Perhaps the most important election of our lives is now only two weeks away. (And if you take into account that about 1/3 of us are projected to vote early at the Board of Elections or by absentee ballot, the election is really already upon us.) So what’s going to happen? Here are my thoughts.
Unlike Dick Morris, who’s been saying that Mitt Romney is going to win in a landslide (I hope he’s right), and many on the left (which includes quite a few in the mainstream press) who believe Barack Obama so deserves a second term that of course he’s going to win, I believe the race will be very close. And although it’s not the only important state in play, Ohio is the key.
Ironically, Obama’s chances in Ohio are better than he deserves. And that’s because a Republican Governor, John Kasich, and a Republican-led House and Republican-led Senate in Columbus, have made wise choices over the last two years which have resulted in Ohio being more attractive to businesses and job creation, and the unemployment rate in Ohio is therefore almost a full point lower than the national average. So, the people in Ohio feel a little better about the economic climate here, and therefore are a little less likely to want to change what is arguably working.
That being said, I do believe that Mitt Romney will narrowly carry Ohio over Barack Obama on November 6th. And he needs to. No Republican has ever won the Presidency without carrying Ohio, and that goes all the way back to Abraham Lincoln. As they say, “as goes Ohio, so goes the Nation.”
On a related topic, the debates are now history. Although many political pundits claim that President Obama won the third debate, and some conservatives may be disappointed that Mitt Romney wasn’t more aggressive in challenging Obama on his many foreign policy weaknesses (and outright failures), I think that Romney may have sealed the deal and won the Presidency.
Romney clearly met the test of whether this guy could be President; whether he was knowledgeable and understood the many challenges facing America in a dangerous and evolving world; whether he’d get us recklessly into war (NO); and whether he would be a safe, reasonable alternative to Barack Obama (YES). In fact, it reminded me a lot of Ronald Reagan vs. Jimmy Carter (1980). Mitt, like Reagan, was amiable, non-threatening, and smart (unlike the Democrat caricature of him.) Barack Obama, like Carter, was petty, snarky, boastful (“…when Tunisians began to protest, this nation, ME, my administration, stood with them …”). Romney won. Game. Set. Match.
Whereas the Presidency is the big enchilada on the ballot this year, there are of course other races and issues. For example, we have an opportunity to retire one of the most liberal Senators in the country, Sherrod Brown, by electing former Marine and Iraq war veteran, Josh Mandel. The Founder of the Tea Party here locally, Mike Wilson, has a real shot to be elected to the Ohio General Assembly, after losing by only a few hundred votes a couple years ago. Hopefully he’ll make it. (And of course I’d greatly appreciate your vote this year!)
And there’s an Issue on the ballot, which if passed, would be a disaster for Ohio. Issue 2 would take away the peoples’ right to elect those who draw Ohio’s legislative and Congressional district lines. It would grow government by creating yet another taxpayer-paid commission of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats. Remember this: Issue 2 is bad for you! (Vote NO.)
Even though there are only two weeks to go until Election Day, there are still things you can do to affect the election. Here’s how you can help.
Any money my campaign raises from now through Election Day, we are concentrating on “Getting Out the Vote.” This will benefit my race, and it will also help the Romney/Ryan ticket, Josh Mandel, Mike Wilson, and other important races. You can click here to help.
If you’d like to help defeat Issue 2, click here. By the way, California adopted a similar issue a few years back, and it’s been a disaster. (And who wants to follow California, a state that’s on the verge of bankruptcy anyway?)
And finally, I set up a Political Action Committee called WinNovember a few months back, to help conservative Republican candidates for the U.S. House and Senate who are in very tough races. We’re contributing to conservative challengers who have a realistic chance of defeating vulnerable Democrats, and to conservative incumbents who are in tight races with Democrat challengers. If you’d like to help, you can click here.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week’s blog. See you next week.
