Sunday, September 16, 2012

President, Romney vying for 105 electoral swing votes


Jobs, China the focus of speeches, ads


In a solidly polarized America, a little less that 20 percent of the total of 538 electoral college votes are up in the air, leaning neither left, nor right. 

President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney are fighting hard for those 105 electoral votes in 9 swing states that could go either way in their race to sew up the 270 needed for election.

Their topic is jobs, but not just any kind of jobs; they are talking to white, working class people about manufacturing employment that have been outsourced to Chinese factories.

Both claimed over the weekend that the other is the guilty party in making manufacturing jobs fly away to China.

Governor Romney said in his podcast that the Obama Administration's support of government regulations has caused companies to choose to produce their products in China. He hit the current administration for its lackadaisical performance in combating Chinese currency manipulation and theft of intellectual property.


President Obama blamed Gov. Romney's performance as the chief executive officer of Bain Capital, which his campaign labeled “...pioneers in shipping U.S. jobs overseas...”

Documents obtained by east coast newspapers in Boston, New York, and Washington confirmed that Mr. Romney had a great deal of influence in where the companies his organization acquired and operated would locate their manufacturing bases.

Men and women of age will remember that it was the proudest accomplishment of the Republican Nixon Administration, which arranged treaties with the People's Republic of China to normalize both political and trade relations, largely through Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's "shuttle diplomacy."

The huge nation thereby gained "most favored nation" status and an import tariff of only a nickel on the dollar for goods made there and brought to American shores for sale, which includes everything from computers and cell phones to underwear and t-shirts.

At the center of any prospect of settling the controversy are voters in Colorado, with 9 electoral votes; Florida with 29; Iowa, 6; New Hampshire, 4; New Mexico, 5; Nevada, 6; North Carolina, 15; Ohio, 18, and Virginia with 13 – for a total of 105 electoral votes.

Up for grabs: monetary policy, Supreme Court appointments, military spending, foreign policy, energy development, environmental regulation - you name it. 

It's understood. This is the big enchilada in a century in which the future is arriving on a minute to minute basis at warp speed in a global electronic village that puts every phone and computer in touch with only a few keystrokes.

Pollsters consider Democrats to be in control of 186 votes, in addition to states totalling 56 leaning toward a second term for Mr. Obama. Republicans control 159 electoral votes, with states controlling 32 votes leaning toward a GOP victory.
Voters in nine states will likely decide the presidential election of 2012
Color 16 states and the District of Columbia solid blue. 

Pollsters see 17 solid red states. Pollsters are predicting a  victory for Obama with 326 electoral votes and 206 for Romney, if the election were held today. 

In case of a tie - 269 to 269 - the members of the incoming House of Representatives, who are at present overwhelmingly Republican, would undoubtedly elect Mr. Romney President.

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