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In reply to the discussion: This was the message from voters to the Dems... [View all]LondonReign2
(5,213 posts)94. I haven't seen any breakdown for 2014 yet, but here are the previous numbers
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/06/1003805/-Did-liberals-really-stay-home-and-cause-the-2010-rout
So I went back to the exit polls and the picture I see shows nothing like that. If you are a proponent of this claim, I challenge you for empirical proof that some set of activist liberals "took their ball and went home" or whatever metaphor you prefer to make Obama's leftward critics appear childish and immature. Inside, the evidence I found that shows this just ain't so.
http://blogforarizona.net/do-progressives-even-sit-out-elections-the-numbers-say-no/
As you can see, Democrats did slightly better with liberals in 2010 than in 2006. Had there really been a collective were-sitting-out-the-election-to-spite-Obama pout going on, then there should have been a sharp drop in the liberal participation percentage. Yet notice the 9% in moderate voter participation and the concomitant 10% increase in conservative turnout. Republicans were pumped for that election but their turnout tends to be higher in midterms anyway. Millions of moderate voters either flipped to conservative or stayed home in 2010.
As you can see, all the Democratic groups dropped, but the liberal Democrats dropped least of all
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/progressive-movement/news/2012/11/08/44348/the-return-of-the-obama-coalition/
Ideology. Liberals were 25 percent of voters in 2012, up from 22 percent in 2008. Since 1992 the percent of liberals among presidential voters has varied in a narrow band between 20 percent and 22 percent, so the figure for this year is quite unusual. Conservatives, at 35 percent, were up one point from the 2008 level, but down a massive 7 points since 2010.
Ideology. Obama received less support in 2012 from all ideology groups, though the drop-offs were not particularly sharp in any group. He received 86 percent support from liberals (89 percent in 2008), 56 percent from moderates (60 percent in 2008), and 17 percent from conservatives (20 percent in 2008).
So I went back to the exit polls and the picture I see shows nothing like that. If you are a proponent of this claim, I challenge you for empirical proof that some set of activist liberals "took their ball and went home" or whatever metaphor you prefer to make Obama's leftward critics appear childish and immature. Inside, the evidence I found that shows this just ain't so.
http://blogforarizona.net/do-progressives-even-sit-out-elections-the-numbers-say-no/
As you can see, Democrats did slightly better with liberals in 2010 than in 2006. Had there really been a collective were-sitting-out-the-election-to-spite-Obama pout going on, then there should have been a sharp drop in the liberal participation percentage. Yet notice the 9% in moderate voter participation and the concomitant 10% increase in conservative turnout. Republicans were pumped for that election but their turnout tends to be higher in midterms anyway. Millions of moderate voters either flipped to conservative or stayed home in 2010.
As you can see, all the Democratic groups dropped, but the liberal Democrats dropped least of all
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/progressive-movement/news/2012/11/08/44348/the-return-of-the-obama-coalition/
Ideology. Liberals were 25 percent of voters in 2012, up from 22 percent in 2008. Since 1992 the percent of liberals among presidential voters has varied in a narrow band between 20 percent and 22 percent, so the figure for this year is quite unusual. Conservatives, at 35 percent, were up one point from the 2008 level, but down a massive 7 points since 2010.
Ideology. Obama received less support in 2012 from all ideology groups, though the drop-offs were not particularly sharp in any group. He received 86 percent support from liberals (89 percent in 2008), 56 percent from moderates (60 percent in 2008), and 17 percent from conservatives (20 percent in 2008).
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The voters were not pouting. Ever heard of a 'vote of no confidence'? That's what voters
sabrina 1
Nov 2014
#12
No, this election was a declaration from voters that they have no confidence in their government.
sabrina 1
Nov 2014
#85
Exactly!!! And democrats will whine and while and whine. Effective action would have prevented
RKP5637
Nov 2014
#152
Thank you! And I agree, 'they' will never admit it, because they are happy with protecting their
sabrina 1
Nov 2014
#163
Then they werent paying ANY attention to what was going on, because to say ALL
randys1
Nov 2014
#127
"I've been scolded by those who think this line of thinking is poppycock" did they get their ass
jtuck004
Nov 2014
#109
If you were going to pick a leader in the Senate, whould YOU have picked Harry Reed?
Spitfire of ATJ
Nov 2014
#18
Reagan got his way because the "conservative coalition" (blue dogs and GOP) were the majority
Hippo_Tron
Nov 2014
#56
I post this a lot, because I think it is the most insightful analysis of Democratic Party principles
Maedhros
Nov 2014
#103
"...in a forced choice situation (if you don't choose someone will choose for you)"
cheapdate
Nov 2014
#138
Sounds like what my mom calls 'bite your own nose to spite your face'. AKA 3 year olds. n/t
DebJ
Nov 2014
#124
If what you say is true then the percentage of Liberals is far less than 30%...
Spazito
Nov 2014
#93
I haven't seen any breakdown for 2014 yet, but here are the previous numbers
LondonReign2
Nov 2014
#94
Again, either the percentage of Liberals is very small or they did not all come out...
Spazito
Nov 2014
#102
You might just have a point there. Voters for the most part passed progressive legislation
Autumn
Nov 2014
#6
The truth emerges for those that notice. Conservative dems just don't show up and vote!
Rex
Nov 2014
#23
It's worse than that; most people don't even know who's running what and many of them are our voters
BeyondGeography
Nov 2014
#77
They lost because they ran against themselves instead of running against the republicans
Gore1FL
Nov 2014
#16
Perhaps we should sent Obama the real message from the nation, at least many of us.
Maineman
Nov 2014
#17
Yeah, Republicans also thought they lost in 2006 because they weren't conservative enough
Recursion
Nov 2014
#21
Oh, sure, the party leaders did. I'm talking about the conservative blogosphere
Recursion
Nov 2014
#52
If Ford has a bad quarter, they don't get to shrug it off with "car buyers are stupid!".
Marr
Nov 2014
#89
That's exactly the idiotic and infantile sort of thinking which keeps putting GOP in office
Sarah Ibarruri
Nov 2014
#29
I was thinking more of undecided voters, and democratic-leaning voters when I said that.
TrollBuster9090
Nov 2014
#33
Could not believe Brownback won..but I couldn't believe Scott in my state either
florida08
Nov 2014
#113
Forget "not Liberal enough", we had candidates that barely ran as Democrats
LondonReign2
Nov 2014
#164
No.. NO "Period".. there were a lot of different factors.. and to those who stayed home and whined
Cha
Nov 2014
#60
K&R because I think you can make this overall assumption and more often than not it is correct.
NCTraveler
Nov 2014
#90
Message: You didn't motivate us. You didn't differentiate yourself enough from the gridlockers.
JPZenger
Nov 2014
#123
I think Norm Goldman is right. He said people are sick of a gov't that does nothing,
napi21
Nov 2014
#132
The numbers say "we support a republican agenda". Votes not cast are votes not counted.
arcane1
Nov 2014
#135
Logic is seeing that most Progressives didn't see either party represent them, so they stayed home
RiverLover
Nov 2014
#147
You mean spying, drones, torture, bank fraud, and putting social security on the table
whereisjustice
Nov 2014
#141