I wonder if he or his team found time to read the article in the NYT's Tuesday Science section: Academic 'Dream Team' Helped Obama's Effort

Late last year Matthew Barzun, an official with the Obama campaign, called Craig Fox, a psychologist in Los Angeles, and invited him to a political planning meeting in Chicago, according to two people who attended the session... So began an effort by a team of social scientists to help their favored candidate in the 2012 presidential election.

This election season the Obama campaign won a reputation for drawing on the tools of social science.... Less well known is that the Obama campaign also had a panel of unpaid academic advisers. The group -- which calls itself the "consortium of behavioral scientists," or COBS -- provided ideas on how to counter false rumors, like one that President Obama is a Muslim. It suggested how to characterize the Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, in advertisements. It also delivered research-based advice on how to mobilize voters.

"In the way it used research, this was a campaign like no other," said Todd Rogers, a psychologist at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a former director of the Analyst Institute. "It's a big change for a culture that historically has relied on consultants, experts and gurulike intuition."

When anybody went out to talk to people it was not just a script you talk to the people from your heart.

It is just different. Romney will never git IT. I do not know if any conservative can get IT. It is more than a win it was and is a cause.

But yeah, it wasn't your fault Mitt...

I saw that, it's stunning. I believe these "gifts" are a legitimate roll for government, that's why I voted for President Obama. I guess too many people agreed with President Obama. Hmm..... you don't think that's why Romney lost.

You can imagine for somebody making $25,000 or $30,000 or $35,000 a year, being told you're now going to get free health care, particularly if you don't have it.

Yes, getting health insurance, if you don't have it and can't get it, is a BIG DEAL.

I've had several patients die, of easily treatable diseases, because they can't get health insurance. They had huge hospital bills, being uninsured, and were so ashamed, they wouldn't go back. The security guard for our building had a stroke two weeks ago because he couldn't afford to buy his medicine for his high blood pressure. He won't be back to work for several more months.

McCain, Graham and Ayotte have come out so loudly and defiantly against Rice as a possible Secretary of State (And who knows, perhaps rightly so) but I 'm wondering if they figure that by yelling loudly that they still believe that they have lots of power.

I'm probably not explaining this very well but with Mitt and Ryan still trying to blame others for their loss, and then there is the Senator(R) in Wisconsin who is blaming same day voter registration for their loss of the State, and with McCain et al., acting as they are - when will they understand that they lost the election all by themselves with no help from anyone else.

Maybe it's just that I believe in what President Obama stands for and value what it is that he's already accomplished. Or that I'm too smart to fall for more 'trickle down' economic promises. (Why should they start working now when they haven't before?) Of maybe I'm leary as anything about the right's social agenda?

Lousiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) rebuffed Mitt Romney's claim that President Obama won reelection because of "gifts" to minorities and young voters, calling the statement "wrong."

"That is absolutely wrong," Jindal said at Wednesday's session of the annual Republican Governors Association meeting in Las Vegas, according to the Washington Examiner's Byron York. "I absolutely reject that notion."

First Christie, now Jindal. What is this world coming to?

Some are recognizing that GOP national campaigns will have to change if they want to ever see a Republican in the White House. We know that Christie has presidential ambitions. Is Jindal also considering a run in 2016?

Marshall think "red state" :)

See Mitt, Paul, it's not you - It's him.

I did not vote against you.

I voted for Barack Obama.
I voted for Joe Biden.
I voted for Michelle and Sasha and Malia.
I voted in favor of my self and my spouse and our sons and our future.
I voted in favor of the best tomorrow for America available.

You can blame polls, and weather events, and skewed electoral votes and biased media and urban minorities who supposedly want free stuff till you actually turn into the slow moving regressive elephants who represent you if you wish but no manipulating the facts.

You lost not because you are losers but because Barack is a winner.

Thank goodness he lost .

That didn't work, it was not what the citizens whated for direction and it's why the election was lost. The days of the message of the R&R team needs to be behind the party now.
I believe that those who know that the party has to change it's message and positions, those people will be the face of the true Republican party - and those politicians and voters who can't bring themselves to get on board? They will be left behind, as they should be.
This would be for the benefit of us all and for the future of our country, that there are those republican politicians who understand the need for the GOP to become progressive and a positive, forward thinking driving force in this new decade.

