The 2012 election was, for many reasons, certainly an historic one. President Barack Obama was elected to a second term, winning many swing states after a well-fought campaign. His victory left many conservatives wondering what exactly caused Mitt Romney to lose the election.
Many believe the “Ryan effect” was a cause for many moderates to turn their backs on Romney and re-elect Obama. However, there is quite a bit more to it than that.
On election night, political conservative Andrew Sullivan appeared on The Colbert Report. Sullivan is an author and editor for The Daily Beast who continuously finds himself in opposition with the Republican Party. He is also a fervent supporter of Obama.
While many conservative pundits were left confused about the failure of Romney’s campaign, Sullivan offered insight into the real problems that are threatening to destroy the Republican Party from the inside out.
Even with donations such as the $10 million from Sheldon Adelson, who was sure he could “level the playing field” with the Democrats, Romney couldn’t win the presidency. As Sullivan put it, this proved that “money does not actually matter.”
What does matter is that the policies of the current Republican Party are unable to adapt to our changing country.
Everything about this election has called into question the future of the GOP in terms of their inability to be inclusive enough to attract the vote of growing minorities.
We are now seeing the real rift that has been growing within the Republican Party that can no longer survive if this continues. As many people have pointed out, the Republican Party has put itself at odds with moderates, ethnic minorities, women and young voters who are all changing the face of this country.
Their exclusionary attitude has only proven to be detrimental and is what lost them this election and brought into question the future of the party itself.
Colbert asked Sullivan about the possibility of “a civil war within the Republican Party” due to the many moderate Republicans who sided with Obama. “I hope so,” was Sullivan’s blunt response.
The problem with conservatism that this election has brought into light is its extremism and unwillingness to adapt and compromise.
“I want [conservatism] to be connected to reality, to what’s going on in the world, to the changing demographics of our society, the changing nature of our society, and come up with constructive proposals to help solve our problems,” Sullivan said.
It is this very shift in the country that the Republican Party has simply been unable or unwilling to face. It has become a party represented by the most extreme conservatives, bringing about its worsening isolation from the reality that the United States is rapidly changing.
Obama received about 70 to 75 percent of the Hispanic vote, which is the fastest growing minority in the country.
He also received 63 percent of the 18- to- 34-year-old vote. Even though Romney won 59 percent of the white vote, he couldn’t win the election.
What these percentages reveal is the huge shift that has taken place in the face of this country that will only continue to affect future elections.
If the Republican Party does not make serious changes in their approach to these changing demographics, they are risking their prospects for the future.
“[Romney] did not lose this election because he wasn’t conservative enough,” Sullivan said.
If anything, he tried too hard to appeal to severe conservatives. In the process, he lost the possibility of attracting votes from the new and growing voices in this country.