Saw this revealing analysis today on a conservative anti-Trump web site that shall remain unnamed . I paraphrased the analysis below. It’s a good, short back of the napkin analysis but explains a lot:
2012 election approx votes rounded to nearest million:
Obama votes: 65M
Romney votes: 60M
2016 election:
Clinton votes: 60.4M
Trump votes: 60.0M
(Updated 4:53 PM on 11-11-16.)
Bottom line: 4.5M votes fewer for Clinton in 2016 compared to Obama in 2012. Trump received fewer votes than Romney in 2012. So much for the angry white male theory from the MSM. (Updated to 4.5M.)
Republican strategy has always been to make campaigns as nasty and negative as possible to drive down the vote from idealistic Democratic voters. Looks like it worked.
Plus the Democrats have always done better with fresh faces. Remember Jimmy Carter in 1976, John Kennedy in 1960, Bill Clinton in 1992, Obama in 2008, Robert Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy in 1968 — fresh faces to the voters with fresh change ideas and without a lot of baggage.
It sure looks like an enthusiasm gap.