Posted on 11/07/2012 1:46:31 PM PST by ksen
Before rank-and-file conservatives ask, "What went wrong?", they should ask themselves a question every bit as important: "Why were we the last to realize that things were going wrong for us?"
. . .
It ought to be an eye-opening moment. But I expect that it'll be quickly forgotten, that none of the conservatives who touted a polling conspiracy will be discredited, and that the right will continue to operate at an information disadvantage. After all, it's not like they'll trust the analysis of a non-conservative like me more than the numerous fellow conservatives who constantly tell them things that turn out not to be true.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
We believed in the old America..it will be gone soon..after the collapse it may or may not be rebuilt..
“After all, it’s not like they’ll trust the analysis of a non-conservative like me more than the numerous fellow conservatives who constantly tell them things that turn out not to be true.”
At first I scoffed. But upon reflection, mMaybe I should trust the “analysis” of “non-conservatives.” It’s their “facts” I don’t trust because they lie so easily about them. Their analysis, though, that the gullible sheep in the electorate believe their lies is spot-on.
America isn’t going anywhere. I understand that you’re sore now and probably will be for a few days but understand will be here long after President Obama is gone.
And be of good cheer because I’m sure you guys will get another chance to eff things up eventually! :cheer:
True, conservative pundits, even the venerable Michael Barone, were wrong about the polls showing 0’s lead. I agreed with them, not because I live in an echo chamber, but because I shared a similar assumption about voters not being eager to return an incumbent who has presided over a disastrous economy. Nate Silver and the other number crunchers were right. But what this says about the character and values of the US electorate is gloomy at best.
On the other hand, the article is entirely self-serving. The reason that Benghazi didn't become an issue in the campaign was not because the president and his administration weren't guilty of dereliction of duty, but because the MSM itself decided that it wasn't interested in putting the story before the electorate.
This article is very happy to call conservatives who got things wrong a bunch of ignoramuses, but entirely avoids the issue of outrageous MSM bias in favor of 0, Benghazi being only the most egregious example. And that bias, oddly enough, is why conservatives despise the MSM and discount what they say.
The media misinformation and disinformation agenda has a lot to do with the electorate being so ignorant. Despite the loss, I’d still say that republicans and conservatives are much better informed than democrat voters.
The liberal media is a big reason, if not the biggest, for the Obama win.
So, if it’s the media that is at fault, why can’t republicans take back the media, or at least, equal it???
I think it can be done, and it could be done very quickly with the new age tools, such as the internet and all the many different devices which people use to get their “version” of the news and information.
I’m just scared that someone is going to start shooting left-wing media types.
A ham sandwich should have beaten Obama into the dust
Face it, the 47% is the 51% now
Why are you on this site when you aren’t a conservative?
You stay classy, Conor Friedersdorf!
I don't think anybody was seriously "misled" -- not misled more than journalists on both sides always "mislead" their readers or viewers.
Everybody understood that Romney had weaknesses and that Obama and the mainstream media would exploit them.
Most people understood that this was going to be a close election that would come down to a comparatively small number of votes in a few states.
Some of the rank and file deceived themselves into thinking that Romney would win by a landslide but I don't see the "conservative media" actively talking anybody into taking that position.
Partisan enthusiasts do that on their own, whatever information they have.
It’s the echo chamber effect. In this case everybody was noticing the big drop in support Obama was suffering, but nobody bothered to notice that Romney wasn’t getting as much support as McCain, everybody assumed he’d do no worse. And of course when the only people you listen to are people that agree with you...
The MSM has ruined the country pushing it to Socialism because they refuse to tell the truth. What if the dollar becomes worthless MSM? What a bunch of fools.
I’ve been a member here since 1998. Started conservative and am now liberal. But I still have a soft spot for this site since it is the first messageboard I got involved in and I don’t like seeing you guys flailing around because you are listening to people who are misleading you in pursuit of selling you books and other crap.
My bet is they're a whole lot tougher on bronco bama in his second term ... they got him there, there's no upside to covering his ass any longer ... in four years he's gone.
I suspect the 2012 results were equally shocking to the Democrat pollsters.
Did the new Democrat wonder boy Nate Silver predict that Obama would get 9 million fewer votes in 2012, and still win?
Of course not.
Did Nate Silver predict that Romney would get 2.4 million votes less than McCain?
Of course not.
Did Nate Silver predict that minority voters would increase by 2% in 2012?
Of course not.
Between last night and tonight these have been THE reasons I've been reading here as responsible for Obama's win:
1) liberal media
2) women/sluts
3) anyone else not a white male
4) Chris Christie
Please make up your minds.
What are the highlights of what pulled you left?
Conservatives have always been called liberals in other countries. Do you mean your now a socialists or a libertarian or what?
