Politics

Every 2 years we go through Election Night, but every 4 years, the Election Night means more and tonight is no different. For the last several months, I spent a lot of time watching polls, reading articles, and talking with others about what they thought about the upcoming elections and most were either excited, frustrated or feed-up with the elections.  And with the staggering figure of over $2 Billion dollars has been spent to get either Governor Mitt Romney elected or our current President, President Obama re-elected. That’s right, over $2 Billion dollars.

So tonight, I as many other American’s are sitting down and waiting on the results for our next President.  However, will we know for sure who our next President will be? Will this be another hanging chad election? Or, will this be an election of change and thus a landslide, similar to 2008 when President Obama was elected?

Tonight, I too will be glued into the tv, yes, I will be watching Fox News for those of my friends that are reading this and have any doubts. It will be probably a late night for me, but there are a few key states that I’ll be watching for:

  • Florida
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Iowa
  • and the all important Pennsylvania

If Governor Mitt Romney were to secure wins in each of these states, he will be our next President. However, if President Obama is able to win both Pennsylvania and Ohio, then he will retain the Presidency for another 4 years. And, depending on polls, this race could go down to either Ohio or Pennsylvania this year and if Pennsylvania is the decider, then it is really down to 1 county.

So here are 4 major insights into tonight’s Election Results and why I think that Governor Mitt Romney will win:

  • No incumbent has ever won re-election with a polling under 50% with 3 days before the election.
    – The President is currently polling at 47%
  • This is the highest unemployment for incumbent since FDR.
    – The current unemployment rate is at 7.9%
  • The young voters are not as engaged and supportive of the President as they were in 2008.
  • When factoring in Independent votes, Romney leads in the majority of the polls.

So, as election night comes to an end, we should/hopefully will know who our next President will be, but I stick to my guess of 300+ Electoral votes. Tomorrow I’ll post a day after review of the election and what my overall thoughts are from election night.

 

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Every four years, the night before the Presidential election, Election Eve, I follow a tradition. I read over polls, one last time. I have steak and baked potato, and 2 Shiner Bock beers. Why? I don’t have the first clue, but it is the tradition that I have started for Election Eve. Tonight, is like my Christmas Eve, except, I don’t leave milk and cookies out for Santa.

Both candidates have run, and I think that most would agree, respectable campaigns. Yes, there has been mudslinging, but tell me a campaign in the last 20 years that has not had that? The money spent on this Presidential election is astronomical, but at the same time, welcome to the new way of running a campaign.

So tonight, as both candidates go to sleep, all they can now do is wait.  I know that I’ll be watching for returns as often as I can, and tomorrow night, though I do think that we will have a clear winner tomorrow night, it might go on until late in the evening. So with that, I bid you all a good Election Eve and stay tuned for tomorrow.

Happy Election Eve to all and to all a good night.

 

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Here we are, the morning after the last presidential debate and a few things stood out for me.

  • The President had to come off strong and on the offensive – I think that he did a good job of creating a separation of his views, versus Mitt Romney. However, there were a few times, that his body language appeared to be harsh and tough. So I don’t know how that will play with the women voters?
  • Mitt Romney had to come off knowledgeable about foreign policy and matters over seas. He had to be able to command the conversation and get his points across. – I think that he did this, however, he often agreed with the President too much. I was glad to see that he did give the President credit for going after Bin Laden and that when the President tried to draw him into a discussion on Libya, that he refrained from a heated argument.
  • The President had to lay out a plan for the future and the next 4 years, if he were re-elected. – I did not really hear him do this, but that has kind of been the status thus far in either the campaigns or the presidential debates.
  • Mitt Romney had to work in the economy and drive home the message about the last four years – I think that he did a really good job with this and that the voters are understanding that yes, the President inherited a mess, but that policies that the President has put forth have only caused more problems.
  • Both the President and Mitt Romney needed to really reach Independent voters and women. – My personal opinion is that Mitt Romney remained focus and calm and focused on the issues.

We are now 14 days away from the election. Early voting has already started in multiple states. So did last nights Presidential debate matter? Maybe? I think that 3 Presidential debates might be too many, because early viewing numbers are lower than the last debate.  All in all, I don’t know how many people walked away with learning something new last night? But in 14 days, all of this will be over, we hope.

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Don’t forget to tune in tonight to the final Presidential Debate, here is the information on the debate:

Topic: Foreign policy
Air Time: 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida (Tickets)
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Participants: President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney
Moderator: Bob Schieffer (Host of Face the Nation on CBS)

As always, I’ll provide some type of remarks following the debate.   But, now that we are within 2 weeks of the election, this Presidential Debate may prove to be the deciding factor for many undecided voters. Many states have already started allow voters to participate in early voting, but there are still a great number of citizens that are not sure who best represents them and their views.

If you are able to vote, please do your duty as a citizen and voter and take a few minutes out of your daily schedule to vote. It is important and regardless of your political views, your voice matters.

