50.6% to 47.8% is, I don't know, weird...

[redgreenandblue]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/obama-elected-2012_n_2084515.html

Not sure whether those are the final official numbers, but I suppose they are pretty accurate.

Just seems to be strange to me. Leaving aside the fact that strategically (through electoral vote) it can be called a landslide, the numbers for the popular vote are a little frightening.

So basically, the rape discussions, the "47% parasites" remark, the forced haircut, the dog on roof, the constant lies, the Sandra Fluke episode, Obama's solid record and "Sandy" and debate bumps, in sum, yield barely a 3% margin in America.

I don't really know what to think. Sure, it is great that the election was won, but somehow these numbers suggest that the country has a long way to go.

[BlueCaliDem]

1. They're not done counting in most states, including CA.

We need to wait for the election vote total certifications first, I guess.

[sally5050]

2. Think Election Fraud, vote suppression and other very scary tactics

obama missed this grand opportunity to weed out Karl Rove's sincerely devastating election fraud tricks.

rove and romney were surprised for a very good reason.

the real popular vote was likely closer to 20%, that is consistent with brainwashed extreme religious types who prefer a religious zealot that supports their view of the world (romney) than obama.

check into the threads on how a wireless patch was put on hart intercivic machines in 3 states days before the election.
check into the threads here and elsewhere on voter suppression including GOP operatives from florida saying money and strategy went into that instead of GOP get out the vote (meaning they know there aren't enough GOP voters to GET OUT).

but even if that # is 20-30% , it's a scary number. but in my own family only 2 are democrats and the rest are fearful republicans.

fear wins out over sanity every time.

we must teach our children to battle the inner demons of fear which might drive them to behave like a sorry republican.

[Flashmann]

3. the country has a long way to go.

Yes it does......47.8% are WAY too many stupid people....

[godai]

4. Compared to Bush (500 and 70K 'victories'), it is a landslide.

Rove and co. divided the country and so it remains. Red states are very red.

[malthaussen]

5. 45% of the female vote is what bugs me the most

If the assaults by the GOP on the distaff voters could only persuade 55% of them to vote Democratic, then something is seriously wrong with their diets.

-- Mal

[redgreenandblue]

10. That struck me too.

Seriously, 45 percent, after "legitimate rape" and what happened to Sandra Fluke??

[David__77]

6. Reagan, who was 100 times worse than Romney, won in a landslide twice.

I'd say that the country is making progress. Reagan was a nut who could have easily led humanity to thermonuclear annihilation. His cabal was an evil mix of Birchers, racists, and Friedmanite radicals. Romney could not hope to be so evil.

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. 332 electoral votes is a landslide by any metric. The president has a +4 mil popular vote spread.

People should stop obsessing about the numbers at this point. Remember a little rain event called Sandy? It devastated certain blue regions of the country, which may account for a 2-3% deficit in the popular vote. There were also people who were just utterly confused and exasperated by the GOP's efforts, in many states, to suppress the vote. There's no way to know how many people, after hearing all the news, and seeing the hours long lines outside the polling places, decided just not to participate.

My belief is that this election would have been much closer to the '08 results if not for Sandy and GOP voter intimidation. JMHO.

[Ter]

9. I'd say 400, but there is no real definition to what is or what isn't

I personally think the last landslide was 1988. If we use the term to much, like 1992, 1996, 2008, and 2012, it cheapens it. I'm starting to think there will never be another true landslide again.

[Tarheel_Dem]

11. When some analysts were laying odds that the president would cobble together enough EV's to just....

break 270, I'm gonna stick with "LANDSLIDE", which = MANDATE. But thanks anyhoo.

[bluestate10]

8. Hate for this President runs deep among many americans.

They won't come out and say it, but many of Romney's voters would not vote for a Black and many would not vote for a woman, Hispanic or Asian, regardless of the person's ability. I would put that number as high as half of Romney's vote count, that would work out to around 25% of all americans.

President Obama has a lot to like. He is a big family man. Went through marital problems, but is in a clearly strong marriage and he loves his wife. He cares about the country. He is respectful toward his opposition, even when they say horrible things about him and behaves badly in his presence. And he is as smart as Clinton and is one of the smartest Presidents that the nation has had in 100+ years, I put hm in the category with Clinton, FDR and Teddy R in terms of intellectual abilities. The President's accomplishments lag FDR's a bit, but my sense is that he has surpassed Clinton and is flush with Teddy Roosevelt.