Pundits Wrongly Predicting Romney Landslide Trashed Online
George Will, Karl Rove and Michael Barone were targeted after networks called President Obama's re-election victory.
President Obama might have won the re-election, but days earlier, several pundits were crowing that Mitt Romney would be victorious, some even declaring that Romney would win comfortably. On Election Night, the Internet worked up a firestorm calling them out.
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George Will made an appearance this past weekend on ABC News' This Week With George Stephanopoulos, predicting that Romney would unseat Obama with a 321-217 Electoral College vote. “I’m projecting Minnesota to go for Romney,” Will said at the time. “It’s the only state that’s voted Democratic in nine consecutive elections, but this year, there’s the marriage amendment on the ballot that will bring out the evangelicals, and I think it could make the difference.” On Election Night, Obama won Minnesota.
Like Will, earlier this month Michael Barone predicted a similar 315-223 electoral vote count, swaying Romney's way. Karl Rove also predicted that Romney would take at least 279 electoral votes; on Election Night, he said on Fox News Channel that Obama's winning declaration was "premature." They weren't the only ones strongly predicting a Romney presidential victory; Dick Morris wrote on his website in August: "The trend line is distinctly pro-Romney. Of the thirteen states studied, he improved or Obama slipped in nine states while the reverse happened in only four. To read the media, one would think that Romney had a terrible month. In fact, the exact reverse is true."
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When networks like MSNBC began projecting Obama as the winner at around 8:15 p.m. PST, pundits wrongly predicting a Romney landslide were taken to task on the web.
Aziz Ansari tweeted: "Karl Rove bout to give a Suge Knight style BEAT DOWN to the dude who was supposed to rig the machines."
Greg Berlanti wrote: "That awkward moment when Karl Rove's bullshit doesn't even work on Fox News Anchors..."
Frank Rich tweeted: "Does @ABC have any obligation to hold George Will accountable for his prediction of 321 Mitt EVs? A serious news org must."
Sean Collins tweeted: "Karl Rove is a war criminal. Remember that."
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William Richardson wrote Tuesday evening: "Barbara Walters is painful to watch on so many levels. Seriously ABC, why drag that bag of bones and George Will out of senior living home"
"Oh good. George Will is on ABC. They can ask him about his Romney landslide prediction," Peter Hart tweeted.
Daniel McCarthy said: "What happened to Peggy Noonan's vibrations? George Will? Michael Barone? Titans of conservative journalism, not GOP hacks, right?"
"Karl Rove vs. Michael Barrone on Fox News...Rove refuses to concede and it is causing chaos with the staff," observed a Twitter user with the name PierreNapoleonLaVoie.
"Michael Barone is going to punch Karl Rove in the waddle," said Luke Ryan.
"Karl Rove lost. Dick Morris lost big. Michael Barone lost huge," tweeted Toure.
"RIP Karl Rove," wrote Mark Nikolewski.
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