Startribune poll put Obama ahead by only 3% in MN within the margin of error. This is surprising considering that the Startribune has a reputation for a strong Democratic bias. This might explain why both campaigns are putting money in MN, besides the fact that the Twin Cities media market extends well into WI. That said I still doubt that MN will go for Romney and the poll indicates a few reasons why. In MN independents are breaking for Obama along with older voters, two voting blocks that are helping Romney in other states. http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/176113071.html Minnesota Poll: Obama leading, but Romney sees gains The president's 3-point lead in state is within poll's margin of error. As the presidential race tightens across the country, a new Star Tribune Minnesota Poll has found that it is narrowing here as well, with President Obama holding a 3-point lead and Republican Mitt Romney making gains in the state. The poll shows Obama with support from 47 percent of likely voters and Romney earning backing from 44 percent -- a lead within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Last month, Obama had an 8-percentage point advantage in the Minnesota Poll. Romney has apparently cut into the Democrat's advantage among women since then and picked up support from Minnesotans who were previously undecided or said they would vote for a third-party candidate. Independents, on the other hand, are leaning more toward Obama. Barely a third supported him last month, but that number has grown to 43 percent. Romney's support among independents remains virtually unchanged, with 13 percent of that group remaining undecided. In an indication of how close the race has become, both campaigns have started airing ads in the state targeting Minnesota and western Wisconsin voters. The poll was conducted among 800 likely Minnesota voters who were contacted on their land lines or cellphones between Oct. 23 and Oct. 25. Democrat Dave Stenberg of Howard Lake is not fond of any of the presidential choices but says Obama should get another term. "No one is going to fix something in four years that was ruined in eight," the 54-year-old said. For Janet McCoy, events over the past month have firmed her support for Romney "I think this country has gone [down] such a wrong path, and I think we need to change," said the 74-year-old Winona Republican. Breaking down support Women, a demographic that both candidates have been chasing in the waning weeks of the election, still favor Obama heavily, with 53 percent of female poll respondents backing the president, compared with 37 percent for Romney. But Romney has narrowed that lead since September's poll and opened up his own gender gap with men, 51 percent of whom favor Romney. Forty percent of men chose Obama. Obama's greatest base of strength remains Hennepin and Ramsey counties, where the president leads Romney 57 percent to 35 percent. Outside the urban center, those numbers flip. More than half of the respondents in the metro suburbs back Romney. The former Massachusetts governor also has a slight edge over Obama in outstate Minnesota. Voters younger than 35 still heavily favor Obama, by 53 to 36 percent, although Romney's support among younger voters has grown from 29 percent in September. Meanwhile Obama has gained support with older voters, whom he has targeted by going after Romney running mate Paul Ryan's plan for Medicare. Obama now holds support from a clear majority of Minnesotans older than 65 while Romney captures just 40 percent. Voters are split when it comes to their most important issues. By varying degrees, they think Romney would do a better job on job creation, taxes and the federal budget, but give the nod to Obama on foreign policy, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and dealing with issues affecting women. No one appears terribly happy with the way the candidates handled the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. Nearly 60 percent think Obama did only a fair or poor job of responding; 55 percent thought the same of Romney. Competition equals attention A more competitive race in Minnesota could mean the state's 10 electoral votes, which have gone to the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1972, will get more attention in the campaign's final days. So far, the contest has centered on a handful of swing states, including Wisconsin, Iowa and vote-rich Ohio and Florida, while treating Minnesota as a safe state for Obama. Obama has long had staffers on the ground in Minnesota working to solidify his support. Romney has no Minnesota-based staff but conservative advocacy groups opposing Obama -- including the American Future Fund and Americans for Prosperity -- have spent millions on the state's airwaves to argue against the president. While the changes in Minnesotans' presidential preferences have been small over the past month, the poll results show Romney gained some ground from the three presidential debates. Of the 11 percent of poll respondents who said the debates swayed them, the vast majority went to Romney. As Election Day draws near, Virginia Robertson, 80, said that she favors Obama and that Romney has done little to earn her vote. "I don't think he has the experience. I don't think he has the compassion and the heart that Obama does," the Fergus Falls resident said. Even though she says the economy has not rebounded as she wishes it would, she wants Obama to remain in office. "I think we just need more time," Robertson said. Republican Kermit Hauge disagrees. "Barack Obama has been an absolute disaster as president," said Hauge, 54. He cited the unemployment rate, rising use of food stamps and Obama's positions on taxes and health care among his reasons for supporting Romney. The clerical worker from New Hope said he didn't start out a Romney fan but will now vote for him as a better alternative. The poll comes as more Minnesotans identify as Republicans, which could add to Romney's support. A month ago, the poll's sample was 41 percent Democrat, 28 percent Republican and 31 percent independent or other. In this survey, 38 percent of respondents identified themselves as Democrat, 33 percent Republican and 29 percent independent or other. Minnesota does not have voter registration by party, and party self-identification fluctuates as events sway voters' opinions.