A good portion of the conservative media let us know just how unconstitutional Obama has been, and how we couldn’t let him win. You can’t say what many said, and then go back to politics as usual. It’s time to stop trying to fix a broken system within that broken systems framework. We have no good options at this point, but it’s clear we need revolutionary sized change to save anything good. It’s time for a new revolution, and that’s basically been supported by those conservatives in the media who have shown just how legitimate a revolution is at this point based on the disregard for our Constitution, and the enormous amount of soft tyranny we live under. Even if they can’t accept support calling for a revolution at this point, they have already made the case for it.
“And be of good cheer because I’m sure you guys will get another chance to eff things up eventually!”
What do you mean by “You guys” sounds like something Obama
would say.
revolution . . . as in armed insurrection, really?
that’s delusional
I’m tired of the blame game. Haven’t we heard enough of this from Obama, always pointing fingers at others?
The truth is that conservatives have failed themselves by being too complacent for too many years and allowing the far left extremists to dominate our school system. The failing public school is system is at the root of the decline of conservative beliefs.
1) still having to use HTML code in @^#$$@# 2012 on a messageboard!!
2) healthcare reform
3) iraq
4) income equality issues
5) civil rights
6) republicans getting way too close to wanting to institute virtual theocracy
1) still having to use HTML code in @^#$$@# 2012 on a messageboard!!
2) healthcare reform
3) iraq
4) income equality issues
5) civil rights
6) republicans getting way too close to wanting to institute virtual theocracy
The ABO strategy hatched by the conservative “pundits” and pushed by talk radio was pure stupidity.
People for for something, claiming voting for a ham sandwich or a plant is better than Obama as I heard many do just makes conservatives look like idiots.
Conservatives must present a strong simple message that everyone can understand and stop being seen as followers only able to be against everything the other side says.
Ideas will win the elections in the future for conservatives not the constant bashing of Obama and liberals with no clear plan for the future in the echo chamber that talk radio and the conservative media has become...
whoops, sorry for the duplicate.
There was certainly a whole lotta wishful thinking going on in the conservative camp. I admit that, skeptic though I am, I fell for some of it. Hope is a powerful temptation. But next time maybe I’ll be smarter.
Can we get a zot here? The last thing we need with this hangover is some assclown dancing a victory whoop on Free Republic.
hahaha, yes it is IronJack. :hug:
I’d like to see you guys as a strong party again because I think it’s better for the country to have at least two parties fighting ideas out.
Plus it’s a lot funner.
Yeah, because the best way to get out of the echo chamber is to zot dissenting voices. :rolleyes:
And I haven't danced a victory whoop, but I will if you want me to.
I’m sure your endorsement has been earnestly sought ...
S'cuse me if I don't buy that.
"Starting conservative" and ending up liberal is about as common as West Berliners scaling the Wall in a desperate attempt to defect to the East.
There’s another friendly, lighthearted term Obama uses when discussing the terrorists who killed 4 of our people in Benghazi. He refers to them by the kindly and inoffensive term of “folks.”
Isn’t that just swell and hunky-dorry?!
I’m not asking you to buy it. I’m just telling you what happened. If my posting history here is still available you can look it up. I was a GRPL member in good standing back during the Great Calvinist/Mormon wars too.
Ping
Conservatives have always been called liberals in other countries. Do you mean your now a socialists or a libertarian or what?
At least some of us are smart enough to see what’s coming
and will be prepared unlike the 49% who voted blindly for Obozo.
With the issues being “health care” and “income equality,” it’s clear ksen leans toward the “socialist” end of the libertarian-socialist question you posed.
All moles start out by blending in. Glad you're "out."
I have no problem with your posting here, but I think it is against the rules of the owner of the site.
Hmm?
I favor a european sort of democratic socialism.
Did he hit his head on a rock or something?
Right!
At least some of us are smart enough to see what’s coming and will be prepared unlike the 49% who voted blindly for Obozo.
What's "coming" that some of us will be "prepard" for? What does that even mean?
Hahaha, no, I didn’t hit my head on a rock. I just started reading and exposing myself to things beyond the echo chamber.
Did you vote for Gary Johnson or Obama?
where was the turnout? R turnout was terrible
It's Jim's board so he can ban me if he wants to. I'm pretty sure I haven't tried to be incendiary especially after the election since I know FR is hurting pretty hard right now.
I voted libertarian in 2008 and this time I pulled the lever for Obama.
You have this idea that a flat universal healthcare is the best way now?
Romney was just a bad candidate for you guys. He did alright during the first debate and Obama not showing up for the first debate helped him a lot. But during the second two debates and the VP debate he and Ryan didn't differentiate themselves from the Obama administration. I distinctly remember hearing them agree with Obama policies a number of times and the one that stands out the most to me is when Ryan was talking down about the stimulus and Biden hitting him with the letters Ryan sent him asking for stimulus funds for his district in order to save jobs.
And if all you're going to give people is a choice between Obama and Obama-but-not-as-hard who do you think people will vote for?
Did you steal your dad’s laptop?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.