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Presidential Election 2012 -  Final Results Nationwide

Electoral Vote
Barack Obama (D)
332 electoral votes

Mitt Romney (R)  
206 electoral votes

Popular Vote
Barack Obama (D) 62,611,250 popular votes

Mitt Romney (R)  59,134,475 popular votes

    ****************

Updated on:
November 5, 2012

National 2012 General Election

Obama      50%
Romney    47%
Pew Research
November 4, 2012

Obama      48%
Romney    47%
NBC News/WSJ/
November 4, 2012

Obama      48%
Romney    48%
Politico/GWU/Battlefield
November 4, 2012

Obama      49%
Romney    49%
Rasmussen
November 4, 2012

Obama      48%
Romney    49%
ABC News/Wash Post
November 2, 2012

Obama      48%
Romney    48%
Rasmussen Reports
November 2, 2012

Obama      49%
Romney    48%
ABC News/Wash Post
November 1, 2012

Obama      47%
Romney    49%
Rasmussen Reports
November 1, 2012

Obama      49%
Romney    49%
ABC News/Wash Post
October 31, 2012

Obama      46%
Romney    46%
Fox News
October 31, 2012

Obama      50%
Romney    45%
National Journal
October 31, 2012

Obama      47%
Romney    49%
Rasmussen Reports
October 31, 2012

Obama      48%
Romney    49%
ABC/Wash Post
October 30, 2012

Obama      48%
Romney    47%
CBS News/NY Times
October 30, 2012

Obama      47%
Romney    48%
NPR
October 30, 2012

Obama      47%
Romney    47%
Pew Research
October 29, 2012

Obama      49%
Romney    49%
ABC News/Wash. Post
October 29, 2012

Obama      46%
Romney    51%
Gallup Tracking
October 29, 2012

Obama      47%
Romney    49%
Rasmussen Reports
October 29, 2012

Obama       49%
Romney     48%
Politico / GWU / Battleground
October 29, 2012

Obama       45%
Romney     44%
IBD/TIPP
October 28, 2012

Obama       48%
Romney     49%
ABC News/Wash Post
October 27, 2012

Obama       45%
Romney     47%
Associated Press/GfK
October 25, 2012
       ___________

SWING STATES
2012 General Election

[Number of electoral votes allotted to each state are in brackets.
270 electoral votes are needed to win]

Arizona (11)

Obama       44%
Romney     42%
PPP (D)
October 3, 2012

Colorado (9)

Obama       47%
Romney     45%
Denver Post/Survey USA
November 2, 2012

Obama      50%
Romney    48%
CNN/Opinion Research
November 1, 2012

Obama      47%
Romney    50%
Rasmussen Reports
November 1, 2012

Obama      50%
Romney    47%
WeAskAmerica
October 31, 2012

Obama      47%
Romney    48%
ARG
October 29, 2012

Obama      47%
Romney    46%
Purple Strategies
October 26, 2012

Obama      48%
Romney    48%
NBC/WSJ/Marist
October 25, 2012

Obama      51%
Romney    47%
PPP (D)
October 25, 2012

Florida (29)

Obama       48%
Romney     47%
CBS/NYT/Quinnipiac
October 31, 2012

Obama       47%
Romney     50%
Gravis Marketing
October 31, 2012

Obama       49%
Romney     50%
WeAskAmerica
October 31, 2012

Obama       47%
Romney     47%
Survey USA
October 30, 2012

Obama       49%
Romney     50%
CNN/Opinion Research
October 29, 2012

Obama       46%
Romney     51%
Sunshine State News/VSS
October 26, 2012

Obama       48%
Romney     50%
Rasmussen Reports
October 26, 2012

Obama       49%
Romney     50%
Gravis Marketing
October 25, 2012

Obama       47%
Romney     48%
PPP [D]
October 21, 2012

Obama       47%
Romney     46%
Survey USA
October 20, 2012

Iowa (6)

Obama       49%
Romney     45%
Gravis Marketing
November 2, 2012




Obama       48%
Romney     49%
Rasmussen Reports
November 1, 2012

Obama        49%
Romney      47%
NBC/WSJ/Marist
November 1, 2012

Obama       44%
Romney     45%
Univ. of Iowa
October 31, 2012

Obama        49%
Romney      47%
WeAskAmerica
October 31, 2012

Obama       50%
Romney     46%
Gravis Marketing
October 26, 2012

MICHIGAN (16)

Obama        52%
Romney      47%
Rasmussen Reports
November 2, 2012

Obama       48%
Romney     45%
Detroit News
October 31, 2012

Obama       48%
Romney     42%
EPIC-MRA
October 31, 2012

Obama       47%
Romney     47%
Baydoun/Foster
October 24, 2012

Minnesota (10)

Obama         50%
Romney       43%
KSTP/Survey USA
October 31, 2012     

Obama        47%
Romney      44%
Star Tribune/Mason-Dixon
October 28, 2012

Obama        53%
Romney      45%
St. Cloud State U.
October 27, 2012

Obama       51%
Romney     46%
Rasmussen reports
October 23, 2012

Obama       50%
Romney     40%
KSTP/Survey USA
October 18, 2011

Obama       47%
Romney     43%
NMB Research/AFF
October 13, 2012

Nevada (6)

Obama       50%
Romney     46%
LVRJ/Survey USA
November 1, 2012

Obama       50%
Romney     49%
Gravis Marketing
October 26, 2012

Obama       50%
Romney     47%
NBC/WSJ/Marist
October 25, 2012

Obama       50%
Romney     48%
Rasmussen Reports
October 24, 2012

Obama       51%
Romney     47%
PPP [D]
October 24, 2012

New Hampshire (4)

