The media did not report on food inflation - there was no "misery index." Mitt, shockingly, did not bring up the issue much.
Food stamps inflate the cost of food - when you are paying with real money in a market flooded with play money, food prices go up.
No one cared about point 2, above, so long as they got theirs.
When you get into a bidding contest of who's going to give away more free stuff, the socialist wins. Mitt missed the chance to argue for lowering health costs and lowering the cost of education (and food, and energy).
The media covered for O on so many issues - inflation, the failure of the Arab Spring (Benghazi), poor job numbers, the crippling effects of gov regulation on the economy
People are apathetic
There is some disparity in motivated R voter turnout vs voting results which I do not understand yet.
You cannot ignore the power of an extremely biased media upon an under-educated electorate. I think the post-mortem will also show that the “war on women” tipped the scale. The country is 50% divorced from its strong work ethic and about 2/3 divorced from a right to life.
I live in Oklahoma, the reddest red state in the Union, and I got my ass out and stood outside an hour and a half to vote because it is my duty. Every man is a microcosm of this nation because liberties are God-given and live in every individual. Vote.
That was before the “freeze and starve in the dark” headlines started setting in. The news now is “where's the help?” People are scrounging dumpsters for food, pooping in apartment hallways, waiting in mile-long lines for gas, and unions are turning away non-union utility company help. These are the headlines people associate with Sandy now.
Gee, Big Government DIDN'T make it all better??? Sorry. There was no problem finding fuel for Air Force One to jet in for a quick photo op, but the rest of you folks enjoy them gas lines. Big Brother Cares.
Thanks very much for your story from Harrisburg. It gives me a lot of hope. I have a few friends and relatives in Philly and probably only see the bleak side of things. I hate the phrase “We still have a few precincts in Philadelphia left to report...” (You can substitute any liberal enclave in a closely-split state here: St. Louis, etc. - they all seem to “report late”). LBJ knew why. Kennedy knew why. But I am encouraged now more than before.