WaPo's Eugene Robinson. If you read nothing else about the election, read this.

[Stinky The Clown]

I normally do the full four paragraph excerpt. This piece is so tightly written, and so perspicaciously packed that it seemed better to just link to it and send you there. It is a 30-45 second read but worth it all.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-a-new-america-delivers-its-verdict/2012/11/08/ae348d12-29e8-11e2-96b6-8e6a7524553f_story.html?hpid=z2


edited to add link . . . duh

[seabeyond]

1. forget the link? nt

[Stinky The Clown]

4. I was so excited I forgot it

Oops

[seabeyond]

7. been there, done that. now, i am excited and gonna read. thanks. nt

[Sekhmets Daughter]

2. Link?

[Stinky The Clown]

5. ImaDummy

I was so excited I forgot it

[Sekhmets Daughter]

13. LOL

I can never get links to post...so I'm the dummy here.

[Horse with no Name]

3. No link? n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Arrrgh

I was so excited I forgot it

[Horse with no Name]

41. :)

[aaaaaa5a]

8. Outstanding article. Thanks for posting. nt

[Iris]

9. A great read. Thanks for sharing. (TIP to all - don't even go near the comments) n/t

[Delphinus]

39. Oops -

didn't read far enough of the comments to see this in time ... wow!

[freshwest]

10. What strikes me about this is that those portions of the country who *embraced* the multi-cultural

Last edited Fri Nov 9, 2012, 01:40 AM - Edit history (2)

that the rightwingers have always rejected, mocking liberals and progressives for a modern version of the melting pot, reaching out to the world and hugging it close, is what makes the difference in the attitude.

Those who knew and rejoiced in this were happy and relieved Tuesday night because the vote reflected their vision for a better America living up to its best ideals.

Those who feared and hated natural evolution in the history of mankind, are explosively angry and hysterical, because they could not stop progress.

They will soon learn the world they have been ignoring, will continue to go along fine without their permission or approval.

It was never needed, anyway.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

27. evolution!

omg! I just mentioned the E word in another post or two!

How synchronous!

[chillfactor]

11. that was an excellent read...

thank you very much for the link!

[L0oniX]

12. Great summery.

[riderinthestorm]

14. Excellent. But I have to provide a brief teaser... its delicious!

" Nationwide, roughly three of every 10 voters Tuesday were minorities. African Americans chose Obama by 93 percent, Latinos by 71 percent and Asian Americans, the nation’s fastest-growing minority, by 73 percent.

These are astounding margins, and I think they have less to do with specific policies than with broader issues of identity and privilege. I think that when black Americans saw Republicans treat President Obama with open disrespect and try their best to undermine his legitimacy, they were offended. When Latinos heard Republicans insist there should be no compassion for undocumented immigrants, I believe they were angered. When Asian Americans heard Republicans speak of China in almost “Yellow Peril” terms, I imagine they were insulted.

On Tuesday, the America of today asserted itself. Four years ago, the presidential election was about Barack Obama and history. This time, it was about us — who we are as a nation — and a multihued, multicultural future."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-a-new-america-delivers-its-verdict/2012/11/08/ae348d12-29e8-11e2-96b6-8e6a7524553f_story.html?hpid=z2

[BlancheSplanchnik]

29. thanks for the teaser.....

I'll tell ya, it wasn't only Black Americans who are disgusted with how REPUKES openly treat our President!

[Barack_America]

15. Yep, that's pretty much it. Robinson is possibly the best journalist out there.

He's pretty much the only person I will listen to without question.

I saw him on MSNBC the other day marveling about the new position of "fact checker". He said something to the effect of, "I thought that was always our job as journalists".

[Melissa G]

16. Great post!

Thanks!

[rhett o rick]

17. Great article. Thank you Stinky. nm

[JohnnyLib2]

18. Powerful article.

I suspect his perspective will be shared by historians. Thanks for posting.

[WiffenPoof]

19. Excellent Read

Particularly the first four paragraphs and the last paragraph.

Thanks for posting.

-Paige

[Cha]

20. thanks S.. Astounding! Love those People who turned out in such HUGE NUMBERS!

Look at Ohio, arguably the most hotly contested swing state. African Americans make up only 12 percent of the state population but, according to exit polls, constituted a full 15 percent of the Ohio electorate Tuesday. Blacks, in other words, were more motivated to vote than whites.

Look at Colorado. In 2008, Latinos were 13 percent of the electorate; about 60 percent voted for Obama. On Tuesday, Latinos made up 14 percent of Colorado voters — and, according to exit polls, three-fourths of them supported the president. Think that might have something to do with Romney’s “self-deportation” immigration policy? I do.

I couldn't believe how much the gops insulted our minorities..why would they do that?! mitt didn't help when he went to the NAACP and "shat on their carpet" as someone wrote. The teabagger catering philosophy Backfired Big TIME! So glad they were offended as much as I was by how the rw disrespected PBO. Ugly.

[Hekate]

21. Excellent read

Reminds me why I'm still in the afterglow!

[northoftheborder]

22. Yes, this election was about America, who we are, where we are, in history.

[bleever]

23. Another Pulitzer, he deserves.

The Force is strong with this one.

[ailsagirl]

35. Yes he does

[spanone]

24. knr

[BlackM]

25. The comment by O'Reilly is the most disgusting I've heard

The comment by O'Reilly is the most disgusting I've heard

“The white establishment is now the minority,”

No Bill, the 'white establishment' is still safely the majority, by a wide margin. But don't let that stop you from your fear-mongering racism. The simple fact is, younger voters are rejecting your 'white establishment' Jim Crow era.