Obama       50%
Romney     49%
Gravis Marketing
November 2, 2012

Obama       50%
Romney     44%
New England College
November 2, 2012

Obama       49%
Romney     47%
NBC/WSJ/Marist
November 1, 2012

Obama       49%
Romney     47%
PPP [D]
October 28, 2012

Obama       49%
Romney     46%
New England College
October 26, 2912

Obama       48%
Romney     50%
Rasmussen Reports
October 24, 2012

Obama       47%
Romney     49%
ARG
October 23, 2012

North Carolina (15) 

Obama        49%
Romney      49%
PPP (D)
October 31, 2012

Obama        45%
Romney      50%
Survey USA
October 30, 2012

Obama        45%
Romney      45%
ELON University
October 29, 2012

Obama        46%
Romney      52%
Rasmussen Reports
October 27, 2012

Obama        47%
Romney      48%
Civitas (R)
October 26, 2012

Obama        45%
Romney      53%
Gravis Marketing
October 26, 2012

Obama        48%
Romney      48%
PPP (D)
October 25, 2012

Obama        48%
Romney      51%
Rasmussen Reports
October 11, 2012

Ohio (18)

Pennsylvania (20)

Obama       49%
Romney     45%
Franklin & Marshall
October 31, 2012

Obama       49%
Romney     43%
Philadelphia Inquirer
October 27, 2012

Obama       51%
Romney     46%
Rasmussen Reports
October 25, 2012

Obama       50%
Romney     45%
Morning Call
October 22, 2012

Obama       48%
Romney     45%
Gravis Marketing
October 22, 2012

Obama      50%
Romney    46%
Quinnipiac University
October 16, 2012

Obama       49%
Romney     45%
Morning Call
October 15, 2012

Obama        51%
Romney      44%
PPP (D)
October 15, 2012

Virginia (13)

Obama       49%
Romney     48%
WeAskAmerica
November 2, 2012

Obama       44%
Romney     49%
Roanoke College
October 31, 2012

Obama        49%
Romney      47%
CBS/NYT/Quinnipiac
October 31, 2012

Obama       51%
Romney     47%
Washington Post
October 27, 2012

Obama        48%
Romney      48%
Gravis Marketing
October 27, 2012

Obama       47%
Romney     47%
Purple Strategies
October 26, 2012

Obama        45%
Romney      47%
Fox News
October 25, 2012

Obama        48%
Romney      50%
Rasmussen Reports
October 25, 2012

Wisconsin (10)

Obama         52%
Romney       45%
WeAskAmerica
November 2, 2012

Obama         49%
Romney       46%
NBC/WSJ/Marist
November 1, 2012

Obama         49%
Romney       49%
Rasmussen Reports
November 1, 2012

Obama         51%
Romney       42%
WPR/St. Notbert
November 1, 2012

Obama         51%
Romney       43%
Marquette University
October 31, 2012

Obama         49%
Romney       49%
Rasmussen Reports
October 26, 2012

    **************

PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS AND STATE POLITICS

The Fiscal Cliff

By: Presidential-politics.co.
December 05, 2012

The Congressional Budget Office has during the last six months issued varying reports on possible outcomes if  Congress and the Obama administration fails to avoid the fiscal cliff; meaning the scheduled tax increases and spending cuts will occur. In all those reports however, the CBO has been certain on two factors: if the fiscal cliff is not avoided the economy will shrink and the unemployment rate would climb over 9 percent in 2013. The same predictions have been made not only by the CBO but also by all others who have expressed an opinion on the fiscal cliff. As frightening as it may be, there is at least agreement on that. 

What are they going to do about this?

The President campaigned on what he called basic fairness and a balanced approach, to reduce the deficit and grow the economy. He said loud and clear throughout his campaign that the tax rates for those earning over $250,000 need to increase to the levels they were under President Clinton; that the middle class tax cuts under President Bush should continue.
The Republican Party candidate Gov. Romney on the other hand, shouted equally loud and clear that the Bush tax cuts should be continued for all including those earning over $250,000.
The election was supposed to settle this major issue. After all, all parties agreed that the economy and tax policy was the number one issue in the election. This was a national issue that had to be settled at the national level by the Presidential election. And, it was settled. The majority of voters agreed with President Obama's position. The Republican Party leaders need to accept this and move on. They will be the better off for that and so will be the nation. To suggest that they did not lose the House and therefore have a mandate to extend the Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250, 000 does not make any sense. 

The American voters patiently listened to all those ads and speeches, carefully sorted out through the clutter and carefully made their decision. They are equally carefully watching  as to what is going on right now  in Washington. If the middle class folk are forced an average $2000 annual tax increase, they are not going to be pleased. There is no explanation that the Republicans could offer that even comes close to making any sense. They will pay a heavy price. 

There is a very simple and face saving solution for this. There is a bill that has already been passed in the U.S. senate extending the tax cuts for the middle class. Speaker Boehner needs to get that bill passed in the House  and move on. If it will cost him his Speakership in January, so be it. The nation will respect him nevertheless. The same could not be said if the fiscal cliff is not avoided.
[References: CBO's Reports, July to November 2012]

Presidential Election 2012,  The Aftermath

By: Lionel Boteju
presidential-politics.com
November 13, 2012

The 2012 presidential election was concluded on November 6th with the election of President Obama for a second term .

Elections have consequences. How will this election affect the nation? 

'What happened?' is an appropriate question to examine first. I will discuss the consequences on future dates; as events develop.

'What happened?'. At a glance, nothing seems to have changed. We have the same President, a Democratic U.S. Senate and a Republican U.S. House of Representatives,  just as it was prior to the election. A close examination however will reveal that a whole lot has changed.

The President won big. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. He carried every state he won in 2008 except for Indiana and North Carolina that he lost by small margins, two red states. He got 332 electoral votes to Governor Romney's 206. He won the popular vote by three million effortlessly, he hardly visited the blue states and red states except for fund raising and matters not connected with the election.

The truth about the 2008 election was that at the end of President George W. Bush's second term, the nation was at  the point of total collapse and  any Democrat would have won the presidency. Mr. Obama's victory was considered unique because he was the first Black American to be elected President.

