Can You Fix It?

"I looked him in the face and I asked him one thing. I said, can you fix this?" Foxworthy said. "And he did not blink, he said 'yes, I can.'"

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Heave Ho!

There is a lot of information out there in the polls to suggest that we are making progress in pushing Romney to where he has the potential to win this election.

Consider a few articles showing that there are a number of states that used to be considered safe for Obama to win, where Romney now has a real chance for the upset:

In Michigan: "Mitt Romney is within striking distance of Barack Obama in Michigan in the final days before the election, buoyed by more who are convinced the Republican is a viable alternative to the president, with the ability to turn around the economy.

Obama's lead over Romney has shrunk to just under 3 points, 47.7 percent to 45 percent, with 3.8 percent undecided, according to a new Detroit News/WDIV Local 4 poll of likely voters. Obama's lead was 6.7 points earlier this month and has eroded to within the poll's 3.8 percentage point margin of error. It's the smallest advantage for the Democratic president during the Michigan campaign."

In Oregon: "Earlier today, my colleague, Tony Lee, reported on a new poll from Oregon showing Obama up just six points over Mitt Romney. Surprisingly, Obama's support was only 47%, well below the 50% threshold deemed safe for incumbents. To say that Oregon wasn't expected to be competitive is a massive understatement. Obama won the state by 17 points in 2008. While he is certainly favored to win the state this year, his apparent struggles there are a sign of a campaign falling apart in the home stretch."

In Pennsylvania: "Mitt Romney is making his play for Pennsylvania with a new ad released Tuesday criticizing President Obama on his energy policies.

The Romney ad hits Obama for policies that the GOP campaign contends has led to the closure or conversion of 22 coal-powered plants in Pennsylvania. The ad opens with footage of Obama saying building a coal plant will "bankrupt" those who do so.

"People in the coal industry feel like it's getting crushed by your policies," Romney said to Obama during a presidential debate, in a clip used in the ad. "I want to get America and North America energy independent so we can create those jobs."

In Ohio: "The race for Ohio’s Electoral College votes remains very close, but now Mitt Romney now has a two-point advantage...Among all Ohio voters, Romney now has a 12-point lead over the president in voter trust – 53% to 41% - when it comes to the economy. Last week, he had just a seven-point advantage among voters in the state when they were asked which candidate they trusted more to deal with the economy. Romney’s also trusted more by eight points in the areas of job creation and energy policy but leads Obama by just two when it comes to housing issues. National security has been an area where the president has typically had an advantage over Romney this year. But, the Republican challenger now has a 52% to 42% advantage on the issue."

In Wisconsin: "The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Wisconsin Voters shows the president and his Republican challenger each earning 49% support. One percent (1%) likes another candidate, and two percent (2%) are undecided...Ninety-six percent (96%) of Badger State voters say they are sure to vote in this election. Romney leads 51% to 47% among these voters.

Among the 90% who say they’ve already made up their minds whom they will vote for, it’s Romney 51%, Obama 48%."

In Iowa: "Perhaps even more important for Romney, internal polls have shown him closing Obama’s narrow advantage in swing voter-heavy Scott County, where the GOP standard-bearer held a rally Monday in Davenport...Additionally, the Romney campaign believes that it is outperforming its goal in the heavily white, blue-collar counties that dot southeastern Iowa, an encouraging sign for any statewide Republican candidate. “Our state Senate tracking polls are moving [Romney’s] way in swing districts, and the sweep of endorsements over the weekend gives him a sense of momentum,” said Iowa GOP operative Steve Grubbs. “I predict he wins Iowa.” Indeed, The Des Moines Register’s backing of Romney this past weekend came as a surprise to just about everyone in Iowa politics."

In Colorado: "A confident Mitt Romney, two weeks out from Election Day, spoke about his campaign as a movement sweeping the nation during a moonlit rally at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Tuesday night..."I think even the Republicans in the state have underestimated support for Romney," supporter Terri Miller said. Deb Lowry sat seven rows from the stage. "This is the first political event I've ever been to, the first politician I believe in," said Lowry, who owns a Liberty Tax franchise. "I feel like he truly gets the economy." The source of Romney's momentum is of little secret: Pundits largely agree his performance during the three debates elevated his stature in the race. And neither he nor Ryan on Tuesday was shy about talking about the debates, the most recent of which was Monday night."

In other news from Colorado, Republicans are leading Democrats in early voting - a good sign.

In Virginia: "When Jay Swiney emerges from the night shift in the coal mines to assume his duties as mayor of Appalachia, Va., it is hard for him to miss the partisan forces rocking the heavily unionized Democratic hamlets in the mountains along the Tennessee border. Mitt Romney held a rally in Abingdon, Va; Billboards proclaim “America or Obama — You Can’t Have Them Both!” and “Yes, Coal; No-bama.” Out-of-work miners are sporting baseball caps that say “Coal=Jobs” and T-shirts with the sarcastic message: “Make Coal Legal.” Yard signs and TV ads for Mitt Romney are everywhere."

In Florida: "Polls show Romney and President Obama essentially tied in the Sunshine State. The latest RealClearPolitics average of recent polls has Romney leading 49% to 48%."

And a general survey of the polls in some of these states: "In poll after poll of formerly safe blue states, the Republican is closing ground on Obama, far outpacing Republican totals from 2008:

In 2008, Connecticut went for Obama by 22 points. The latest Mason-Dixon poll has Obama up by just 7.
In 2008, Michigan went for Obama by 17 points. The latest Detroit News poll has Obama up by just 3.
In 2008, Minnesota went for Obama by 11 points. The latest Minneapolis Star Tribune poll has Obama up by just 3.
In 2008, Oregon went for Obama by 16. The latest Oregonian poll has Obama up just 6.
In 2008, Pennsylvania went for Obama by 10. The latest Morning Call poll has Obama up by just 3.

Romney, who along with his Super PAC is making a run at some of these states, will probably not win any of them. But he doesn’t need to. The simple fact that all of them are moving in his direction shows that more and more Americans are looking for a change of leadership in the White House this election year."

The election is there for us to win, but it'll take all of us giving it our very best.  Get family and friends out to support Romney and the Republicans, anywhere in the country, but especially if you know people in these close and battleground states it's especially important.  Heave ho!  We're not afraid of a little hard work and sacrifice, eh?  Less than a week to go!

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