I really don't know who's going to win. All the poll nonsense opinions are just noise to me. It's going to be a hell of an interesting day though, that's for sure. I'll be interested in what happens afterwards. If Obama wins are the Republicans going to start doing their part to make deals in Congress and move the country forward or will it be more of the fillilbuster the country into oblivion that we've had the last four years. If Romney wins will the Democrats enact their revenge and go at him just like the Republicans went at Obama? It certainly won't be good for the country but I can already see Fox News calling Democrats obstructionist, asking why they hate America for simply doing exactly what the Republicans have done the last four years.
The down/upside of Obama bypassing the legislature and implementing large portions of his agenda via executive agencies, is it can just as easily be undone with the stroke of a pen. live by decree, die by decree I hope/expect Romney to do what he did to companies Bain turned around. Give an enema to the federal regulatory state and start cleaning house. Harry Reid is ruthless but he is going to have trouble sustaining a fillibuster. A bunch of red state Democratic senators that got elected during the 2008 Obama wave are up for reelection in 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections,_2014
Let me help you out, friend. - Calling Romney a 'bull$hitter' -- completely unpresidential - Tumblr pic of Romney in a duncecap - Thinking he's cute and funny with the 'Romnesia' stump speech line - The juvenile middle finger face scratch on the stump - Condescension regarding submarines, aircraft carriers, etc at the debate - Arrogance and laughter at the debate He's just not Presidential material. He's a small minded, angry partisan who has completely engulfed himself in the persona of the far left blogosphere. Never has a President stooped so low on the campaign trail. Even if he were to reverse Mitt's momentum and win, how can he possibly govern after this behavior? He can't. He just doesn't understand leadership. The country deserves so much better than that piece of trash.
TJ setting himself up for Romney's eventual loss. He's a smart guy; he sees the direction the election is going.
That's what it sickening about the Republicans refusing to do anything in Congress. They may actually get away with it politically. The whole thing is bad for the country and it sets a dangerous precedent for the future. Every President's work can simply be undone by the next President as long as the opposing party in Congress refuses to do anything. The ACA wasn't signed by decree though. He's going to need 51 votes in the Senate to actually repeal it. It's one of the myths that Romney has pushed on his campaign, that he's going to repeal the ACA right away. The President is not a King. Only Congress can repeal that and come January 1st that law is going to be here no matter what.
You must ask yourself, friend, why the Obama campaign has recently taken on this 'appeal to the base' mindset... why have they turned sharply negative? Why have they become angry and divisive? Why was Obama forced to go on the attack at last Monday's debate? Look, you are no political scientist, but even you can acknowledge that candidates that think they are ahead do not do any of those things. Obama's campaign has taken on the look of a campaign that is meaningfully behind in their internal polling. Are they? I think so -- I truly think so. But no one can answer for certain because we don't know what the Party ID stats will look like on election day. We don't know in what %'s Democrats are voting (Obama/Romney) in early voting. We know Independents are polling in favor of Romney (heavily), but we don't know how much on election day and in early voting. Romney's voters will crawl across broken glass to vote out Obama. Are Obama's voters similarly enthused as they were in 2008? Obviously not, but the differential is yet to be measured. Lots of unknowns, making this race impossible to call.
See you November 6th, friend. Although I'm betting that after Mr Obama wins, you will have another meltdown and disappear for another 3 years.
right but it was passed via reconciliation (simple majority) and can be repealed in the same manner can't expect compromise if you don't even offer half a loaf, and what you are offering (stimulus/Obamacare) is not politically popular
actually Uncle Milton put it better than I ever could <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ac9j15eig_w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Well see under Bush, elections had consequences. When Obama wins, elections don't matter. Republicans have set a dangerous precedent going forward and if there's anything that's true about politics it's that what goes around comes around. Noboby is going to forget the nonsense that has been thrown at Obama. The "you lie" crap, the our job is to deny him a second term, the I reject the word compromise nonsense, the fillibuster of jobs bills, the fillibuster of everything really. If Romney wins the election he's going to get what's his party has sewn for him, I think you can pretty much count on that.
The government doesn't work like a private company. It's slow and bureaucratic where its people aren't rewarded for risk. Instead of looking at what Romney did at Bain, look more at what he did as Governor. Helps set more realistic expectations...
Does saying mean things about the Harvard educated lawyer POTUS make you feel better about yourself? You and bigtex would be nothing but "Yes sir Mr. President sir!" if he was standing in front of you.
Obama surrendered his law license and is not authorized to practice law. As such, he's not a lawyer. Oh how I love these low information [snicker] Obama voters...
via TPM -- Lying to 11 In a final bid to win Ohio, the Romney campaign has been exceeding even its own vaunted standard of lying in the last 72 hours on the facts of the auto bailout. Romney’s Closing Pitch In Ohio: I’m The Auto Industry Candidate In a new ad, Team Romney claims their candidate will defend the auto industry while Obama’s bankruptcy plan is sending jobs to China.
