Obama's secret advantage- people's inability to admit a mistake

[JoeB131]

Also enjoy the poll...

One huge advantage incumbants enjoy. If you voted for them to start with, you usually won't admit you made a mistake, even to yourself in the privacy of a voting booth. So not surprisingly, of the seven incumbants who have stood for re-election since WWII, five actually increased their vote totals.

Eisenhower- 33 million in 1952, 35 million in 1956.
Nixon- 31 million in 1968, 46 million in 1972
Reagan 44 million in 1980, 54 million in 1984
Clinton - 45 million in 1992, 47 million in 1996
Bush-43- 50 million in 2000, 62 million in 2004

For purposes of this discussion, Truman, Johnson and Ford don't count as "incumbants", because they were filling out someone else's term.

"But, Joe," you ask, "what about the two guys who got LESS votes?" Ah, those are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Carter got 40 million in 1976, when he barely edged out Jerry Ford's 39 million. In 1980 he got 35 million. Reagan got 5 million more than Ford, but Anderson got 6 million votes. More than likely, most of those 6 million Anderson voters came out of the folks who voted for Carter four years earlier.

Bush the Elder got 48 million in 1988, but a mere 39 million in 1992. Clinton did improve his vote total over Dukakis by 3 million votes, but the real bleeding loss was the 19 million who voted for H. Ross Perot.

In short, the presense of third party candidates enabled those people to admit they had made a mistake without forcing them to vote for the opposition party.

Incidently, didn't vote for Obama, probably won't vote for him next time. (Although if the GOP nominates Romney, I won't vote GOP, either.) But I do find this interesting.

To read more...

President Elect

 

[Jackson]

Admitting you made a mistake certainly sounds more intelligent than going on with the mistake in the first place though. Stupid is as stupid does.

 

[jillian]

it wasn't a mistake given the alternative.

and you guys haven't provided anyone who is a good alternative.

so there ya go.

 

[JoeB131]

Admitting you made a mistake certainly sounds more intelligent than going on with the mistake in the first place though. Stupid is as stupid does.

I agree. But when was the last time you admitted a mistake? I don't mean a minor one. I mean when was the last time you admitted you were as wrong as three left nuts about something?

Human nature is human nature.

 

[midcan5]

Any David Deutsch readers out there? He gives an excellent analysis of third parties in 'The Beginning of Infinity,' this piece outlines the complexity of third parties.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0pZ9LTZW1g]David Deutsch on the AV Referendum (UK) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[JoeB131]

it wasn't a mistake given the alternative.

and you guys haven't provided anyone who is a good alternative.

so there ya go.

You know what, not really.

McCain was a solid guy, with decades of experience, and Democrats had praised him for years for being compassionate, fair minded and bipartisan. I always thought he was a bit too moderate, but his integrity was never in question.

Democrats always said they wished more Republicans were like McCain. Until he got the nomination, and he became the anti-Christ.

. It's really hard for me to believe he could have done a worse job than Obama.

 

[jillian]

it wasn't a mistake given the alternative.

and you guys haven't provided anyone who is a good alternative.

so there ya go.

You know what, not really.

McCain was a solid guy, with decades of experience, and Democrats had praised him for years for being compassionate, fair minded and bipartisan. I always thought he was a bit too moderate, but his integrity was never in question.

Democrats always said they wished more Republicans were like McCain. Until he got the nomination, and he became the anti-Christ.

. It's really hard for me to believe he could have done a worse job than Obama.

mccain was a solid guy in 2000. i'd have voted for him then. then he adopted all of the rightwingnut check list....

and he picked the tweeting twit as his VP... probably the most unpatriotic thing he ever could have done.

yes, he'd have done a worse job.

and i still would vote the same way.

 

[Truthmatters]

they distory the economy and give us war built on lies then lose the presidency.

They then wail about the guy who has to clean up the mess they left because hes not cleaning fast enough.

The WHOLE time they are hiding the brooms and mops and filling the trash cans with water.

Then they want us to give one of their crazy uncles the job?


Look you guys cant even field a decent candidate let alone fix what you broke.

 

[JoeB131]

it wasn't a mistake given the alternative.

and you guys haven't provided anyone who is a good alternative.

so there ya go.

You know what, not really.

McCain was a solid guy, with decades of experience, and Democrats had praised him for years for being compassionate, fair minded and bipartisan. I always thought he was a bit too moderate, but his integrity was never in question.

Democrats always said they wished more Republicans were like McCain. Until he got the nomination, and he became the anti-Christ.

. It's really hard for me to believe he could have done a worse job than Obama.

mccain was a solid guy in 2000. i'd have voted for him then. then he adopted all of the rightwingnut check list....

and he picked the tweeting twit as his VP... probably the most unpatriotic thing he ever could have done.

yes, he'd have done a worse job.

and i still would vote the same way.