From little things said quickly and quietly without fanfare by a few powerful people in the GOP in the last couple of years, I suspect they were preparing for this new day of rebuilding the GOP. Perhaps they understood the need that this last gasping failure of a Presidential election cycle was necessary in order to drain the ugly poison out of the party in order to allow for room and reason.
Now some new faces, messages and positions can finally direct the party to the grand and dignified state the entire country deserves.

This is and has been my great wish and hope for the Republican party. Not just Republicans, but ALL will benefit if the necessary changes takes place.
The country needs a healthy, wise and progressive two- party system in place for the best overall governing of the nation.

All my opinion and sincere hope.

In conversations at the Republican Governors Association confab in Las Vegas, a half dozen party leaders predicted the GOP will lose again if it keeps running the same playbook based on platitudes in place of detailed policies. Instead, they asserted, the party needs to learn the lessons from its loss, respect voters' savvy and put forward an agenda that appeals beyond the while, male voters who are its base.

"We need to acknowledge the fact that we got beat," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said in an interview. "We clearly got beat and we need to recognize that."

"We need to have a brutal, brutally honest assessment of everything we did," Barbour said. "We need to take everything apart ... and determine what we did that worked and what we did that didn't work."

Other potential White House contenders such as Jindal, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker were outlining a vision for the party in coming elections.

"We need to figure out what we did right and what we did wrong, how we can improve our tone, our message, our technology, our turnout - all the things that are required to win elections," McDonnell said. "We are disappointed, but we are not discouraged."

With polls in hand and shifting demographic trends in mind, these Republicans are looking at how best to position the party to make inroads with growing numbers of Hispanic, black and young voters who overwhelmingly voted Democratic last week. The Republicans were still smarting over constant criticism of Romney from Obama and Vice President Joe Biden - and what they saw as Romney's often ineffective response.

In the hallways at the conference, the governors and their top advisers uniformly blamed Romney's loss on an uneven communications strategy. They said Romney allowed himself to be branded a corporate raider who put the interests of the wealthy above those of middle-income voters.

"We didn't have effective means by which to counter the attacks the Obama-Biden campaign took against Mitt Romney and his team," Walker said. "I just don't think you can let that go unanswered."

Jindal, however, attributed Romney's loss to a lack of "a specific vision that connected with the American people."

"His campaign was largely about his biography and his experience," Jindal said. "But time and time again, biography and experience is not enough to win an election. You have to have a vision, you have to connect your policies to the aspirations of the American people. I don't think the campaign did that and as a result, this became a contest between personalities and - you know what? - Chicago won that."

Romney said his campaign, in contrast, had been about "big issues for the whole country." He said he faced problems as a candidate because he was "getting beat up" by the Obama campaign and said the debates allowed him to come back.

The Republican nominee didn't acknowledge any major missteps and said his team had run a superb campaign.

It shows what kind of leader Romney would have been. It truly would have been a country where if you're not in that 1%, well then you are on your own. Do not expect the leader of your country to try and put in place any policies that would help you. The leader only helps himself and his rich buddies!

How dare people that are not rich demand health insurance!

How dare peoe who were brought here as babies by no doing of their own be allowed to stay and have a path to citizenship.

The nerve of "you people"!!

Thank goodness we voted for a different path.

Want to win minorities over? Try not thinking of your fellow citizens as "them", or as "minorities", neither of which is true. "They" are us.

Mitt and his party think that free stuff, tax breaks and interest forgiveness should go only to corporations and billionaires

This cannot be said loudly enough, Kitchenwitch! It is patently obvious to any voter who the recipients of Romney's "free gifts" are. Given a choice between spending my tax money on health care for those who cannot afford it, and extra profit for those who can, I've gotta go with health care, Vannah.

"This cannot be said loudly enough, Kitchenwitch! It is patently obvious to any voter who the recipients of Romney's "free gifts" are. Given a choice between spending my tax money on health care for those who cannot afford it, and extra profit for those who can, I've gotta go with health care, Vannah. "

Worth repeating!