I don't think the Old South brand of Republicanism will ever change it's ways, thankfully it will die out some day and shifting demographics prove not only are minorities becoming a factor but so too is the youth vote.

[radarluv]

32. Hey! Bill O'Reilly if what you say is true....

“The white establishment is now the minority,” he said Tuesday evening, before it was clear that Obama would win. “The demographics are changing. It’s not a traditional America anymore.”
Then Great!...All traditions gotta start somewhere, and hopefully your just witnessing the start of a better one!

[XtopherXtopher]

42. I'm not upset that he said that...

I'm more disappointed that a perceptive man like him spoke these words as if describing a tragedy.

Yes, the white establishment (a phrase that should make any decent person shudder) lost. The white future won. White people who care about this country more than they care about maintaining an outdated racial power structure WON, Bill. You should be celebrating the opening of a new chapter of inclusion, not lamenting the death of Mr. Crow.

[Jennicut]

44. Without some white voters voting for Obama, he would not have won.

They don't get that younger white people under the age of 45 or so really have turned on the Republican party. Especially white women. We are sick of their racist, homophobic, sexist crap as well. And we joined the Latinos and african americans and voted for Obama.

So they have lost African Americans.
They have lost a majority of Latinos.
They have lost a majority of Asians.
They have lost a majority of younger people.
They have lost a majority of single women and all women under 45.

And they think they can still come back and win a Presidential election.

[GitRDun]

48. Lol

Don't forget us old white guys that can actually think for ourselves!

[Irishonly]

26. Thank you for posting. Wonderful piece

I loved him.

[Lex]

28. Gay folks. Romney said "they have families?"

They were motivated to vote too.

[XtopherXtopher]

43. wait.... gays have families??? really??

You mean they don't spontaneously generate from flower gardens and move to Fagistan when they grow up?

You mean when you work against them, you're also working against the straight relatives and friends who love them? Against the children who depend on them? Against the communities that integrate them?

Fuck.

[aletier_v]

30. Freeper Doom. Here's the title of their companion thread...

"Why the GOP's "Demographics Problem" Meme is Bogus"

[KauaiK]

31. Robinson forgot to include women who went to the polls in record numbers.

[Skittles]

33. plenty of us white women, too

[Lugnut]

36. +100! n/t

[We are Devo]

46. I was about to say that... n/t

[ailsagirl]

34. I really love Eugene

[patrice]

37. "perspicaciously" huh! Wow! I like that.

You should take a bow for that one:

[Scuba]

38. "I think that when black Americans saw Republicans treat President Obama with open disrespect..."

"I think that when black Americans saw Republicans treat President Obama with open disrespect and try their best to undermine his legitimacy, they were offended..."


Yeah, me too.

[Warren Stupidity]

40. 55% of women voted for Obama.

The numbers are almost reversed for men, but there are significantly more women voters than men voters.

That demographic kils the GOP, combine it with the ethnic minority vote and they have a long term demographic problem that can't go away. Consider how Money Boo Boo got nominated: he ran against the Clown Posse of full out extreme right nutjobs, and he had to stake out the full set of anti immigrant, homophobic, misogynist angry white man positions in order to win. How does that change in 2016? Rubio doesn't win a primary outside of Florida. Jeb Bush has to do the Romney dance to the right. The Republican Party is stuck with the idiot they brought to the dance. The pistol packing ground standing angry racist xenophobic suburban white man is the GOP.

[XtopherXtopher]

45. Time for a new GOP, then.

We're witnessing the end of another obsolete political party.

Hope they have fun hanging out with their new friends, the Whigs.

If they really want to win national elections, they have to change. There will continue to be a party with the name "Republican" but it won't be anything like the one we know now.

[catbyte]

47. After reading Robinson's excellent piece, I clicked on Dana Milbanks's piece about

Romney's election night "celebrations". It was freaking hilarious in a pathetic sort of way, but would've been terrifying if Romney had won. Thank God, The Goddess, Mr. Peanut, Karma, us, who or whatever for rejecting those shallow, worthless people. If a reporter wanted to attend Romney's little soire, s/he had to pony up $1,000. What despicable people. It enrages me when I remember Grant Park in 2008 then compare that genuine people's celebration erupting in spontaneous, joyous celebrations compared to that constipated little soire Queen Ann threw--for a tax write-off, no doubt. Romney's got 1/2 a billion $ and he wouldn't even spring for punch and cocktail weenies for those poor reporters who had to follow Thurston and Lovey all over and listen to those smarmy stump speeches way too many times and endure the Creepiest Laugh on Planet Earth--I don't know what's on Planet Kolob, but it can't be good. Or Queen Ann and her phony, "I LOVE YOU WIMMIN!"

Let's see: Shallow, entitled, holier-than-thou elitists who are cheapskates in mind, spirit, and possessions/money as opposed to a warm, caring, compassionate, generous First Family. How was I ever able to choose?!?

What turned me off almost as much as torturing poor Seamus was reading that, as Governor, Romney insisted on using his own elevator and refused to ride with otther legislators. I know insufferable, pretentious assholes like him. We dodged a humongous, craven, lying bullet on Tuesday. To echo Queen Ann (and this time it's sincere) "I LOVE YOU, WOMEN! And men, and Hispanics, and Native Americans, and African Americans, and young people, and anyone who truly loves America and Americans."

[WillyT]

49. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[hifiguy]

50. Gene Robinson is always a voice of sanity

and moral clarity. He's up there with Krugman as one of my favorite columnists.