I think you are proving the point of the OP. Thank you.

 

[JoeB131]

they distory the economy and give us war built on lies then lose the presidency.

They then wail about the guy who has to clean up the mess they left because hes not cleaning fast enough.

The WHOLE time they are hiding the brooms and mops and filling the trash cans with water.

Then they want us to give one of their crazy uncles the job?


Look you guys cant even field a decent candidate let alone fix what you broke.

Problem is, Obama can't fix it, either. As far as the problem, if you were the least bit honest, you'd admit BOTH parties contributed to the current mess.

 

[Ravi]

it wasn't a mistake given the alternative.

and you guys haven't provided anyone who is a good alternative.

so there ya go.

Exactly. My vote for Obama was not a mistake given that the alternative could have made Sarah Palin president.

And there is no one currently trying for the Republican nomination that would be an improvement on Obama.

 

[Claudette]

they distory the economy and give us war built on lies then lose the presidency.

They then wail about the guy who has to clean up the mess they left because hes not cleaning fast enough.

The WHOLE time they are hiding the brooms and mops and filling the trash cans with water.

Then they want us to give one of their crazy uncles the job?


Look you guys cant even field a decent candidate let alone fix what you broke.

Problem is, Obama can't fix it, either. As far as the problem, if you were the least bit honest, you'd admit BOTH parties contributed to the current mess.

Honest?? TDM?? PAALLEEAASSEE.

She can't see that her Dems are just a culpable. Its all the Reps.

In her feeble brain the Dems never voted for the wars and Frank and Dodd had nothing to do with FF and the houseing debacle. It was all Bush and the Reps.

What are you gonna do?? She's a partisan and her Dems are Golden. Obama is the greatest and he's doing a great job. LOL

 

[zonly1]

it wasn't a mistake given the alternative.

and you guys haven't provided anyone who is a good alternative.

so there ya go.

you too much of a baby to sit it through...bring your own popcorn and entertainment otherwise sthup.

 

[jillian]

it wasn't a mistake given the alternative.

and you guys haven't provided anyone who is a good alternative.

so there ya go.

you too much of a baby to sit it through...bring your own popcorn and entertainment otherwise sthup.

was that supposed to be english?

 

[Truthmatters]

they distory the economy and give us war built on lies then lose the presidency.

They then wail about the guy who has to clean up the mess they left because hes not cleaning fast enough.

The WHOLE time they are hiding the brooms and mops and filling the trash cans with water.

Then they want us to give one of their crazy uncles the job?


Look you guys cant even field a decent candidate let alone fix what you broke.

Problem is, Obama can't fix it, either. As far as the problem, if you were the least bit honest, you'd admit BOTH parties contributed to the current mess.

Honest?? TDM?? PAALLEEAASSEE.

She can't see that her Dems are just a culpable. Its all the Reps.

In her feeble brain the Dems never voted for the wars and Frank and Dodd had nothing to do with FF and the houseing debacle. It was all Bush and the Reps.

What are you gonna do?? She's a partisan and her Dems are Golden. Obama is the greatest and he's doing a great job. LOL

The word WAR was not in what they signed was it?


Now why did Bush and team LIE on TV about what the intell said?

Why did Bush and his SEC never fully impliment the protections that were written into Gram Leach Bilely?

Why was there so VERY LITTLE oversite done while the republicans controled our entire government?

Yes dems had something to do with it but REPUBLICANS designed it to happen.

 

[Truthmatters]

My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.
Grover Norquist

Read more: My goal is to cut government... at BrainyQuote

 

[Truthmatters]

List of Your States Signers signed to Grover Norquist, Controversial Americans For Tax Reform Pledge « Frederica Cade's Blog



This list is VERY long.

they are almost all republicans.

your party is lead by a man who wants to kill this country.

His tax pledge is designed to bankrupt our government so the cutting will happen and the drowning can take place.

 

[Truthmatters]

Gee wars for lies that are VERY costly and unpaid for ?

they help that Norquist idea too huh?


You are part of a plot to take this country from the people and hand it to the corporations

 

[JoeB131]

I guess TM is proving my OP, too.

For the record. No one has really said here that they are changing their mind from how they voted in 2008. That's probalby good for Obama, since he won by 10 million votes.

 

[Toro]

I supported Obama in 08 but probably won't in 12.

I supported Democrats broadly from 00 to 08 but switched back to Republicans in 10. I imagine I'll support the GOP broadly in 12, except for my Congressman, who voted against raising the debt ceiling, which was mind-boggingly stupid.