Kate

Romney is also delusional thinking that America is all about Old White Men. Let's keep that line of thinking into 2016!

Ryan Sees Urban Vote as Reason G.O.P. Lost

"The surprise was some of the turnout, some of the turnout especially in urban areas, which gave President Obama the big margin to win this race," Mr. Ryan said in an interview...

But pointing to urban voters for the Republican failure to win last week does not take into account that the Republican ticket also lost big in some rural, mostly white states, like Iowa and New Hampshire.

And there is little proof from the results of the election that urban turnout over all played the decisive role in swing states like Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia or Wisconsin, where Mitt Romney lost in Mr. Ryan's suburban home district.

"What Paul Ryan misses is that the Republicans have been losing the urban vote for a long, long time," said Marc Morial, the president and chief executive of the National Urban League. "Now they are losing the suburban vote, too. They are becoming more urban in their character, in their makeup, in the problems."

From the L.A. Times - Obama campaign's investment in data crunching paid off: No other presidential campaign has relied so heavily on the science of analytics, using information to predict voting patterns. Election day may have changed the game.

But the smarter ones (Charles Krauthammer, for example)have already come out to say that unless the GOP attracts the Latino vote, they will not succeed. They are going to make a big play for the Latino vote, many of whom are Catholic and more socially conservative (probably pro-birth, at least).

"I’m actually gonna " I’m not familiar precisely with exactly what I said, but I stand by what I said, whatever it was. I’ll go back and take a look at what was said there."

Big tick on my intake sheet if he was coming into any kind of rehab for anything!
As a technique in speaking it may be a lubricant to move you past a point but it's a pretty nice picture window of evasion & someone who speaks & will not remember that which is inconvenient or that which would paint them in a bad light (doesn't remember) is not quite the same as an outright lie.

Elizabeth Loftus (The Myth of Repressed Memory) would have a field day with this.

Romney remembered fondly the Golden Anniversary of the Automobile.

DETROIT "When Mitt Romney regaled a Michigan audience this week with childhood memories of a landmark moment in Detroit history, it was a rare instance of emotional candour.
And, perhaps, an even rarer example of time travel.
Romney recalled he was “probably 4 or something like that” the day of the Golden Jubilee, when three-quarters of a million people gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the American automobile.
“My dad had a job being the grandmaster. They painted Woodward Ave. with gold paint,” Romney told a rapt Tea Party audience in the village of Milford Thursday night, reliving a moment of American industrial glory.
The Golden Jubilee described so vividly by Romney was indeed an epic moment in automotive lore. The parade included one of the last public appearances by an elderly Henry Ford.
And it took place June 1, 1946 " fully nine months before Romney was born.
The timelines suggest Romney could well have been conceived that day. But it is inconceivable he was actually there.

It's an implantation of a false memory probably one he's fondly remembered on a number of ocassions.
Right now I hear him creating new memories (defenses, excuses as to why he wasn't (fill in the blank)

His class mates remembers him leading a pack to cut that other fellows hair (I bet he is unable to bring it to mind) as it would clash with his self concept.!

Yes - absolutely. That picture of Romney was FIRMLY planted in my conscience. By the Democrats? - maybe. But more so, I think, by Romney's 47% speech. That little speech was the most sincere-sounding speech I ever heard from Mitt Romney. The Democratic election machine didn't put those words into his mouth...

"Jindal, however, attributed Romney's loss to a lack of "a specific vision that connected with the American people."

Also true. Romney's plans were always vague, never filled in - except when they didn't add up.

But neither analysis even mentioned his constant flip-flopping. It's OK to change your mind, necessary even. But Romney's message was ALWAYS changing to fit whatever race he was in. From "Massachusetts Moderate" to "severe conservative" -- Who IS this guy? Who's the real Romney? Or IS there even such a thing. (My own conclusion became that he was a chameleon, changing his colors to fit his environment.) But our president needs to have rock-solid principles - What are Mitt's?

Once upon a time, I was a Republican. And one day, I'd like to be able to vote for Republican candidates again without fearing for the social welfare of my family. (I live in Texas after all...) But not THIS Republican party.