2012 was a totally different scenario. For a start, the President had a record: the Economy was weak and sluggish; Unemployment was hovering around eight percent; The national debt has gone up by several trillion dollars. So, why did the electorate give President Obama a second term? Following are reasons worth considering:

Americans may have a short memory, but, certainly not as short as four years when it came to their livelihood and savings. Most lost some of it during the collapse of the economy and  financial institutions towards the end of Mr. Bush's second term. In the words of President Clinton , the damage that President Obama found when he took office was so bad that neither President Clinton nor any of  his predecessors would have been able to turn it around in four years. Voters knew this to be true.

A basic theme of President Obama's 2012 campaign was that in addition to cuts in expenditure, the rich (those with an annual income of over $250, 000) should pay a little more in taxes  than the middle class to reduce the deficit and improve the economy. Gov. Romney campaigned against any tax increase for the rich. Polls prior to the election indicated that a majority of Americans favored Mr. Obama's approach which was confirmed when real votes were counted.
Also, Gov. Romney's terrible remarks about 47% of Americans being victims who did not want to take personal responsibility and who did not pay any taxes, surely hurt him.

Americans were tired of the never ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Who could blame them? They lost more of their best in these two wars than the innocents who were killed  by the murderers led by Osama Bin Laden on September 11 in 2001. Neither of the wars were paid for during President Bush's terms. They were put on a credit card is how President Obama described it. Mr. Obama ended the war in Iraq and made arrangements to end the Afghan war in 2014. The Republican Party candidate Gov. Romney's positions were different. During two years of his campaign, Mr. Romney complained that Mr. Obama should have negotiated with Iraq' leaders to leave at least 30,000 American troops in Iraq. He also opposed the 2014 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. In the final presidential debate Gov. Romney changed his positions and agreed with the actions taken by President Obama in both Iraq and Afghanistan. It appears that voters didn't believe him.

" Illegal immigrants should 'self deport'" was Gov. Romney's solution to the problem of Twelve Million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. This is so impractical that the Governor must have lost all credibility among voters as a leader who could find a solution to this huge problem facing the nation. Add to that the nasty tone of the Republican party when discussing immigrant issues, Mr. Romney should be thankful for the 27 percent of the Hispanic vote he received.

Abortion: Most state legislatures controlled by the Republican Party in the last two years introduced and passed legislation that restricted a woman's right to choose; recognized in the landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court case  Roe vs. Wade. Governor Romney, throughout his campaign maintained that he will, as President, appoint Supreme Court Justices who would overturn Roe vs.Wade. That would make abortion illegal, period. Towards the end of his campaign, Mr. Romney tried to change his position. Apparently, the voters did not believe him.

President Obama closed his campaign with two very simple arguments:

(1) The rich did not need a champion in the White House because they were always at the table, that it is the middle class that needed a champion in the White House. The voters agreed.

(2) That the voters knew him; That he says what he means and means what he says and the voters could trust him; the voters agreed.

There is no doubt that the billions that was spent by both parties mattered to a degree. In the final analysis, those billions helped the voters to decide on the man they could trust to be their President.

presidential-politics.com Predicts An Obama Victory On November 6th.

By: Lionel Boteju
presidential-politics.com
November 2, 2012

With four days to go for the general election we make bold to predict a winner in the presidential contest.
Our prediction is based primarily on presidential polls that we have been closely following for the last three months.

To win the Presidency a candidate needs to win 270 electoral votes.

The states now fall in to three categories: Solid Democratic, Solid Republican and Swing States.

There is general consensus that the following fifteen  (15) states and District of Columbia are solidly Democratic and will vote for President Obama. They have a total of 191 electoral votes.

STATE                     ELECTORAL VOTES

California                      55                      
Connecticut                    7                      
Delaware                        3                       
District of Columbia        3                      
Hawaii                           4                      
Illinois                          20                      
Maine                            4                      
Maryland                      10                      
Massachusetts               11                    
New Jersey                  14                       
New Mexico                  5                         
New York                    29                       
Oregon                          7                       
Rhode Island                 4                        
Vermont                        3                       
Washington                  12                       

 TOTAL                    191                                   

There is also general consensus that the following Twenty Two (22)  states are solidly Republican and will go for Governor Romney. They have a total of One Hundred and Eighty (180) electoral votes.

STATE                    ELECTORAL VOTES                                                            
Alabama                            9                    
Alaska                               3                      
Arkansas                            6                   
Georgia                            16                   
Idaho                                 4                    
Indiana                             11                
Kansas                               6                    
Kentucky                            8                   
Louisiana                            8                   
Mississippi                          6                   
Missouri                            10                 
Montana                             3                   
Nebraska                            5                  
North Dakota                      3                  
Oklahoma                           7                    
South Carolina                     9                  
South Dakota                      3                   
Tennessee                         11                   
Texas                               38                   
Utah                                  6                   
West Virginia                      5                   
Wyoming                           3                    
  TOTAL                        180                                                                                                   
That leaves us with the following  Thirteen (13) swing states:

STATE               ELECTORAL VOTES

Arizona               11
Colorado               9
Florida                29
Iowa                     6
Michigan             16
Minnesota           10
Nevada                 6
New Hampshire    4
North Carolina    15
Ohio                   18
Pennsylvania       20
Virginia               13
Wisconsin           10

Now to the Math.

President Obama has 191 electoral votes from solid Democratic states and the District of Columbia. He needs 79 electoral votes from swing states to win a second term.

Governor Romney has 180 electoral votes from solid Republican states and needs 90 electoral votes from swing states to win the Presidency.

We have averaged the polls for each candidate in each of the swing states for the seven days ending today,  November 2, 2012 and come with the following results:

For Arizona, we do not have poll numbers for the last week. The most recent we have is dated October 13, 2012. Arizona, however, is more a Red state than a Blue state and we will give its 11 electoral votes  to Gov. Romney.    

