage money. What gives? Do you now have to be rich to get free stuff?
In an Auburn University classroom, they were discussing the qualifications to be President of the United States. It was pretty simple — the candidate must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years of age.
However, one girl in the class immediately started in on how unfair was the requirement to be a natural born citizen. In short, her opinion was that this requirement prevented many capable individuals from becoming president.
The class was taking it in and letting her rant, but everyone’s jaw hit the floor when she wrapped up her argument by stating, ‘What makes a natural born citizen any more qualified to lead this country than one born by C-section?’
Yep, these are the same 18 year olds that just elected the new President of the United States!!?
Buyer’s remorse.
Those robots won’t be voting next year either.
My precinct in VA looked MUCH different than it did last year. When I was voting last year, the line looked like the bar scene from Star Wars. This year, the voters looked ‘normal’.
People shouldn’t be allowed to vote in a federal election unless they pay federal taxes of some kind. Such a rule would help solve lots of problems.
There were no Magic Negroes in the race.
Cousin Pookie don’t get off the couch to vote for no bald white guy.
These stupid kids, do they realize that they are signing up to a health care tax?
1500-3500 per year and no more tax rebates. They will scream when they realize what they did to themselves. Then it will be too late.
I suspect it will turn 30% of them Republican though.
I don't even know what that means. I don't think she does, either.
Good, Lets hope they don’t read liberal news reports either.. If you want to reach the youngsters you’ll have to (redacted) ....
LMAO!
That’s alright...ACORN probably made sure her vote wasn’t waisted...they just went ahead and voted for her....
POOKIE FACTOR!
There's the problem with universal sufferage right there. Non-taxpayers and non-property owners have no qualms about voting themselves something for nothing.
neither did alot of Germans during WW2...but they were “part of something”...
I thought that was amazing coming from a young checkout lady at the local Walmart. She was even someone with a job. I wish I could have asked her her reasons for disliking him so but had to move on.
And the capitol is packed with scoundrels looking to cater to their every couch potato whim on your dime..
Was that a major reason why at first in our country only property owners could vote? The Dems know the more people on the public dole the more votes they get. Seems like something needs to stop this destructive inclination towards the turning our nation into nothing but a welfare state.
The only force that I know of that will turn this country around is The LORD. We need a great revival and fast. When people answer to The LORD directly they stop doing whatever is the easiest and start doing what is right.
“Young voters who helped elect Obama stayed home”
*********************
short answer: best place for ‘em!
long answer: you don’ wanna hear it!
Semper Silence
Dick Gaines
**********
She voted for Obama because she felt like the election was about “being a part of something.”
__________________________________________________
I was “part of something” the first time I voted, too...
Gosh, I got such a charge I went back 4 years later and voted for Reagan again...
Yeppers same lovely high the second time too...
:)
People like this should not vote. But hey, maybe she can be part of a crappy economy. How's that for you, Rashida?
Amen.
Also, you can bring about change faster by doing what you can to "Go John Galt".
They don't understand why their tax revenues are down. There are a number of reasons, but some people are cutting back their revenue/income deliberately due to confiscatory taxation.
A short response could have been, “You’ll have another chance in 2012”.
Re: Bumper sticker.....
I see the Obama bumper stickers now and cringe, wondering how the driver could possibly want to be seen with it on their car.
She is demonstrating the mental capacity of all the voters that put Zero in office.
And I bet Rashida isn’t an aryan chick, either
Yeah, and she says the candidates didn’t give her anything to get excited about. What she meant was “The candidates didn’t promise me any free S**t.
Our free gas I fear will be the result of a depression era diet.........
You mean ACORN stayed home?
I would think loss of your job would have a lot to do with it.
Oof. She doesn’t even qualify as a high school student, much less a university one.
Every time I see one, I hear Bill Engvall: "Here's yer sign."
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