While everyday Americans who backed Mitt Romney in the presidential race go back to the business of every day life, party leaders like Jindall are offering their solutions. Jindall convenes 30 Republican governors here under the Republican Governors’ Association — the largest number of GOP state executives in years.

In an exclusive interview with Politico, Jindall calls on the GOP to not write off voters and to be smart and detailed when talking to all voters. “We’ve also had enough of this dumbed-down conservatism. We need to stop being simplistic, we need to trust the intelligence of the American people and we need to stop insulting the intelligence of the voters,” says Jindall. “The reality is we have to be a party of solutions and not just bumper-sticker slogans but real detailed policy solutions.”

So, far Jindall’s created a buzz in political circles. The interview alone has gotten 691 likes on Facebook. What do you think?

Cox, like everyday American conservatives everywhere, has begun the process of recovering after what turned out to be a surprising election. And others are joining her. Political defeat often offers the chance to re-think, re-invent and rebuild.

William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, writes in his latest article, “Losing Can Be Liberating,” that conservatives have an important role to play in reigning in liberals in the next four years, certainly but, more importantly, conservatives can re-invent the Republican Party. “That won’ happen because of a few poo-bahs in Washington,” says Kristol. “It will happen spontaneously and organically.”

Back in Tennessee, Republicans, after all, won 95 percent of the local races around Hendersonville and secured a super-majority in the state legislature. What do you think? Can conservatives build a new Republican Party? How?

Sources: The Washington Post, The Weekly Standard

Barack Obama has been re-elected President of the United States of America. Winning a second term, he defeated Republican nominee Mitt Romney in a close election. Obama earned 303 electoral votes to Romney’s 206 as of Wednesday, with Florida’s vote counting still in process. On Tuesday evening, Romney called the president to concede the election and said he would pray for the president’s success.

When Obama took office four years ago, the national debt stood at over $10 trillion; the annual deficit was set to top $1 trillion; and the unemployment rate stood at 7.8 percent. Four years later, the national debt has increased nearly 60 percent; the deficit has topped $1 trillion for four years in a row; and the unemployment rate is unchanged. And  everyday Americans? Their average net worth is 40 percent lower.

So what’s in store for the next four years? Tax increases and Medicare cuts are set to take effect in 2013. In 2014, the individual mandate required by Obamacare kicks in. And more government spending lies ahead: in 2010, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that Obamacare would cost $944 billion in government spending over 10 years. By July 2012, that estimate had increased to $1.9 trillion — and by 2015, it’s expected to top $2.5 trillion.

Four years ago, only seven percent of Americans were satisfied with the way things were going in the country, and they voted for change. This election year, two-thirds of Americans remain dissatisfied — but most of them voted for more of the same.

Sources: Gallup; Forbes; PolitiFact; U.S. Federal Reserve; StandUSA; US Debt Clock.org; Bloomberg Businessweek

• 97 percent of poll respondents are definitely casting their ballots this year.
• 80 percent of voters in Ohio are over 40 yrs old — and 100 percent of them are voting for Mitt Romney.
• Almost all female respondents trust Romney more to handle health care issues.
• 19 percent of those polled are Democrats or Independents — who plan to vote for Romney.
• 90 percent of respondents plan to vote for Mitt Romney.

The StandUSA Facebook Election was conducted between Oct. 23 and Nov. 5, 2012. 1373 people responded, from every state except Rhode Island. Thanks to everyone who voted and helped make the election a success. Click here to see the complete results and subscribe to StandUSA Politics — and don’t forget to cast your ballot on Nov. 6!

• 97 percent of poll respondents are definitely casting their ballots this year.
• 80 percent of voters in Ohio are over 40 yrs old — and 100 percent of them are voting for Mitt Romney.
• 19 percent of those polled are Democrats or Independents — who plan to vote for Romney.
• 90 percent of respondents plan to vote for Mitt Romney.

The StandUSA Facebook Election was conducted between Oct. 23 and Nov. 5, 2012. 1373 people responded.

Americans will head to the polls this week to decide the next president, in an election focused squarely on the size of government and its role in the lives of everyday citizens. President Obama has increased the size of the federal government. Mitt Romney pledges to shrink it, and return some responsibilities to the states and the private sector.

Under Obama, the number of Americans on food stamps increased from 32 million to 46.5 million. He enacted Obamacare, granting government a much bigger role in health care. He championed the stimulus, an $800 billion big-government attempt to spark the economy. And big government isn’t cheap: the deficit, at $459 billion in 2008, increased to $1.1 trillion by 2012.

Romney says he will cut the government down to size — starting on day one. He has promised to repeal Obamacare, reform Medicare, and cut taxes for corporations and individuals. He has also pledged to reduce financial and environmental regulations, saying they have cost Americans jobs. And the deficit? He says he’ll reduce it, mostly by slashing spending.

This week, it’s all up to the voters. Most Americans don’t trust big government: 54 percent think the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. And 59 percent think the federal government has too much power.

Sources: Gallup; Food Research and Action Center; The New York Times; Office of Management and Budget; Romney for President.

Election Day has arrived, and the 2012 presidential race is one of the closest in history. With the race still a dead heat, both candidates are urging their supporters to vote. Neither Romney nor Obama has a firm enough hold on the swing states to guarantee a majority in the Electoral College. It is possible that after Election Day, the candidates could even be tied in their number of electoral votes.

Though it seems unlikely, in that rare case, the House of Representatives, predicted to stay in Republican control, gets to choose the winner — meaning Romney would be president. But the Democrats are predicted to keep the Senate, and they choose the vice president. Who would cast the deciding vote? None other than Vice President Joe Biden.

That speculation aside, in the latest polling Romney leads Obama 51 percent to 48 percent in the polls. Obama leads among voters under age 40, but Romney leads among older voters — and they are more likely to actually vote on Election Day. Romney leads among voters who don’t identify with either party by 11 percentage points. And according to a recent study, Romney has been strengthening his emotional connection to independent and Republican voters at a 10 percent faster rate than Obama.

There have been 12 presidential elections in America that have been decided by less than a one percent margin. In the past three presidential elections, some crucial battleground states were decided by only a few hundred votes. So both candidates are pulling out the stops to energize their supporters.

Sources: Rasmussen Reports; The New York Times; CNN; Gallup; The Washington Post;The Chicago Tribune; Brennan Center for Justice; MIT; Motista.