For the balance twelve swing states, we do have average poll numbers for the last seven days.

Of them, Gov. Romney is leading in only three states, Florida (29), North Carolina (15) and Virginia (13). They add up to 57 electoral votes. With Arizona's 11, the total comes to 68 electoral votes, which is nowhere near the 90 he needs to win. 

President Obama's path to victory seems much easier. He needs 79 electoral votes from the swing states. In Michigan (16), Minnesota (10) and Pennsylvania (20) he leads by points outside the margin of error, which gives him 46 electoral votes. He seems poised to pick up the balance 33 electoral votes he needs from among the other six swing states in all of which he leads, all-be-it by small margins.

Finally, the momentum now, when it matters, is clearly in President Obama's direction.

We at presidential-politics. com confidently predict that President Obama will win a second term  on election night, November 6, 2012.

For actual poll numbers; their sources; the averages; and, the 2008 election results, please go to: SWING STATES    

[References: Electoral College 2012; Real Clear Politics 2012]   

Ohio Will Decide The Presidential Election, 2012

By: Lionel Boteju
presidential-politics.com
October 20, 2012

If President Obama wins Ohio and claims it's 18 electoral votes, he will be the President of the United States for a second term. Period. As of today, Ohio is that big and important.

The good news for the nation is that Mr. Obama has been in the lead in every poll in Ohio for the last few weeks. Today's Public Policy Polling gives him just a one point lead. But voting has already started in Oho and a lead is a lead , even by one point.

We are confident that most voters in Ohio including Republicans must be wondering as to what kind of a man they have elected as their secretary of state. The guy is defying the highest court of the land, The Supreme Court. This is not a joke. This is a very dangerous man who will do anything to get what he wants. The sooner the Ohioans will see the back of him, the better they will be.
[References: Real Clear Politics, 2012]

President Obama Wins The Second Debate

By: Lionel Boteju
presidential-politics.com
October 17, 2012

The second presidential debate in New York last night was a clear winner for President Obama. He had accurate facts on every issue that was brought up in the debate and delivered them without hesitation in clear and concise terms.

Governor Romney looked rattled most of the time. He was comfortable when describing the economy and the unemployment situation, that is how bad he thought they were. But, when offering his solutions, he looked and sounded confused. When challanged on the facts by Mr. Obama he looked clearly irritated.

The Libyan issue that Gov. Romney and the Republican leaders were relentlessly promoting during the last few weeks did not go well at all for Mr. Romney. The President looked forceful and powerful when he directly addressed Mr. Romney and outright rejected the suggestion that his administration was playing politics over an incident that resulted in the deaths of four Americans.

Mr. Romney's camp had been claiming  that the Obama administration misled the public about the attack on the American consulate in Libya. That the administration knew that it was a terrorist attack but pretended it to be a spontaneous act by the Muslims offended by the ugly movie about prophet Mohamed. The reason, the Republicans say, was because this attack undermines the Obama administration's claim of dismantling the al-Qaeda terrorist organization.

When the Libyan issue was brought up at the debate, the President asserted that in an address to the nation on the day after the attack, he referred to the incident as an act of terror. Mr. Romney, probably unaware of this, questioned the President on the truthfulness of his statement. The President very calmly told to Mr. Romney "Please Proceed Governor". These three words and the way they were uttered will go down in history as a remarkable moment in all presidential debates. Mr. Romney, just looked confused. To add insult to injury, the moderator Candy Crowley confirmed that the President was right and Mr. Romney not only looked confused but also foolish.

Gov. Romney also made a major error at the end of the debate. Up to that point, none in the audience that asked questions or Mr. Obama  had brought up the subject of Mr. Romney's '47 percent' remarks that have caused his campaign huge problems. Mr. Romney, in his answer to the last question  in the debate , brought it up himself and gave an opportunity to Mr. Obama to cause him serious damage.

Last night was clearly President Obama's night.

[References: CNN TV, 10-16-2012]

Joe Wins The Vice Presidential Debate

By: presidential-politics.com
October 12, 2012

Vice President Joe Biden has delivered time and again when he has been called upon to do so by the President and the Democratic Party and last night was no exception. 

For an entire week every single TV channel including those that generally like the President were ridiculing Mr. Obama for his performance at the first debate. Channels like MSNBC were in fact more brutal than most others and more or less lifted Gov. Romney above the clouds. Hardly a mention was made of  Mr. Romney's changing positions on matters crucial to the middle class. The constant barrage had it's effect. The presidential polls started to tighten and even worse it started to have an adverse effect on some close U.S. Senate races.

It was in this scenario that Mr. Biden was called upon to end the downward spiral. And we believe he did. When the Republicans start complaining about how Joe smiled during the debate, we know that the Vice President did his job. He called Congressman Ryan on all crucial issues, Medicare, Social Security, economy, tax cuts, stimulus, Libya, Iraq war, Afghanistan,  Iran, Syria, abortion, Romney's 47 percent remarks and Ryan's own thirty percent takers remarks. It was a job well done. Vice President Biden  laid  a solid foundation on which Mr. Obama must built upon in the next two debates if he intends to serve another term.

Romney Wins Debate - Obama Gets His Message Across

By: Lionel Boteju
presidential-politics.com
October 4, 2012

All the television networks declared Governor Romney as the clear winner in the first presidential debate held last night in Denver, Colorado. We agree, up to a point. Mr. Romney was stylish and aggressive. But just as most of his ads are, a lot of his assertions on important issues will prove to be untrue in the coming days. 

As for President Obama, he appeared not to be  interested in having any debate with Mr. Romney. It was like Mr. Obama didn't want to be on the same stage with the other guy. Given that attitude, he did remarkably well in getting Mr. Romney to admit on a few important issues.

Mr. Romney basically admitted that Medicare will be a voucher program for those under 55 years of age.