Our country NEEDS a viable two-party political system to keep it on course. The 'pendulum' needs to periodically swing in both directions to keep us on the best course. But the current Republican party is just way too wacko to be viable. They need a serious course correction. The moderate right needs to mobilize, become visible, become vocal.

It's about the demographics, stupid....

Every time this man opens his mouth it becomes very clear we dodged a bullet that could have taken this country into a very dangerous position.

But I think in his mind there will never be enough so mentally he will not be financially a happy fellow.

From his record and the little financial disclosure it appeared he enjoyed the game of avoiding distributing as less as possible to the country he enjoys the benefits of living in a beautiful County.

I don't think they can believe the gravy train is about to be derailed. They've cultivated it for so long, and had what they thought were going to be permanent places in line at that trough.

They have looked down upon the masses for so long as the source that kept the gravy train running and the trough filled... that now, it's mind boggling to think the pedestal they've been standing on for so long might not be as sturdy as they thought.

They're looking around helplessly for someone to blame. Their carefully constructed and well cultivated plans are coming to an end.

It's the regressive mindset--scapegoating is one of the basic character traits. So, not really surprising.

Black & white, shallow, entrenched thinking. His party has learned nothing. GOP RIP.

-Ron-

How much power do the Republicans actually have right now. It seems that when I hear Obama speak that he is speaking with a new found strength and confidence. He is speaking like a man in the drivers seat, like a man with all the power and the Republicans are still trying to find excuses as to why he is there - as if he didn't win fairly and somehow "stole" the election. The Republicans are making an awful lot of noise as is they are trying to remind people that "hey, we're still here and we're the ones who are in the power seat". Are they fooling themselves? I think they are. Let's see how far they push Obama with the upcoming budget/fiscal cliff issues. That will say alot.

My favorite part:

But the most hilarious thing to see is how many of the whitest states in America the white guy lost to the black guy.

See, if you accept Romney's theory that minorities were a prime reason he lost, then he should have cleaned up in the Electoral College in those really, really, really white states.

Let's take a look:

Maine, 94% white: Obama

Vermont, 94% white: Obama

New Hampshire, 92% white: Obama

West Virginia, 93% white: Romney

Iowa, 88% white: Obama

North Dakota, 88% white: Romney

Wyoming, 85% whtie: Romney

Idaho, 83% white: Romney

Nebraska, 82%white: Romney

Ohio, 81% white: Obama

Utah, 80% white: Romney

That means of 11 really, really, really white states, Obama won five and Romney won six. So Mitt, if it's just about those minorities, what happened?

And, an excellent conclusion:

Well, Mitt, America should be thankful minorities and young people rejected your nonsense. We need a president who offers a vision for a more inclusive America, not one who sees health care, college loans and an initiative to deal with immigration reform as "gifts."

Well, depends. If you believe, as some do, that life begins at conception then there he was, Mitt at the initial cell division stage, cheering on the parade from the womb.

Well, depends. If you believe, as some do, that life begins at conception then there he was, Mitt at the initial cell division stage, cheering on the parade from the womb.

And remembers it very clearly, but doesn't remember cutting off the hair of a gay classmate when he was a teenager. Yup, makes perfect sense...in Fantasyland, aka Romney World.

I suspect that the almost 50% of Americans who did NOT vote may more likely fit into that category and I'm betting a huge number of them are white.

My guess is the grandkids are being indoctrinated into the same beliefs as Grandpa and sons.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in Mitt Romney's family.

From what little I've read and heard, Mitt's apple didn't fall close enough to George Romney's tree -- at least as far as releasing income tax returns.

Stay the course...

Thanks, Mitt for showing the real you. Well you showed it before but people did not want to believe. Also, the only gift Barack offered me was higher taxes and I still voted for him anyway. I must be CRAZY.

...just trying to attract some of our resident "conservatives" to this thread.

B & B

Everyone is throwing Romney under the bus, and I couldn't be happier about that. My Governor, who I don't like, has joined in.

But, the Republicans, oh wait I mean Independents here, will never admit their guy was a loser from day 1.

From The Daily Kos with no article, no explanation attached... "My dear Haley if you are proposing an attempt to cure conservative a$$h***s, you have a mission that dwarfs the Normandy Invasion."

