It's time to VOTE!!!

In the new poll on our sidebar, that is.  It's been a seeminglyt endless campaign since at least 2010, after which events in Wisconsin and Ohio took center stage to hold advertisers through until the presidential primaries began in earnest, so you have had roughly three years to decide where you stand in the national political discourse of this country.  So, let us know how you feel and add your opinion to the left!

Election Make You Feel Like Crying? You Aren't Alone...

   All across the nation, citizens are beginning to get fed up with the record level of spending on political advertisements this campaign.  Both major-party candidates have spent around 1 BILLION (with a "B") dollars, each, and they have proven difficult to find distance from.  Well, if you've been feeling the drain that proximity to such a barrage of garbage is known to cause, take solace in the fact that you are certainly not alone.  For example, take Colorado's own four-year-old Elizabeth Evans of Fort Collins.

 

   In other news, new Purple Strategies and Public Policy Polls indicate a swing for Colorado back into President Obama's favor, however both results are within the margin of error. It appears as though this is one state that will not be decided until election night. Or the morning after. Or the month after. Brace yourself, Elizabeth.

The Weather

With Hurricane Sandy bearing down on most of the eastern half of the continental US I have to do a post about the weather and how it affects voter turn out. It is a common known fact that when the weather is bad, turnout is low. People do not want to be out in the rain and cold just to cast a vote. Does this low voter turnout favor anyone? There is correlative data that shows that low turnout supports Republicans and there is almost nothing definitive that shows if it favors one party over another.

35% of undecided voters would rather stay inside and not vote if weather conditions became inclement. That's a substantial portion of those eligible to vote! The Weather Channel sums up nicely how each segment of the population will vote in the upcoming election if weather conditions became a bit nasty. The most surprising bit they had was about income levels and how lower income people are less likely to vote compared to higher income people.

If the aftermath of Sandy is anything like what happened after Katrina in 2005, I believe that hardly anyone will be out to vote especially people with lower incomes. Hopefully Sandy stays where it is right now in terms of severity or else this next election could have a significantly lower turnout (and the turnout for the United States hasn't always been all too great anyways).

Stumping in Colorado

A little bit of campaigning is happening today in the state of Colorado but it's not anyone in the Romney campaign that's doing it. Instead, it's Fox News' very own Monica Crowley who was speaking in a few cities across the state although many people have considered her to just be "Bashing" Obama.

I'm sure Mitt Romney doesn't mind the help this Fox News employee is giving him. . His wife Ann Romney has said that she doesn't want any more campaigning if Mitt loses this election. Ann agreed to let her husband run this time around because she believes he can bring the economic change America need.

It's sad to me that this is what the election has come down to; trying to look not as bad as the other candidate. Is there no such thing as ethics anymore? I sure hope this isn't how the rest of the campaign season will be run.

Romney's Surge

If you haven't been paying attention to the polls in Colorado now is a good time to take a look. According to the Real Clear Politics poll Obama started the month of October with a solid three point lead but after what some call a dismal performance in the first debate, Romney has gained a lead on the President but only by 0.7 points but in politics that's all it takes to win.

CNN mentions that many undecided voters may have chosen to back Romney after seeing his performance in the first debate. With another debate happening TONIGHT! Obama looks to gain back those undecided voters and to pick up after his poor performance in the first debate.

There's still plenty of time for each side to gain voters (and even to lose voters) but this late in the election cycle it's hard to imagine that there are still many undecided voters.

 If you are interested in viewing the debate but don't have access to a tv here's a link to where you can view it courtesy of Real Clear Politics.

On Eve of Debate, Both Campaigns Hedge

  The University of Denver is abuzz this afternoon, making the final preparations for an exciting evening of debate. It's finally that time, the night of the first presidential debate, in which prospective candidates stand across from each other, look each other in the eye, and make their arguments to our nation as to why they should be elected the next president of the United States.  And after months of hard preparations, both sides (the important sides, whose candidates are allowed to debate) are pumped up and ready for action.

DU looking towards a Rocky Mounain Sunset yesterday evening

  Now, some do claim that Wednesday's debate at DU is going to to be a very difficult fight for the challenger, Mitt Romney.  Some such as his running mate, Paul Ryan.  "Look, President Obama is a very -- he's a very gifted speaker. The man's been on the national stage for many years. He's an experienced debater. He's done these kinds of debates before..." were his words to Chris Wallace on FOX Sunday.  But Ryan was quick to assure viewers that he was completely confident in the campaign's ability to win the election, despite possibly disappointing (but completely understandable)results against Obama tonight.

  Others are more concerned about the incumbent.  People like the incumbent, Barack Obama. '"Gov. Romney, he's a good debater," Obama continued. "I'm just OK."' were his words to voters on Sunday, taken from the Hill.  Of course, despite his performance tomorrow, his ideas will resound with the American people and he is sure to win.

  Jon Stewart is mostly concerned about the candidates' abilities to remain vertical and cognizant. He noted on the Daily Show Monday evening that the bar is so low for these candidates and their abilities to communicate that it seems "not coming off as a pompous wierdo" would be counted as a resounding victory for either campaign.