The more Mr. Romney denied his proposed four trillion tax-cut to the rich, the more he sounded like not telling the truth.

The millions who watched will at least be confused as to why Mr. Romney wants to do away with Obama-care.

Overall, Gov. Romney will benefit from this debate and President Obama got some thing out of it as well. The polls in the next few days will tell as to who got the edge.

Polls Indicate An Advantage To President Obama

By: presidential politics.com
September 29, 2012

Heading in to the first presidential debate next Wednesday at Denver, Colorado, President Obama is leading Gov. Romney in all polls both nationally and in swing states.

According to some polls Mr. Obama is ahead nationally by as much as six points. His lead in some swing states is very slight.

Some Romney supporters claim that these polls are skewed to favor Democrats and are unreliable. This is hard to believe as pollsters  have a reputation to maintain. In any event the election is in 39 days and the candidates have to get through three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate. The polls are bound to fluctuate between now and the election on November 6th.

Please refer to the column on left for detail poll information.

The First Presidential Debate

By: presidential-politics.com
September 19, 2012

The first presidential debate of general election, 2012 will be held on October 3, 2012 at the University of Denver, Colorado.

Mr. Jim Lehrer, the former news anchor for PBS News Hour on PBS will act as the moderator.

Mr. Lehrer announced today that the 90-minute debate will be divided in to six 15 minute segments. The first three segments will be on the economy. The last three segments will focus on health care, the role of government and governing.
[References: CNN TV, 09-19-2012]

Mr. Romney and the Turmoil in Muslim Countries

By: presidential-politics.com
September 14, 2012

The real reasons for the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa are uncertain at this time. The available information suggests that an ugly movie by a bigoted crazy man that insults Prophet Mohamed  instigated the mob violence in Cairo, Egypt.

The attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya seems more like a well planned assault by a terrorist group to coincide with the anniversary of the September 11  attack on the twin towers in New York. The recent statements by Ayman al-Zawahiri who took over the leadership of Al Qaeda  upon the death of Osama bin Laden may also have contributed.

This unrest has now spread to Yemen and several other Muslim countries and it is too early to even guess as to who or what is causing these  uprisings.

The Republican Party presidential nominee Governor Romney blames all this on President Obama - specifically what he calls "Obama's apologies".  His campaign issued a written statement immediately after trouble broke out in Cairo. Romney statement criticized a statement by the U.S. Consulate in Cairo condemning the movie that insults Prophet Mohamed. Mr. Romney called the Consulate statement an apology  by the  Obama Administration.

It is now clear that one or more staff members of the Consulate issued that statement several hours before any attack took place in the hope that it would help diffuse a growing unrest in the city.

Mr. Romney has taken the consulate statement, attributed to it "an apology" which it does not contain and then attached it to Mr. Obama and is campaigning that the President is "an apologist" and is somehow responsible for this entire turmoil in the Muslim countries. Mr. Romney double downed on his claim Wednesday morning. There is no doubt that he was politicizing the events in Cairo and Benghazi which is unfortunate.What is disgusting is that he was doing this even before the  bodies of the four Americans who were killed in this conflict while serving this nation have been fully identified. Sadly, their bodies would still have been warm when Romney was trying to use them for his political gain.

Romney campaign seem to believe that calling President Obama "an apologist"  is a winning strategy for them. May be they have some statistics which indicate this. The fact that their claim is untrue doesn't appear to concern them at all.

The Democratic Party Convention Should Help President Obama

By: presidential-politics.com
September 7, 2012

The two major party conventions are finally over and we have President Obama of the Democratic Party and Governor Romney of the Republican Party as the candidates for the fall Presidential election.

Conventions are important and give each Party the first real opportunity to introduce their candidate to the national electorate. Both parties had really good conventions and must have achieved most of what they expected.

Conventions are also serious businesses. They could help a candidate enormously or could cause irreparable damage. There cannot be any doubt that these conventions helped both candidates.

However, there were two glaring mistakes, both from the Republicans. Mr. Romney in his acceptance speech did not once mention the Afghanistan war. More serious , however was that Congressman Ryan, the GOP vice-presidential candidate was far too loose with facts in his speech. This may come to bite him for a long time. To be defined as untrustworthy is not a good way to be introduced to the nation.

While both conventions were very good, it did come out that the Democratic Party convention was more lively, even boisterous in a good way. Mr. Obama might get the edge out of the conventions. We will know in a few days.

Mitt Romney Accepts The Nomination. Says "We Deserve Better"

By: presidential-politics.com
August 31, 2012

Governor Mitt Romney is now the official nominee of the Republican Party to challange President Obama in the fall election. He accepted his party's nomination last night at the GOP convention.

To the delight of the delegates Mr. Romney attacked the  President on almost every thing that Mr. Obama has done and failed to do so far in his Presidency. He said to do great things "We need an American", perhaps suggesting that Mr. Obama is not an American. He said "We deserve better", obviously referring to the President. It was a biting speech with no bars held, particularly the second half.

In a way the second half of Mr. Romney's speech did not help the first half, which was meant to introduce himself as a caring good man.

As to what he would do if elected President, Mr. Romney reiterated his five point plan which is very general and doesn't mean much.

On foreign policy he came out as a hawk; He claimed that President Obama has thrown Israel under the bus. On Russia, he sounded as if his policy would be to start a cold war all over again.

The Democratic Party Convention will start on Monday and we have nine more weeks for the election. Get ready for a rough ride! We can only hope that it would be fun too.
[References: MSNBC TV, 08-30-2012]

Republicans Vote Romney As Their Presidential Nominee

By presidential-politics.com
August 28, 2012

At their convention in Tampa, Florida today the Republican Party Delegates  voted Governor Mitt  Romney as their nominee to challange President Obama in the November 2012 general election.The votes needed to clinch the nomination was 1144 and the delegates from New Jersey got him over the top.

As is done traditionally, Congressman Paul Ryan was nominated as the Vice-Presidential candidate by a voice vote..

