Battleground States And The 2012 Presidential Election
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-05-22/battleground-states-and-2012-presidential-election
To win the White House, a presidential candidate must attain 270 Electoral College votes. Political strategists on both sides agree that President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney already have 80 percent of the American electorate locked up. The battle for the remaining 20 percent will come down to a handful of states across the nation: Voters in Virginia, Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina will likely determine America’s next president. New data show unemployment falling in several crucial swing states, while home values are rising in Nevada and Florida. And in Arizona, opposition to a new immigration law has galvanized Latino voters. Diane and guests discuss the role of the battleground states in the 2012 presidential election.
Guests
Amy Walter
political director, ABC News.
Jim Tankersley
economics correspondent, National Journal magazine
Larry Sabato
founder and director, Center for Politics at the University of Virginia
Kelefa Sanneh
staff writer, The New Yorker magazine
Comments
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The election of anything government related in 2012 is a charade. There is no representation "of the people, by the people". We have the best government money can buy. There are no alternatives and anyone who thinks that there is.....is deluding themselves. We need solutions and all we have is craziness and it gets worse by the week, the day and the hour.
We need a true alternative to government as usual, we need to get rid of the influence of money, power and corporate greed in our political system. Until something or someone accomplishes this, there is nothing to discuss here.
Teece Bowman wrote: "The election of anything government related in 2012 is a charade. There is no representation "of the people, by the people'
I could not disagree more. We have an elected government that gives the people exactly what they want, whether it be domestic social programs or foreign interventionist militarism, they don't want to pay for either and they get that too for the time being. The people want to be treated like dependent ignorant children and again politicians deliver in full. I see absolutely no gap between what the people say they want and what they get. If your angle is government regulation over the financial markets because you've got a problem with capitalism, what a joke government destroys wealth by throwing money away by the truck load and cannot manage itself let alone anyone or anything else without destroying it. We had the opportunity to elect an honest man but he was dismissed as a crackpot. Sorry but things are going to have to get a lot worse before the people snap out of their collective stupor.
"We need a true alternative to government as usual"
You had it and his name was Ron Paul.
"You had it and his name was Ron Paul."
Sorry, he's a crackpot. Try again....
I'm forced to laugh, some people think that they can wait around for some perfect dream prince to fit the glass slipper on their corn and bunioned over sized stinking foot forever. It's obvious many just want to complain and compliment their own unworkable ideas.
"We need a true alternative to government as usual"
Right!
I don't think that libertarians are a workable alternative to anything.
We need an alternative.
The pundits keep talking about the limited number of states that will decide who will lead our country but that is wrong.
The key is the limited number of Oligarchs who will decide our country’s fate.
At some point in today’s discussion the panelists will weave great tales of wonder about the amount of money that is flooding into the battleground states and inevitably one of these brainiacs will pontificate on how the outcome can be determined by which side spends the most.
We now live in a world where there is very little difference between our elections and a Coca Cola commercial. That is a sad commentary indeed.
But wait, remember “New Coke”.
Remember the soft drink campaign to end all soft drink campaigns.
Remember how they hired the great and trusted Bill Cosby to try to convince us that New Coke was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Remember how, in spite of the millions of dollars they spent trying to ram that concoction down our collective throats, we rose up as freedom loving consumers and told them to go pound sand.
Maybe the day will come again when we decide who our leaders will be based on the wisdom of their judgments and the clarity of their thinking rather than the slickness and volume of their campaign ads.
One can always hope.
Remember my fellow peons
SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE
I could never imagine the American people approving the closing of American manufacturing plants,and endorsing their move to China. Then these CEO`s and Corporations are boasting of their business genius,and demanding tax free bonuses.
AT LEAST HALF THE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT SENDING THEIR OWN JOB OFFSHORE IS A GOOD THING,AND THAT A HEALTHY DIVIDEND CHECK CURES ALL.
