Also, I just read yesterday, all votes tallied, Obama is first President since Eisenhower to win 2nd term with over 50 percent (51 percent I think) of vote. Also, he's the first Democrat to do so since FDR.
TIS
Obama is now also the 2nd President post-WW2 to win re-election with unemployment over 6%. The first one was Ronald Reagan.
Also, Obama in New York this year scored the highest vote total for any Presidential nominee since 1964. In New Jersey he scored the highest vote for a Democratic candidate since '64.
In just 4 states (Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, & Ohio) the winning ticket's margin of victory was less than 5%. This is the smallest # of states below that threshold since 1984. (Reagan had 3 states within 5 points.)
In 2004, when Dubya was re-elected by popular vote gap of 3 points, 11 states were decided by fewer than 5 points. In 1976, when 20 states were within 5 points.
What does all this mean? Are we becoming more and more polarized?
18 states and D.C. (242 electoral votes) have gone Democratic in the last 6 national elections. Twenty-two states (180 electoral votes) have voted Republican in the past four elections.
TIS, California in '12 is a real sign of the times. The state of Nixon and Reagan, once upon a time a GOP stronghold, Romney this year couldn't even clear 40%. Obama trounced him by 23 points. GOP haven't won that state since '88.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-03/final-tally-shows-obama-first-since-56-to-win-51-twice.html
