'Gifts': The legitimacy of self-interested voting

Adios, dude! In analyzing the reason for his overwhelming presidential election defeat at the hands of President Barack Obama, Republican nominee Mitt Romney proved that he was as much of a dick after the vote as he ever was before it.

Rather than discuss the Republican Party's extremism on social issues as a contributing factor, or his support for unaffordable tax cuts for the wealthy, or his own personal failings such as the infamous video wherein he dismissed nearly half the American populace, or his stunning lack of consistency on just about every major issue during the campaign, Romney chose to lay the blame for his loss squarely at the feet of President Obama's "gifts" to the constituencies that gave him overwhelming support. In his conference call remarks, Romney specifically mentioned the contraceptive mandate, the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, and DREAM Act legislation as reasons why young people, women and Latinos turned out in numbers that his campaign did not expect, and used their votes to overwhelmingly support the president:

'With regards to the young people, for instance, a forgiveness of college loan interest, was a big gift,' he said. 'Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women. And then, finally, Obamacare also made a difference for them, because as you know, anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents' plan, and that was a big gift to young people. They turned out in large numbers, a larger share in this election even than in 2008.

'The president's health care plan, he added, was also a useful tool in mobilizing African-American and Hispanic voters. Though Mr. Romney won the white vote with 59 percent, according to exit polls, minorities coalesced around the president in overwhelming numbers ' 93 percent of blacks and 71 percent of Hispanics voted to re-elect Mr. Obama.

'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, getting free health care worth, what, $10,000 per family, in perpetuity, I mean, this is huge,' he said. 'Likewise with Hispanic voters, free health care was a big plus. But in addition with regards to Hispanic voters, the amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called Dream Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group.'

By viewing these issues essentially as bribes'the modern-day equivalent of Roman emperors handing out free bread to keep the rabble in line'rather than in terms of their intended policy consequences, Romney proved once again that he is completely out of touch with the economic realities of everyday Americans. The contraceptive mandate, for instance, will not only empower women economically, but also lead to a decline in unwanted pregnancies. Extending the age of eligibility for coverage of dependents will make sure that more young people, who often have a hard time finding jobs that provide health benefits, will have coverage; this is a win-win. President Obama's decision to not deport certain young undocumented immigrants at the very least allows those individuals to participate in this country's social fabric, helping our economy in the process. And lastly, on the Affordable Care Act in general, it is obvious that Mitt Romney has never had to worry about whether his family would be able to afford to go see a doctor, or known anyone who has suffered the burden of enormous medical debt because they did not have access to affordable insurance.

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