The United States may be a republic, but it’s democracy that Americans cherish. However, more than a decade’s worth research suggests that the citizenry is too dumb to pick the best leaders and best ideas. Incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people’s ideas. Very smart ideas are going to be hard for dumb people to adopt, because most people don’t have the sophistication to recognize how good an idea is.
Coupled with this incompetence comes the illusion of superiority in those who believe that liberty and freedom are things that are being threatened. They alone are “superior enough” to protect us from the horrors of acting collectively for the betterment of all. The idea of working collectively is philosophically wrong, it goes against the “rugged individualism” of “personal responsibility” and “being morally right”. And while believing that they are protecting freedom…. they are in fact, destroying the very freedom and liberty that they cherish.
(to be continued)
Even if a plan was put together that could demonstrate, mathematically and scientifically, that a system of shared financial responsibility could work…. that by providing for the common good, costs could be defrayed, safety nets put and kept in place. A system could be developed that would allow everyone to prosper and be happy. People might even be able to profit (within reason) in this system. The resultant effect would simply require a lessened standard of living for those at the very top of the economic pile. But the majority would still reject it because it threatens their notion of “superiority in individual action”. And….why would anyone want to “achieve” unless they were going to be richly rewarded?
They will attack any system of shared financial responsibility because no matter how much information could be provided, the unsophisticated would 1) be incapable of recognizing the wisdom of such a plan; 2) assume they know better; and 3) have no idea of the extent of their inadequacy.
In other words, stupid people are too stupid to know how stupid they are. This is why conservative thought is so pervasive. It caters to the conservative mind and its tendency to believe that being unsophisticated is superior.
These are the people who vote and in so doing are electing the quality of representatives that we have. Because of that, there is, at present no hope for any meaningful change.
I respectfully ask that the media stop referring to the midwest and Great Lakes regions as the "rust belt." It is a derrogatory term that shows a complete ignorance to the beauty and vibrance of the middle western states. The term came about decades ago and does not accurately reflect our region today. We have great pride in our area and do not appreciate such negative remarks.
In Dayton Ohio.
Spent many hours with union members helping collect signatures against Republican Governor Kasich's SB 5 which most know included wiping out collective bargaining in Ohio. One of the t shirts worn by many union members in Columbus OHio on election night last Nov where thousands of union members gathered to hear the results of our efforts against SB 5 said "we will remember in November 2012".
We defeated Kasich's efforts. Let's hope this is true
Many voters that I have talked with in OHio and Colorado are extremely dissapointed in the Obama's administrations unwillingness to really go after those on Wall Street who brought the US economy to its knees through their successful efforts to continue to privatize their profits but knowlingly socialize their losses. A lack of accountability that is palpable.
I really think the OBama administration needs to throw middle class Americans some Wall Street banksters bones.....Especially if they want any of us believe one of their mantras "no one is above the law" Who do they think actually believes this?
Teece Bowman wrote: "We need a true alternative to government as usual, we need to get rid of the influence of money, power and corporate greed in our political system. Until something or someone accomplishes this, there is nothing to discuss here."
No! There is one major party that's totally regressive and one that has both regressive an progressive strains. I agree that's not an ideal choice, but it's all we have. If progressives stay home, they are surrendering their power to regressives who will make sure they vote. You can depend on it, the more control the Republicans amass, the dimmer the chances of ever ridding our political system of the influence of money and wealth. Then there will REALLY be nothing to discuss.
As one of those VA swing voters, I really don't have much problem with Romney. But I will be voting for Obama, because a Republican president with the most recent Republican Congress is not a prospect that I want to see.
During the most recent election in France 80% of registered voters took part in their election. In the 2008 US presidential election 58% of Americans voted and I believe this was on the high side for the US.
Can your guest please discuss the destructive efforts taking place to disenfranchise U.S .voters?
Boston Max Boot and Robert Kagan are with the Romney foreign policy team. These guys want to attack Iran. Same team pushing the inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims about Iran. Huge difference between Romney and Obama on this one. Although Obama has clearly allowed himself to be manipulated and intimidated by Israel and the Israel lobby on this issue.
I think Romney will pivot on the health care issue...