Other main events of the evening were the speeches by Mr. Romney's wife Ann and the keynote speech by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
[References: CNN TV, 08-28-2012]

Romney Picks Ryan As Running Mate

By Lionel Boteju
presidential-politics.com
August 12, 2012

Governor Romney, the presumptive Presidential nominee of the Republican party announced yesterday that he has picked Congressman Paul Ryan from Wisconsin as his choice for Vice-President. Mr. Ryan is also the chairman of the Congressional Budget Committee.

Governor Romney's campaign so far has been limited to very few ideas and can be easily defined.
The attack line has been that "President Obama is a failure".
His offer to the electorate as the  solution to the ailing economy and high unemployment has been  that he will reduce taxes, cut spending - mostly in Federal Programs, and cut regulations.
Every thing else in the Governor's campaign has been pretty small day-to-day stuff. Mostly, reactions to President Obama's campaign.

By picking Mr. Ryan, the Governor has doubled down on his main theme of reducing taxes and cutting spending and has adopted the Ryan Budget lock, stock and barrel.

The Ryan Budget is about  reducing taxes and cutting spending including the entitlements of Medicare and Social Security. We do not endeavor to go in to the details of this Budge at this time. It would however be true to state that Mr. Romney has drawn a line in the sand and it will be difficult for him to fight on both sides. He will reap the benefits of what is good on the side he has so clearly picked, but will also have to be ready to accept the bad and the ugly.

A Closer Look At The Current State Of The Presidential Election

By Lionel Boteju
Publisher, presidential-politics.com
Updated on August 8, 2012

VERY COMPETITIVE STATES  are referred to as Swing States, Battle Ground States or Toss-up States. Some call them Purple States. A few of these states combined will decide the Presidential election. There is general consensus among political campaigns that currently there are thirteen such states.

Following are the candidates' standings in swing states according to the latest available polls.

The number of electoral votes allotted to each state is in brackets.

Also included are the states considered solid or leaning towards each party and the tally of their electoral votes. This will enable you to follow the changes in the candidates' fortunes as their standings in swing states change.

Continued in SWING STATES

Governor Romney's Money Is Relevant

By Lionel Boteju
Publisher, presidential-politics.com
July 10, 2012
EVERY THING about a candidate is relevant when you run for President of the United States. Indeed, such is the case when you run for the highest office of any country.

There is a general consensus that children of a candidate should be left alone. That is about it. Every thing else has been considered fair game in the last two decades...

Military service - Remember the scrutiny of Governor George W. Bush in 2000 and the virtual demolition of Senator John Kerry's Military record in 2004 by the Swift Boat crowd.

Your associates, even your pastor - Senator Obama in 2008 had to deliver a major speech on race relations to explain his association with  Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Sean Hannity of Fox News is still screaming about him.
Also remember the alleged close relationship of Senator Obama and Bill Ayers, a Professor at the University of Chicago with past connections to Weather Underground. Sean Hannity still talks about him.

NOW TO THE MONEY-
How on earth can the Romney campaign and his supporters complain about questions regarding his money in foreign bank accounts.

SWISS BANK ACCOUNTS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

There is a word that screams in the minds of most people instantaneously they hear the words "Swiss bank accounts". That word is "Hiding". This may be totally unfair or unjust. But that's the way it is.

The same goes to "Offshore accounts". In most minds of ordinary middle class folk the words are associated with "Tax Dodgers". Again, this may be unfair. But there isn't much that could be done about it.

Mr. Romney is supposed to have millions of dollars of his money invested in Cayman Islands,  a well known Caribbean tax haven.

It is right, proper and absolutely necessary that questions be raised about Mr. Romney's money in Swiss bank accounts, Cayman Islands and other offshore accounts. This is particularly so, because Mr. Romney claims the Presidency primarily on his experience as a successful businessman. Success in business means making money and there are various ways of doing it. How Mr. Romney made his money and what he has done with it becomes the business of the electorate when he asks for their vote.

All Presidential candidates during the last several decades have made available at least six years of their tax returns. Why is it so hard for Mr. Romney to do that? Can he blame those who ask "what is he hiding?"

We are in no position to advise Mr. Romney's campaign. But, it certainly appears that the best course is to fully answer all these inquiries and move on. A good start would be to make available at least the last six years of his tax returns.
(c) Lionel Boteju

What is the Right Word for "The Compulsory Payment" in the Health Care Mandate?

[By Lionel Boteju, Publisher, presidential-politics.com, July 3, 2012]

"The Compulsory Payment" is my contribution to the mess it has become. I could add another, "A Mandatory Charge". Really, what is going on here? What does it matter if it is termed a Tax, a Fine, a Penalty or a Fee?
What matters is the sad realty that the confusion and misinformation over this has led some Americans to believe that they are subject to this payment if they already have or plan to buy health insurance. This is wrong.

Those in a position to do so should make it be known that it is the "free riders", i.e. those who are financially able to, but refuse to buy health insurance are the only folks who are subject to this payment. Also, it is evident that the "free riders" do need medical care from time to time and when they show up in Emergency Rooms, it is those with insurance that generally foot the bill.

Politicians often lecture us about the rights of Americans. Well, they have a right to know this simple fact before they could decide on the merits of the Affordable Care Act. 

"Obama Care is Constitutional" Says the Supreme Court

[June 28, 2012]
The Supreme Court today by a five-four split decision upheld President Obama's signature piece of legislation, The Affordable Care Act, commonly called "Obama Care".

The Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the majority and who read the decision himself this morning was very clear. The mandate to buy health care is constitutional because the legislature has the power to impose a fine for non-compliance which is really a tax. The mandate need not fall under the commerce clause for it to be constitutional. That was more-or-less the position of the Chief Justice which was delivered in a 19 page judgment. The four liberal justices of the Supreme Court joined the Chief Justice to form the majority decision. 