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Tonight is the 2nd Presidential Debate between President Obama and Governor Romney.  I’m not really sure how this one will go, but here are my initial thoughts:

1) I think that VP Biden went out last week again Senator Ryan and went out fighting. I think he did this because A) that is VP Biden’s style, but also B) because the President came out so reserved, that they wanted to see how the American public responded. Well, it was a mixed review. Polls pretty much split the vote between VP Biden and Senator Ryan. So, I look to see the President to come out more forceful than his first debate, but maybe stay to the right of VP Biden’s approach.
2) I think that Governor Romney has really been able to hone his message and have it start resonating with the American public. That being said, I don’t know that he will come out as hard as he did the first time, but I do think that he will stay on point and hit home his message about the economy, job creation and the all important issue of healthcare.
3) I have shared this thought with a lot of family and friends, but I will be curious to see how many viewers tune in. If it is a low number, I think that that is a favor for Governor Romney. And I think that because A) early voting has already started and B) the American public, for the most part, has really already made up their mind. And with the way that the polls have been looking, a lower rating of viewers, in my opinion, only helps Governor Romney.

So, those are my thoughts, I’ll probably watch tonight and either Tweet or blog throughout or maybe just do a wrap up afterwards? We are 3 weeks away from the election.

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As many of Americans last night, I too watched the VP Debate. Maybe not as closely as I should have, but let’s be honest, I am one of the majority that know who they are voting for. There were some interesting statements by both sides and I think that it is very important that our country gets to know who the VP is and/or might be, just in case something were to happen to the President and they become Commander In Chief.

That being said, there are entirely too many points to make here, so I will only suggest this, go to Fact Check and see the highlights of what was said, and how accurate it really was.

Two debates down and one more next week. We are in the short roads here before the election.  My only suggestion is this, study the candidates and vote for who best represents you and your values.

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White House

The White House
Washington, DC

This statement is said every election, but this is truly how I feel, but I think that this years Presidential Campaign are the worse that I have ever experienced before in my life. And yes, I have been voting for 20 years and have gone through enough Presidential Campaign to make that statement. I just don’t remember this much mud sling and this much dirty politics. And it is coming from both parties, not just one.

I love politics. Seriously, I check the polls every morning. Granted, I take polls with a grain of salt, as most times polls do not disclose the sampling that was chosen to poll, which skews results, but I still love it. For once, I would like to see Presidential Campaign run a clean and factual campaign.  All ads must be cleared by a 3rd party Fact Checking organization to clear all ads and verify information that is coming from speeches, etc. Unrealistic, yes, but hopeful.

As we come down to the final push for this years Presidential Campaign, I still remain hopeful that Mitt Romney will pull it out, however, I am still discouraged by the way that the campaigns are and have handled this election.

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How many times have you said to your kids, “Tell The Truth”? Well, I haven’t because my children are small and are not speaking yet, but I am sure that I will. As we are in the middle of the political season, how as parents, are we supposed to teach our children to tell the truth, when our politicians are not following the same principle.

Have you ever watched a political commercial for a Presidential campaign? Have you ever wondered how much of their ad is the truth? Have you ever checked to see if what the politician was telling the truth? As a political junkie, I study this and sometimes I just want to look at the politicians and I am speaking of both parties, TELL THE TRUTH! How can we expect our children to do this, but it is OK, but that this doe not apply to those running for public office?

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Day 2 of the GOP Convention has come and gone. The lineup was strong and a few key points were made last night.

Here are a few of the speakers:
Senator Rob Portman (OH)
Governor Tim Pawlenty (MN)
Mike Huckabee
Condoleezza Rice
Governor Susana Martinez (NM)
Vice Presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan

Overall, I think that each of the speakers laid out a separate vision, based on their experiences, and the direction of the GOP. Condoleezza Rice, the former Secretary of State, did an amazing job. I talked with several Democrats this morning and each said that they would have voted for a Romney/Rice ticket in a minute. She was real, she was down to earth and gave real life experiences.

Was Paul Ryan the right choice for VP? Would a ticket with Condoleezza Rice on it reached a broader voter base? I don’t know? They both would be great choices, but I am beginning to wonder though.  Here is the link for the GOP Convention videos thus far.

And on to night 3 of the GOP Convention.

 

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Due to Hurricane Isaac, the GOP had to push back their National Convention by 1 day. So as a political junkie, what am I looking for? Honestly, not much. I hope that Governor Christie delivers a great speech and Governor Mitt Romney lays out a plan for his vision of the future if he is elected to the President of the United States. But what I am really looking for is this:

  • The race is basically at a statical dead heat of 45% – 45% between the two parties.
  • So who grabs the 10% of voters that are left?
  • Who reaches out to the Independent voters, Female voters and Minority voters?

So the GOP Convention has started and Day 1 is in full effect. We are 70 days away from the election and as I have stated before, starting in October in most states, early voting starts and that is when this election will be won.

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