On the Wall Street banksters issue. Not sure if there is a huge difference between Obama and Romney. Obama has played softball with the fat cats.
But on Iran big difference
Maureen good point. Union belt?
Let me clarify - I don't have a problem with Mitt Romney, the person. Some of the Republicans that go with Mitt Romney, the candidate - no thanks.
Teece did you miss the years when 35% of the American public were in unions and the majority of those individuals voted for Dems? Did you miss the years that the white boys on the top like Ford, Patterson etc understood that they could continue to be extremely rich and share the wealth fairly that they were making off the backs of workers? Did you miss that era?
We live at a time where 6 Wal Mart family members make in one year what 130 million working Americans make. And that same corporate family figured out a way for their workers to have their health care paid for by taxpayers (think this has changed somewhat) but clearly Greed gone wild.
We have Gates, Buffet, Ted Turner etc 1%'s willing to be taxed at higher rates because they believe that the workers who create wealth for the fat cats deserve to be fairly paid
Senator Sherrod Brown will surface in 2016
The white population continues to decline and that explains the rush to institute voter suppresion of minority voters. There has not been voter fraud as the republicans claim to justify excluding voters. This is a running scare tactic to eliminate younger voters. Then add the hateful dialouge against immigrants, the republicans show clearly they want a small tent with their declining populations. Also, minorities are NOT wanted with the actions and hate speak against gay and lesbians who are also talked about like they are not human. These same republicans claim to be Chrisitans. A big joke. Jesus was all about LOVE and INCLUSION. Yet the hate against 'other than' whites is the driving force for republicans. Finally, President Obama has endured more hate than any president. His election was an all out allowance for racist hate to show its head. He cares for ALL Americans not just a few. When is it ok to send American jobs off-shore, corporations get tax breaks for shipping jobs out. It is American for American workers to work. Yet the republicans think it is ok for tax breaks at the top, forget everyday Americans trying to take care of their families, who need insurance. Remember all the policy makers opposed to insurance for all Americans have FULL insurance coverage. What about you???
As an Hispanic news reporter I appreciate your reporter using the words 'authorized' and 'unauthorized' when talking about immigrants rather than the disingenuous term "undocumented". Now please be careful not to hype the Latino electorate -- over 40 percent of Hispanics in AZ and the nation are not eligible to vote (either they are under 18 and/or are not citizens); the Hispanic demographic does NOT equal the electorate nor will it for 25 years. In addition, in AZ and other SouthWEst states where there are Hispanic citizens going back 5 or more generations, over 35% of them vote Republican -- including the growing number of Hispanic Mormons in the South West and in AZ. The Hispanic Democratic vote is NOT equal to the Hispanic population nor even close as much as activist Democrats try to make the public believe it. You can't talk about the Hispanic vote without noting that a good 40 percent of the Hispanic population is not eligible to vote.
Peggy Orchowski author "Immigration and the American Dream: Battling the Political Hype and Hysteria: Congressional Correspondent, The Hispanic Outlook magazine
I agree 100% about the COUNTY level importance of a Statewide election. Detroit ,Cleveland,and New Jersey saw political scandals in heavily Democratic areas.This resulted in lower turnouts,and the Republican sweep of 2010.John Kasich won Ohio`s governors race over Ted Strickland by a razor thin margin caused by the voter apathy and low Cuyahoga County turnout.
We had a serial killer named Anthony Sowell.Usually a small time scandal would NOT get the media attention that the much rarer,and more horrific multiple murder case would get.However,the trials of all are long since over,and yet the political messaging has not stopped.
I want to ask the called from North Carolina who is a democratic PCO, who things are going in that state since Ed Pope, a wealthy libertarian, has been able to “buy” the republican state legislators with his disingenuous pervasive campaign advertising. Since these legislators have been elected NC has reduced education support by close to 20% from K-1 to higher education (see “State for Sale” by Jane Mayer New Yorker).
