2012 vs 2000

[jaichind]

Looking at 2012 vs 2000, I tried to break down the vote shares between Right and Left and got

2000 Left 51.13% Right 48.85%
2012 Left 51.47% Right 48.32%

Which I found to be very close to each other.  The Right in 2012 merely underperformed relative to 2000 0.53%.  2012 was also an election where an incumbant was running from the Left and turnout was higher than 2012 which is an added disatvantage to the Right.  Even with that the vote share gap was not that large.  The main difference between 2000 and 2012, it seems to me, is that the Left did a better job of concentraing its vote on one candidate. 

[Antonio the Sixth]

Who are you counting as "left" and "right"? Is Gary Johnson counted in the right?

[jaichind]

Right is GOP, Libertarian, Reform, Constitution, Natural Law.  Left is Democratic, Green, various socialist parties,  Peace & Freedom, Justice.   I view Right and Left most in economic terms.
I just did 2004 and 2008 as well.


2000 Left 51.13% Right 48.85%
2004 Left 48.79% Right 51.17%
2008 Left 53.58% Right 46.23%
2012 Left 51.47% Right 48.32%

[Benj]

Natural Law was definitely "left" if anything, not "right", though AFAIK they didn't have real economic positions other than stuff like "If we bring our chakras into alignment, the economy will flourish." Maharishi Vedic City votes solidly Democratic now, though I suspect turnout is much worse now than in 2000, when Hagelin got 15% in Jefferson County, IA (and I think he did even better in 1992 and 1996, when "Other" got 24% and 23% in Jefferson County).

[BaldEagle1991]

I think most Libertarians would hate being called part of the "right".

[jaichind]

Did some research on Natural Law Party.  You are right, they are more Left than Right.  So I adjusted the 2000 numbers, which makes 2012 even closer to 2000 numbers.  If one looks at 1992 and 1996 and look at exit polls of Perot voters followed by breaking them down to Left and Right, I suspect the Left will be somewhere in 51-52 range. So we have six elections where the Left had a small edge in five of them.

2000 Left 51.21% Right 48.77%
2004 Left 48.79% Right 51.17%
2008 Left 53.58% Right 46.23%
2012 Left 51.47% Right 48.32%