The most important election statistic was the large majority of women who sided with Obama. The percentage was 55%, well above the president’s margin of victory.
The Republicans have no one to blame but themselves. The Republican Party continues to proclaim it is anti-big government, and yet certain radicals in the party continue to bang the drums against Roe v. Wade and gay marriage. They say the government must actively regulate our private lives in these areas.
The right of a woman to choose is etched into our society, and it is highly improbable that it will be overturned regardless of the future composition of the Supreme Court. For one thing, it will be impossible for Republicans to fill the court with anti-abortion judges over Democratic objections and in any case women will "punish" Republicans who support radical nominees. It seems strange to me that anti-abortion Republicans continue to showcase this issue, as opposed to just expressing their preference. The impact is that the women’s vote is essentially written off, and so their presidential candidate rendered almost unelectable, even before the campaign begins.
Romney really could not win the 2012 election. The Republican Party must move away from its anti-social agenda and be more tolerant. Right wing fanatics make up a relatively small percentage of the Republican Party but their influence over the party’s platform is huge. It is clearly not a situation that the American electorate appreciates or even understands.
Obama should have been very beatable in 2012. He won a presidential election even though his policies were unpopular and his performance was dismal but the far right, the religious right, just had to tell the world how they felt on social issues.
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