I totally agree with Treece Bowman, libertarianism is not a viable governing ideology. But this ideology is embraced by the tea party and the wealthy elite and is nothing more than a wealth protection program for those who have much wealth. The idea that there is no good in the common good is corrosive to our society.
kathleen wrote:
"did you miss the years when 35% of the American public were in unions and the majority of those individuals voted for Dems? Did you miss the years that the white boys on the top like Ford, Patterson etc understood that they could continue to be extremely rich and share the wealth fairly that they were making off the backs of workers? Did you miss that era?"
No, I didn't miss that era, I was born in the middle of it. And it has been going steadily downhill since.
I didn't claim it "never" existed....after a fashion, (it was good but it wasn't good enough) but collective financial sharing is something that is anathema to American thought. The rich and the greedy have figured out a way to hood-wink the conservatives into believing that any mention of socialism or collective thought is simply something "Jesus would not do"....they've figured out a way to make a religious dogma out of it. Which is what all good religions do....make it possible for a very few at the top to prosper while the rest at the bottom feel righteous in their misery.
We do not have capitalism now, we have corporate feudalism and it is a religion. Do not dare to question it.
Personally I'd like to see a roll back to 1947 in terms of workers rights. I'd love to see taxation like it was back then, and I'd like to see American workers employed like they were back then.
America was at least a fairer country in those days.
mancuroc wrote:
"No! There is one major party that's totally regressive and one that has both regressive an progressive strains. I agree that's not an ideal choice, but it's all we have. If progressives stay home, they are surrendering their power to regressives who will make sure they vote. You can depend on it, the more control the Republicans amass, the dimmer the chances of ever ridding our political system of the influence of money and wealth. Then there will REALLY be nothing to discuss."
I would love to be proved wrong here, but it appears that money is winning. The American people already have it in their heads to blame themselves for the failure of the economy. If they allow a sweep this fall by Republicans....then yes.....we are doomed. (but I think that may be a foregone conclusion at this point....thanks to unlimited campaign financing).
America is the direct opposite of what is happening in Europe. The Europeans are rejecting austerity and here in America we figure that the only way we are going to "make it" is to let the rich have it all. Under the mistaken notion that they will make the economy work for us.
If it continues, we will all be living in gulags somewhere and being forced int o debtors prisons...( oh wait, we really already have those don't we....they're even beginning to privatize them).
Re: Caller from Texas
What she's saying about voter suppression is absolutely worth investigating. I, too, checked the box to be registered to vote when I got my Texas driver's license---and was still NOT registered. I missed two elections because I was too busy to manually register.
The United States has never really been "united". At the end of the Revolution, most if not all states wanted to be, in effect, their own country. We worked out a system whereby we could call ourselves "united", but obviously many weren't all that happy about it. This ultimately led to the Civil War; the slavery issue also having become a divisive issue. And so it has gone up until today. You can stil see a lot of the old Confederate flags flying today. So the spirit of divisiveness continues. We can't possibly find long-term solutions to our problems with this mindset. If we should someday have a repeat of 1861-1865, I wouldn't be surprised. After all, with a huge standing military, lots of armed law enforcement agencies, and a heavily-armed populace, what is there to stop it happening?
gary k wrote:
" I wouldn't be surprised. After all, with a huge standing military, lots of armed law enforcement agencies, and a heavily-armed populace, what is there to stop it happening?"
It doesn't hurt bad enough yet and people keep fooling themselves into believing that they are voting for the right cause by supporting Republicans.
But it is coming. Again, if the present path that we are on, with the Republican/Conservatives in ascendancy.....then soon enough it will hurt. By then they will have an almost limitless lock on power. We are going to be like the rebels standing up to the empire in Star Wars.....their might will be almost complete.
This is not a fiction, this is happening. And if you don't believe it, then you haven't read enough....
@teece: "If they allow a sweep this fall by Republicans....then yes.....we are doomed. (but I think that may be a foregone conclusion at this point....thanks to unlimited campaign financing)."
Maybe, maybe not. But there will be no maybe about it if people like you sit home instead of voting Democratic all the way down the ticket, you will make it a self-fulfilling prophesy.