Days later, during an interview in which he attempted to make excuses for his party's disappointing election results, Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly said to him flatly, "You keep saying that, but he won, Karl, he won ... and that's what the Republicans care about, what the Democrats care about." The fact that he helmed a super PAC that spent $300 million to defeat Obama and win the Senate for the GOP -- and failed on both accounts -- has many, including prominent Republicans, branding him one of the party's biggest losers of this election.

Gun Fanatics

Though some Obama opponents tried a more subtle approach, like telling employees that they may lose their jobs if the president is re-elected, others were more direct. An Arizona gun store simply posted a sign making it known that Obama supporters were not welcome. And shortly after the president's re-election, the head of the National Rifle Association penned an op-ed titled, "Gun Owners Enter the Fight of Our Lives." The opening sentence reads, "The NRA has been saying all along that Barack Obama would unleash an assault on our Second Amendment freedoms if he won a second term." The closing paragraph reads, "As long as dedicated patriots continue to band together and fight as though freedom itself is on the line -- because it is -- we will defend the Second Amendment in Obama's second term and save it for generations to come. For gun owners, the next four years won't just be the fight of our lives, it will be a fight for the future of our nation. We're ready to lead the charge." In a word: scary. 

Papa John's

Who knew a man responsible for mediocre pizza and entertaining ads could be so serious about politics, and so grouchy about them, too? Papa John's CEO John Schnatter made it clear that he was not supportive of President Obama or "Obamacare" (aka the Affordable Care Act). He hosted a fundraiser for Republican nominee Mitt Romney and told Politico, "We're not supportive of Obamacare, like most businesses in our industry." Apparently he was serious. Really serious.

After the president's successful re-election, Schnatter announced that his chain would be raising prices as a sort of "Obamacare" tax to cover its rising health care costs. In addition to employees who will likely benefit from such coverage, the move was cheered by Papa John's competitors. Nick Martin, an owner of Ian's pizza chain, has offered his full-time employees health care for years and expressed hope that Papa John's being forced to do the same thing and price its product accordingly might actually level the playing field.

Gov. Mitt Romney 

After his gracious concession speech on election night, many thought it was possible that Mitt Romney might be remembered as a political candidate who showed class in the face of defeat. But days after the election, he secured his spot on this list by blaming his defeat on President Obama's "gifts" to specific groups -- namely, racial minorities and young people. The comments have been universally denounced by Republicans, including the Romney campaign's former director of Hispanic outreach, as well as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said of the remarks, "We're in a big hole. We're not getting out of it by comments like that. When you're in a hole, stop digging. He keeps digging."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was even more blunt. He labeled the comments "nuts" and "insulting." Considering that Gingrich once famously refused to concede to Romney after a key primary race, the fact that he considers Romney's attempts to deflect blame beyond the pale is saying a lot. 

Secessionists

Anyone who thought that seceding went out of style in the 19th century after the Civil War may be surprised to know that it is back with a vengeance. According to reports, there has been a surge in petitions filed by residents of various states interested in seceding from the Union since President Obama's re-election. Petitions have been filed by residents from states such as Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana (states that also boasted some of the highest percentages of racist tweets following his victory), along with petitions from residents of New Jersey, Oregon and elsewhere. Not sure if these states understand that it might be tough to rebuild after a natural disaster (like Hurricane Sandy, New Jerseyites) without the tax dollars and resources of the rest of the nation, but hey, if they think they can hack it on their own, maybe the rest of the country should give them a chance to try. 

Keli Goff is The Root's special correspondent. Follow her on Twitter.

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