Obama 's re - election was an unmistakable defeat for GOP ideology , says Will Marshall . Tea Party radicalism seemed to return in 2010 , but not this time , he says . Exit polls say health care registered as the voters ' second most important concern ( albeit a distant second to the economy and jobs ) . According to exit polls , a plurality of voters were moderates , says Marshall . The Republican strategy of relying on white voters has reached a dead end , he says .
Obama 's re - election was an unmistakable defeat for GOP ideology , says Will Marshall . Tea Party radicalism seemed to return in 2010 , but not this time , he says . According to exit polls , a plurality of voters were moderates , says Marshall . The Republican strategy of relying on white voters has reached a dead end , he says .