..... Perhaps distance clouds your perceptions of the recent US presidential campaign. Religion was manifestly NOT a part of any candidate's campaign. Support for Romney by the Mormon community is no more surprising than the support displayed by Catholics for Kennedy or by Greek Orthodox for Dukakis. Post election commentary alleges that Romney's Mormon background actually cost him support among the large US Evangelical community.That depends on what you call extreme. To me any person actively involved in promoting a religion - whatever that religion is as I am atheist - is unattractive. That was my main objection to Romney. You may say that he didn't push his religion during his campaign, but it was always in the background and was used where it was to his advantage, such as in Utah where he achieved some 70%+ of the vote.
The hispanic vote is rapidly growing, and a larger proportion of it is leaning towards the Republican values of anti-socialism, self-reliance and private enterprise, especially in the southern and western states, yet a large part of the Republican Party doesn't want their support because they are not within the WASP stereotype.
..... That sentiment may well prevail in certain precincts ofthe Republican party, but the degree to which it does across the party in its entirety is unclear.
..... The immigration question in the US can be boiled down to this: should the USA have an orderly immigration policy, or should it just throw the door open indiscriminately? The Right believes in the former; the Left believes in the latter.The handling of the immigration issue was handled with a bullet headed insensitivity.
..... Can't prove it, but, considering that FL has a Republican governor and legislature, large scale vote fraud in the urban districts may have had a hand in things.Romney couldn't even win in Florida, whereas Jeb Bush won the goverorship with ease.
..... This is rather a LONG reach. CA is one of bluest of the blue states.Romney couldn't carry the state of California yet Arnie could.
..... This is an even LONGER reach. MA is the bluest ofthe blue states. I live here. We call it "Marxachusetts"Romney couldn't carry his home state, yet Reagan did so twice.
..... I quite agree. These election results do not add up. Nor do they track with recent trends. My unprovable suspicion is vote fraud in the urban districts. Read about the shenanigans which occurred in Philadelphia on election day, where Republican poll watcher were physically driven from the poll sites and some wards showed returns of 99.5% votes for 0bama. Statistically impossible IMHO.The Republicans threw away this election. To me Obama looked a lot weaker than four years ago, when he allowed the media to promote him on the basis of his alleged skin colour. That bias was lacking this time and he looked vulnerable.
B