Obama Voters
After President Obama won re-election, Ted Nugent tweeted that his supporters were “pimps, whores & welfare brats & their soulless supporters.†He went on to ask “what subhuman varmint believes others must pay for their obesity booze cellphones birthcontrol abortions & lives.†Bill O’Reilly called them the people who “want stuff,†while Ann Coulter referred to them as the “takers†of our society. Peter Morrison, the Republican Party Treasurer in Hardin County, Texas, achieved national headlines with his Facebook rant that supporters of President Obama were “maggots†and “baby-murdering, tax raising socialists.†Across the conservative blogosphere and via social media outlets, the President’s supporters have been accused of everything from stupidity to solely voting along ethnic lines.
So who are these people really? Are President Obama’s supporters made up of welfare recipients, people lacking a religious affiliation and those without a formal education- essentially the great unwashed masses? The answer is a resounding no.
Let’s look at welfare recipients first. There is a common belief among conservatives that President Obama owes his second term to entitlement programs and those who benefit from them. This is not true. People living in poverty ($15,000 a year or less) don’t make up any greater portion of the electorate than those with an income of over $200,000 a year. Both groups equate to about 6% of voters. Although there are certainly more poor people than those making over $200,000 a year, the groups vote at very different rates. It’s simply a misconception that poor people vote. Most do not. Although the poor tend to vote Democrat when they do vote, so do people making over $200,000 per year. President Obama also received 73% of the Asian American vote, and this group earns more per capita than anyone else. As to those receiving Medicare and Social Security (over 65), 56% voted for Mitt Romney.
There is also a belief among conservatives that those without a religious affiliation (i.e. the soulless baby-murderers) are to thank for President Obama’s victory. This is also not true. African Americans voted for President Obama at the rate of 93%, and Latinos at the rate of 71%. Both groups report a higher church attendance than any others. Catholics voted at a rate of 50% to 48% for President Obama, while Jewish people went with President Obama to the tune of 69%. Those voters who did not list a religious affiliation voted overwhelming for President Obama (70%) but make up less than 20% of the electorate.
The final myth is that President Obama’s supporters lack an education. The exact opposite is actually true. A majority of those with a post graduate degree voted for President Obama. Republicans and Democrats are fairly even with those having only a high school education trending Republican. As voters gain formal education they tend to vote Democrat. This is a phenomenon that has been occurring since the 1980s when those with a college degree used to vote overwhelmingly for Republicans.
Other groups who supported President Obama are young people and women. Voters from 18 to 29 voted 60% for him and voters from 30-39 voted 55% for him. Women, who make up 53% of the electorate, went with President Obama 55% of the time. Single women, who account for 23% of all voters, supported him overwhelmingly at 67%. The only groups won by Mitt Romney were white voters, who make up 72% of the electorate, but continue to shrink in numbers, and Protestants.
So, to answer the question succinctly as to who are the supporters of President Obama- it’s everybody else. And there is no relief in sight for the primarily white Republican Party. 50,000 Latinos will turn 18 every month for the next 2 decades, while women, young people and African Americans continue to turn out in record numbers.
With President Obama being so vulnerable this time, it begs the question of whether he actually won or if the policies of the Republican Party were rejected. Exit polls revealed that voters found Democrat policies more favorable to the middle class, Latinos, women and youth, and also that President Obama cared more about people like themselves. Most voters also blamed Republican policies for the current economic condition.
While Republican soul-search this week, they should look at not just the lack of inclusiveness of the party itself, but also of its policies. The United States isn’t just changing, it’s changed. Good Republican ideas have been squelched by concepts like “self-deportation†and “legitimate rape.†Responsible fiscal conservatism is just what this country needs, but the social agenda baggage needs to be checked at the door. It’s time to say good-bye to the Tea Party and hello to demographics and math.
Sources Include:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/ted-nugent-on-obama-election-twitter-rant-economic-spiritual-suicide_n_2094490.html
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/bill-oreilly-white-establishment-is-now-the-minority-people-support-obama-because-they-want-things/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/demoralized-ann-coulter-laura-ingraham-over-hope_n_2089678.html
http://www.salon.com/2012/11/09/texas_gop_official_maggots_re_elected_obama/singleton/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/17/rush-limbaugh-says-welfare-recipients-turn-out-to-vote-in-force-they-really-dont/
http://www.asian-nation.org/model-minority.shtml
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-election-20121111,0,2275455.story
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012-exit-poll
http://www.gallup.com/poll/125999/mississippians-go-church-most-vermonters-least.aspx
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/75.5.pdf
http://www.governing.com/blogs/politics/gov-political-demographic-trends-brighter-for-democrats.html