Tuesday, September 4, 2007

An early look at the key swing states for '08

As we inch closer and closer to the 2008 Presidential election, most states are safe bets for Republicans or Democrats. For example the midwest votes almost entirely republican, while big states like New York and California are strongly democratic. States like these do not have a huge impact on the race, as they are considered "safe". Yet, there are key "swing" states that do not have an allegiance to either political party. These are the states that are key for any presidential candidate to win, because without winning them, you can't win the election. Here's a look at the most recent polls out of these "swing" states, pitting the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton against Republican front-runner, Rudy Guiliani:

-Arkansas: Clinton leads Guiliani 55-37
-Colorado: Guiliani leads Clinton 50-40
-Florida: Clinton leads Guiliani: 49-44
-Iowa: Clinton leads Guiliani: 47-41
-Michigan: Clinton leads Guiliani: 49-40
-Minnesota: Clinton leads Guiliani: 50-41
-Missouri: Clinton leads Guiliani: 46-43
-Nevada: Guiliani leads Clinton: 46-38
-New Hampshire: Clinton leads Guiliani: 44-40
-New Mexico: Clinton leads Guiliani: 50-44
-Ohio: tied at 44%
-Oregon: Clinton leads Guiliani: 42-41
-Pennsylvania: Clinton leads Guiliani: 45-44
-West Virginia: Clinton leads Guiliani: 42-36
-Wisconsin: Clinton leads Guiliani: 47-46

As seen, Hillary Clinton is leading in just about all swing states. If the election was held today, the electoral vote would go: 313(Clinton) to 225(Guiliani) if Ohio went for Guiliani OR 333(Clinton) to 205(Guiliani) if Ohio went for Clinton. Regardless of Ohio, if current polling is accurate on election day, Clinton will have a relatively easy victory as only 270 electoral votes are needed. Looking at these poll numbers, Clinton's campaign should be very happy, because just 2 months ago, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio all went by at least 5% in polls to Guiliani. Now Clinton either leads or is tied in those key states. Also interesting to note is Clinton leading in more conservative states such as Missouri and West Virginia. If these numbers hold up, expect to see a huge democrat victory in '08, not just for the presidency, but also in the House and Senate.

Bush already planning post-presidency career

Robert Draper's new book, Dead Certain, is, in a way, a biography of the the Bush years. It takes a in-depth look into the current administration, and while there are certainly many fascinating tidbits of information from Bush, Rove and others, one statement really stood out from the rest. Here is the president's plans after he leaves the White House:

"I'll give some speeches, just to replenish the ol' coffers. I don't know what my dad gets - it's more than 50-75 thousand dollars per speech...Clinton's making a lot of money."

Is it just me or does that completely rub you the wrong way? We are in the middle of a war where American lives are being lost. There are thousands of uninsured Americans who can't even begin to take proper care of themselves or their children because they can't afford healthcare. There are hard-working young men and women who can't afford to go to college because of a terribly low minimum wage. And through all of these issues, the one thing the president wants to talk is the money he wants to make when he leaves office.

Before he was elected president, Bush was worth an estimated $21 million and makes over $400,000 a year as president. I can't even imagine how our soldiers would feel hearing this; that while they're putting their lives at risk, the commander-in-chief is thinking about ways he can make more money. Just think how our soldiers would feel if their field commanders told them, "hey, I just can not wait to get out of here and start making me some money." Soldiers would be disgusted if their commander, whose only thought should be how to keep them safe and help them to achieve their mission, was talking about leaving them and making money. I guess I just feel that there is a huge level of inappropriateness. It just sickens me to think that the man who is leading our country would rather talk about how's he's going to make money instead of talking about how he is going to make this country a better place for its citizens, both while and after he's president.