WHY WE LOST SO BADLY

This is probably the best single factor explanation:

In 2012, voters between 18 and 29 years old made up 19 percent of the electorate and voted for Obama by 60 to 37 percent. Voters from 30 to 44 years old made up 27 percent and backed Obama 52 to 45. That’s almost half the electorate. In the preliminary exit polls yesterday (the exit polls are adjustment to reflect the final results), these voters made up only 32 percent of the electorate. The 18- to 29-year-olds backed Democrats by 55 to 42 percent and the 30- to 44-year-olds backed Democrats by 52 to 46 percent.

Now look at the flipside. Voters 45-to-64 and 65 and over went for Mitt Romney in 2012 and for Republicans this year. They made up 54 percent of the electorate in 2012 but a whopping 67 percent on Tuesday.