How Obama won in a weak economy: Voters didn't blame him

[babsbunny]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2012/1108/How-Obama-won-in-a-weak-economy-Voters-didn-t-blame-him

The economy was the big issue in the election, and Mitt Romney saw its poor condition as a point of vulnerability for Obama. But in exit polls, only 38 percent of voters blamed the president.

By Mark Trumbull, Staff writer / November 8, 2012

A number of factors are winning attention as important to President Obama’s reelection win, among them the Latino vote, a surge in young voters’ share of the electorate, and a surprise no-show by many white voters whom Republicans were counting on.

Here’s one more teensy little thing that might be added to the list: the economy.

A large majority of voters cited this as the top national issue, and the nation’s historically high unemployment rate was the big vulnerability that challenger Mitt Romney hoped to use as a lever to pry Mr. Obama out of office.

Election 2012: 12 reasons Obama won and Romney lost

[codjh9]

1. We didn't blame him, AND, I base my vote on a LOT of other issues too.

[Curtland1015]

2. Fox News was shocked by this the morning after the election.

The incredulous line "I guess people still blame BUSH for the poor economy" was uttered.

It was glorious.

[NHDEMFORLIFE]

4. GOP arrogance at its peak

In 2010, I had a conversation with a Republican co-worker discussing the economy. At one point, he said something like, "Here it comes, it's still all Bush's fault."
Of course, I answered, "It sure as hell is."
This was one of the great underplayed storylines of the campaign. Every poll in my memory over the past three years put the blame for this mess, quite rightly, at Bush's doorstep. Happily, the ignorance of their arrogance cost them, big time.

[DCBob]

3. Which is absolutely correct.

in fact the only reason it did not get much worse was because of the bold things this administration did.

[Iggy]

5. Smirky Had EIGHT Years to Wreck the Economy

thus our President deserves two terms to make the effort to fix it-- IF congress ever gets off their dead asses...

[SteveG]

6. And the Republicans during Obama's first term

did everything in their power to block, derail, cripple any and all proposals by Obama and the Democrats to get the economy moving again. Their primary objective was to cause this President to fail and they were public and proud of their efforts. They were willing to wreck and destroy this nation if it would help get Obama out of office.

[Iggy]

7. Right

a rather astute caller called into the Diane Rehm show today... he pointed out the GOP is the party of "can'ts"... "We can't afford to rebuild our infrastructure, can't afford a social safety net, can't afford a public school system, can't afford SS, can't do that, can't do anything".

that's why they LOST.

they got nothing.

[meow2u3]

8. Voters put the blame for the bad economy where it belongs

Squarely on the shoulders of the intransigent, childish, repuke Congress.