To say that this decision is huge for this nation is an understatement. It will affect the life of every single American at some point in his or her life. Even the very rich will find it hard to get through a serious illness  without health insurance. This health care act will prevent the insurance companies from denying them cover if they had a so called "pre-existing condition".This is just one small aspect of this legislation.

This health care act has already cost President Obama and his party dearly. It cost the Democrats the majority in the House in 2010 mid-term election. How it will play out in November 2012 general election is largely unknown and it should not matter.

The highest Court in this nation did the right thing. today. It is all that matters.
[References: MSNBC TV, CNN TV, Fox News TV all of 06-28-2012]

Supreme Court Decides on Arizona Immigration Law

[June 26, 2012]
Of the four main provisions of the Arizona law that came before the Supreme Court, the Justices on Monday struck down three and upheld one.

The Court unanimously upheld the provision that require law enforcement officials to determine the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest if there is reason to suspect that the individual might be an illegal immigrant.
This is the most controversial part of the law that is generally referred to as the "show me your papers" provision which the critics say would lead to racial profiling of Hispanics in Arizona.
The court did leave open the possibility that challenges to this law can be brought once it take effect. Such challenges could include claims that it would lead to racial profiling.

In split decisions the court struck down three  main provisions of the law. One required immigrants to carry immigration papers at all times. 
Another banned illegal immigrants from soliciting work in public places.
The third allowed arrest of illegal immigrants without warrent if the police officer believed they committed crimes that would make them deportable.
[References: MSNBC TV, CNN TV, Fox News TV all of 06-25-2012]

President Obama's Immigration Plan For "Dreamers"

[Monday, June 18, 2012]
"Dreamers" are those young people who were brought in to the country illegally or overstayed their visas as children.

The Dream Act which would have given them a path to citizenship if they joined the military or attended college was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives almost two years ago. The Republicans prevented it from coming to a vote in the U.S. Senate by using the filibuster.

With this background, on last Friday President Obama announced that his Administration will allow those young illegal immigrants to apply for temporary legal status and work permits. This action brings immediate relief to as many as 800,000 young people who can meet some basic requirements, namely:
they are under 30 years of age;
have no criminal records;
entered the country as children;
have graduated from a high school; and
lived in the country for five consecutive years.
Young illegal immigrants who can prove the above
can apply for temporary legal status and two year renewable work permits.

"These are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one - on paper" said the President in describing the young illegal immigrants who will benefit from his plan. He added that this action is the "right thing" for the country.

President Obama Addresses The Issue Of  Security Leaks

[Monday, June 11, 2012]
Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room, President Obama on Friday indignantly hit back on charges by senator McCain and some other Republicans that his administration was behind a recent series of security leaks.

"Since I have been in office, my attitude has been zero tolerance for these kind of leaks and speculation. Now we have mechanisms in place where, if we can root out folks who have leaked, they will suffer consequences. In some cases, it is criminal. These are criminal acts when they release information like this. And we will conduct through investigations, as we have in the past." said the President.

On charges by Senator John McCain and others that the White House was behind these leaks, Mr. Obama called such accusations wrong.

"The notion that my White House would purposefully release classified national security information is offensive," he said and added "But as I think has been indicated from these articles, whether or not the information they have received is true, the writers of these articles have all stated unequivocally that they didn't come from this White House, and that's not how we operate."

President Obama Says Romney's Record At Bain Is Relevant

[05-22-2012]
During his news conference at the NATO Summit  in Chicago on May 21, 2012, President Obama made it clear that as far as his campaign is concerned, the record of Governor Romney at the equity firm Bain Capital it very relevant.
Mr. Obama added that Mr. Romney has so far based his campaign on the premise that he will make a better President because of his experience as a businessmen. This makes it necessary for Gov.  Romney's business record to be closely examined, said Mr. Obama.
[References: CNN TV, 05-21-2012]

"I Am For Gay Marriage" Says President Obama

[05-09-2012]
"At a certain point I've just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married", with these words President Obama made history by being the first sitting President of the United States to support gay marriage.

The President added "I had hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient, that that was some thing that would give people hospital visitation rights and other elements that we take for granted, and I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people, you know, the word 'marriage'  was something that evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs, and so forth"

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said in an appearance in Oklahoma today "I believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman."

The President made his statement on the day after North Carolina voted to implement a state constitutional ban on gay marriage. He has been campaigning hard in North Carolina which is a swing state and his new clear position on same sex  marriage is going to make his job harder. 

It is unclear at this point in time as to how his support for same sex marriage will play out in President Obama's bid for re-election. What is crystal clear is that this will make Mr. Romney's task of galvanizing hard conservatives behind him very easy.
[References: CNN TV, 05-09-2012: MSNBC TV, 05-09-2012]

"It Is The Economy - We Are Not Stupid" Latest GOP Strategy

[04-30-2012]
The advisors to the presumptive nominee Governor Romney are pushing the economy as the most important issue this week.

Regarding their plans to bridge the gap between the candidates in women's support, the answer was that women are hurting in this economy. Women will vote for Romney because they trust him to improve the economy.

Questioned about the disparity in support for their candidate among younger voters,  the answer wasn't much different. "Younger voters have no jobs in Obama's economy. Romney will improve the economy" was more or less the reply of all Romney advisors and strategists.

Addressing the issue of Hispanic support that President Obama leads by more than 15% in most polls, Republicans leaders in unison had one comment that read like this " Hispanics are not a single issue voting block. They don't vote only on immigration. They are concerned about the economy and will support Romney"

As of now, the economy is the issue on which Mr. Obama is most vulnerable and the Republicans are right to push it. But, what happens if the economy shows a steady improvement in the coming months? We have to wait and see.
[References: ABC TV - This week with  George Stephanopoulos, 04-29-2012: NBC TV - David Gregory, Meet the Press, 04-29-2012: FOX TV, Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, 04-29-2012]

Romney Wins Big In Northeastern Primaries

[04-25-2012]

Former Governor Mitt Romney swept the five Republican Party primaries held last night. GOP voters in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and Delaware helped Mr. Romney to get closer in clinching the nomination. Entering the day, Mr. Romney had 695 of the 1144 delegates needed to win the nomination. The five states last night, together had 209 delegates at stake.