What 'free birth control'????? How do you get through to these people-birth control covered by insurance. Write it down three times-birth control covered by insurance, Birth control covered by insurance, birth control covered by insurance.

If Hispanic/Latino people have a problem with the Republican party over immigration issues then why did they vote in such large numbers for the head of the administration that deported more illegal Hispanic/Latinos than any other administration in the history of America?
Does anyone remember the other part of that 47% speech when Mitt made jokes about the advantages he would have if he were actually Mexican rather than just having a father who was born there?

If you are contemptuous of the people you want to govern, some of them are going to take umbrage.

Time to move forward.

Even the conservatives here went from one candidate to another before almost reluctantly settling on Romney. Their first choices were Santorum, Cain and Gingrich!!

If the party was not totally dominated by the extreme right they would have embraced Huntsman and I believe with support from the party he could have beat Obama.

The Republicans/ Conservatives really need to find good middle of the road leadership or they are toast for a very long time.

Even if they had still lost, (as I suspect they would have) the dialoge would have been entirely different from what it was and remains.

The dialoge would be different today, too, elevating the GOP's position imo.

What a shame some thought (with paranoia?) that Jon Huntsman was too well respected by democrats, so they decided to go another way, 'eh?

Respect does not equal agreement.

An inmportant point some forgot. And thus, went through the rest of that silly list with such strange and defensive enthusiasm until they landed on.....Romney! And then he chose....Ryan!

Coulda had Huntsman!
Shoulda, too.

I don't believe the evangelical wing of the party will make the call in the primaries next time. The centrists/moderates are waking up and hopefully, for conservatives, will take their party back!

Until they figure out that the demographics have changed and they cannot be the party of exclusion, they will remain in exile. They can't just say they are inclusive. They have to prove it with their actions. Romney continues to hurt that cause everytime he opens his mouth.

I hope he keeps talking.

But Huntsman explained, in his announcement speech, given with the Statue Of Liberty in the background (perhaps still exists on youtube) that he respected Obama as a person but disagreed with his policy and thus, would not spend his time trashing Obama the MAN, like everyone else already was.

And because of that, the deal was sealed.

He was punished by being ignored - , by everyone - except for 1% of the conservative voters, and only sometimes by them. I do believe there was a time his approval rating didn't even register. If the conservative wasn't willing to beat Obama verbally and with great distain, he would not be considered by anyone at all.

This attitude explains a LOT about what it is that tiny but determined GOP leadership faces in the reconstruction of the very face the GOP, in order to save it's very life. But I do have hope it can be accomplished because the conservative voter now knows that what they tried and were so sure of success would be - failed. And they want to win, so now is the time that small sect of leadership can convince the voters that another path and attitude MUST be embraced, or they will fade into obscurity.

The cast of characters the GOP presented as candidates were sooooo pitiful...Newt, Bachman, dumb Perry, a pizza guy, looney tunes Santorum,... no one liked Romney, but the others imploded on their own and he was the last man standing. Issues aside, I could not personally stand the man. He was aloof, out of touch, and condescending. I dislike Ryan even more and hope he's history in 2014. He's a scary little dude. I personally hope they don't change course. Hillary can just breeze in.

This is what happens when you send all those missionaries out to spread the gospel. Those converts don't vote the way you expect them to vote.

Tee Hee Hee ;-)

Lately I've seen some interesting murmurs from Christian sites expressing concern about the far right and how 'Christian' it really is also. Could be there's some hope for a 'Charity also means charitable thoughts and doesn't necessarily NOT mean through government programs' school of thought to reemerge.

Romney lost for many reasons one of which is people voting for who they believe will benefit themselves the most. Like it or not, Obama has increased benefits so it is in the best interests of those who receive those benefits to vote for him. So, it's not the sole reason nor is it the primary reason he lost but it is one of the reasons.

Imagine that...a President doing his job and putting policies in place to benefit the average American! And people voted for him because he did that! What is this country coming to when we the voters value that over giving tax breaks to the wealthy and big business? (*sarcasm*)

Not to mention the oil and gas companies after federal (read 'our') mineral rights.