Former speaker Newt Gingrich and Congressman Ron Paul are still in the race.
Mr. Gingrich was in North Carolina last night and in a concession speech said he will be at 23 events in North Carolina this week. He added that he wanted to make sure that conservatism is fully represented at the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida.
Mr. Paul said that his supporters insist that he stays in the running and that he will continue in the race to collect as many delegates as possible to go to the convention.
[References: CNN TV, 04-25-2012]

"Obama Isn't Working" says Romney

[04-19-2012]
Both President Obama and presumptive Republican Party nominee former governor Mitt Romney are having trouble connecting with working class voters. But, not for the lack of trying. They are trying really hard, particularly in swing states to connect with these voters. 

Romney spoke at a closed factory yesterday in Lorain, Ohio in front of a sign reading "Obama isn't working". He said the factory that was closed in 2008 at the beginning of the recession is still empty because the President's economic plans haven't worked.
Mr. Romney added, "This is a President who would like to run on rhetoric. We instead are going to insist that he will run on record, and that record is a record of failure."

In Ohio, so far, the President is ahead of Mr. Romney. Recent Fox News Poll conducted April 15-17, 2012 has Obama at 45% to Romney's 39%.
A drop in unemployment rate in Ohio from 10.6percent in January 2010 to 7.6 percent this past February is obviously helping President Obama.
[References: NPR, 04-19-2012: Fox News 04-19-2012]

Romney Commences Search For A Vice President 

[04-17-2012]
The presumptive Republican Party nominee former Governor Mitt Romney said today that he has appointed Beth Myers,  a trusted aide and a senior adviser to the campaign to head up his search for a vice president.
Ms. Myers was Mr. Romney's chief of staff when he was Massachusetts governor. She also managed his presidential campaign in 2008. 

Several names have been mentioned in news media as potential Romney running mates. Florida Junior Senator Marco Rubio, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Rep. Paul Ryan are are the most often mentioned. [Reference: CNN TV]

Mitt Romney Will Be The Nominee. So, Why Is Newt Gingrich Still In The Race?

[04-13-2012]
Former senator Rick Santorum has suspended his campaign.

It is now apparent that former Governor Mitt Romney will be the Republican party nominee to challenge President Obama in November 2012.

Mr. Romney is yet to collect the required 1144 delegates and former Speaker Newt Gingrich and Congressman Ron Paul are still in the race. 

Mr. Paul has acknowledged that he cannot win the nomination, but his position all along has been that he wants to collect as many delegates as possible and be a strong voice in the Republican party convention in August. 

Why is Mr. Gingrich still in the race?
He is infuriating the GOP establishment by continuing in the race and denying Mr.Romney the opportunity to immediately concentrate on a one on one contest with President Obama. Also, as long as he is in the race he will continue to insist that Mr. Romney is not a real conservative.
Political pundits of both major parties have expressed various opinions for Mr. Gingrich's continued participation in the contest, the most common being his ego.
Mr. Gingrich himself has told reporters in Delaware this week "My experience in history is it's not over until it's over and currently it is very clear that Romney does not today have a majority of the delegates."
Mr. Gingrich has also told his supporters that he will fight to the end and if he is not the nominee, he still wants the chance in Tampa to move the Republican platform in a clearly conservative direction.
Mr. Gingrich has been in politics for a very long time and has come back from behind before. In fairness to him, it is best to go by what he says as to why he is still in the race.

There are five contests in less than two weeks. Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and  Rhode Island hold their primaries on April 24th which are not expected to bring much joy to Mr. Gingrich. But May 8th should bring him renewed hope when Indiana, North Carolina and West Virginia hold their primaries.
We shall wait and see!

[References: CNN, 04-12-2012: Patricia Murphy, The Daily Beast, 04-13-2012: MSNBC, 04-13-2012]

Republican Party Presidential Race Delegate Count

[04-05-2012]

(Delegates needed to win GOP Nomination 1144)

Mitt Romney - 657
Rick Santorum- 273
Newt Gingrich - 137
Ron Paul - 71

[References: CNN, 04-04-2012]

Is The Republican Party heading for a Brokered Convention?

[04-05-2012]
The Republican Party National Convention is scheduled to take place in Tampa, Florida from August 27-30, 2012.
Will they by then, have a GOP nominee. The answer seems to be in the hands of former senator Rick Santorum.

A candidate to win the GOP nomination, need to win 1144 delegates.
As of now, former governor Mitt Romney has 657 delegates. His campaign  claims that Mr. Romney will be the nominee, but has not identified a path to reach the magic figure 1144.
Mr. Santorum has the next best tally of 273 delegates, followed by former speaker Newt Gingrich with 137 and congressman Ron Paul with 71.
Since Mr. Romney's wins  last Tuesday  in Wisconsin, Washington D.C. and Maryland, Mr. Santorum has been under severe pressure from the Republican establishment to get out of the race. Mr. Santorum however, says he has no such intentions. Very calmly and with a disarming smile he says that he will leave if and when Mr. Romney gets 1144 delegates. He adds that in as much as April is a hard month for him, he will do fine in May. This could very well be true and that drives Romney supporters crazy. 

We believe that Mr. santorum will leave the race long before the convention, whether or not Mr. Romney wins 1144 delegates. 

We also know that Mr. Paul will be there collecting delegates right up to the convention. What we do not know is what Mr. Gingrich is doing or will do. That, now has become  a real mystery.

Finally, we believe that there will be no necessity for a brokered convention and that Mr. Romney will be the Republican Party nominee to challenge President Obama in November 2012.

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