  With such dour expectations coming from both campaigns, what should the audience expect?  A poor showing?  Of course not.  Both candidates underwent debate prep this weekend.  Questions are known by the campaigns ahead of time, and both sides have a reasonable expectation of what their opponents' answers to those scripted questions will be.  Romney has even been practicing his "spontaneous" "zingers" since August.  With these candidates, it is quite possible that this will be the most polished debate in the last thirty years.  And it wont even matter.  In an election cycle where almost every voter knew who they're voting for yesterday, in which voters have been nauseated by policy since May, in which everyone knows that the results are scripted how much will the political games of tonight really impact the election?  My vote?  Not very much, as long as the candidates as capable of remaining upright of course.  What is this waste of prime time television even good for?

  Maybe America will get to learn a bit about Denver U.






  Side note (pun intended), check out the new poll on our sidebar. The idea for the question was stolen from FOX, credit where credit is due right?  I tried to cultivate a better variety of responses than they did though (the actual FOX poll seems to be a bit slanted), if you think I missed one let us know in the comments!

Monday Night Rally

Mitt Romney recently made a visit to Denver Monday for a rally preceding the national debate between President Obama and himself. Romney repeated his strong critique of the President's weakness in the country's economy and his prestige abroad. He also brought up how embassies are being burned in the middle east due to the President not having taken the proper path with the region. although the riots have mostly been the cause of the recent video criticizing the Prophet Muhammad.

With the debate quickly approaching Romney is sure to not sway from his current position as the  "Anti-Obama" persona. Whether this is a good tactic for him to be using remains to be seen but the current polls still have Romney behind in Obama in all but three swing states. Romney will look to gain some ground on Obama on Wednesday at the debate in Denver.

I'm not sure what Romney needs to do in order to gain on Obama. If Romney continues to makes gaffes like he has then Obama will have to do little to state why he should remain President.

Romney to return next Monday, Obama Tuesday

   Politics are heating up and the main candidates are sweating it out in the East today, and they are already planning their return to cooler climes. Perhaps they need to beat the heat, maybe they want to acclimatize themselves to the elevation before next week's big day, but both candidates will be spending time in Colorado early next week.  The GOP candidate will return to the capital next Monday, holding a rally in Denver two days before DU holds its first-ever presidential debate, the first of the season. Governor Romney will speak at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, but the focus of his speech hasn't yet been released.  President Obama will catch up Tuesday at CSU in Fort Collins where he's expected to talk about what his administration has done to make college more affordable. Today, both candidates were in VA.

Craig Romney greeting voters earlier this month

   As Romney and Obama circle each other today in Virginia, Romney's veep pick Paul Ryan and son Craig Romney were in the state today making the case for their candidate. The junior Romney was speaking at the Adams County Victory Center to Hispanic voters, focusing on his father's economic policy which he contends will work better for them than the previous four years of Obama. Of course, the Hispanic vote in Colorado is growing and Romney hopes to peel away some of this socially conservative bloc from their tendency to vote the Democrat; perhaps the GOP senses that with unemployment riding high among Hispanics, now is the time to go for it.  Ryan is in Fort Collins today, where he spoke this afternoon to an audience at America the Beautiful Park. "And these defense cuts that [Obama] is promising, these devastating defense cuts that he is promising not only undermine our peace, not only undermine our security, they compromise jobs right here.” 

   The debate is next Wednesday, October the 3rd, at the University of Denver's Magness Arena. The location doesn't really matter, because you can't get in. But it sounded professional so I put it there anyway, in case you want to stand outside or something.

Romney's Latest visit to the Centennial State

   As previously mentioned (belatedly, I'll admit), Romney spent the past couple of days on the campaign trail in Denver and Pueblo, before heading back to NY to address Clinton's Global Initiative (by the way, here is a fun video of the former president introducing the candidate this evening, fun to watch these two so close to the election. Obama also spoke to the conference today.) On Sunday, his rally at D'Evelyn Junior/High School in Lakewood, in Jefferson County, hit the basics of his position while criticizing the Obama campaign (with it's 3-1 spending edge in the state) for mis-characterizing his positions on issues such as abortion. Described as "slightly hoarse," the candidate seems to be trying to make an extra connection with area voters before the first of the presidential debates takes place at the University of Colorado in Denver on Oct. 3rd; at the same time positioning himself to appeal to more moderate voters.

Romney at D'Evelyn High Sunday, Photo coutesy of AP/Charles Dharapak.

  On Monday, Romney stopped for a rally in Pueblo where he focused on building jobs and touted his energy plan, but ran into a little bad press when the president of Colorado Conservation Voters called his visit the "height of irony."  The GOP candidate's opposition to the renewal of a tax credit for wind power begun by George H.W. Bush in the 90's.  Funding for this once bi-partisan effort was cut earlier this year when senate republicans pulled it from a routine business tax-exemption bill, presumably in solidarity with their candidate's policies.  The town of Pueblo lost 100 jobs last week at a wind tower factory, ostensibly due to decreased demand for their product in a market where prices are higher.  Romney's oil- and coal-heavy energy policy did not resonate strongly with some voters, and in a state like Colorado, even in Pueblo County, every vote will matter.

Colorado: A recent political history

 Colorado has been a relatively busy place for the last couple of weeks in the campaigns of the Dems and the GOP.

 First, the Obama campaign flew the president to this swing state for another in a long string of events on Thursday the 13th, stopping at Golden and Denver.  The president enjoyed an eight-point victory in '08 over McCain in Colorado, and cognizant of a difficult race this year has been working since 2011 to hold onto an edge here.

 As a result of the Democrats' efforts, Colorado Republicans have been feeling an acute deficit in face-time with their candidate.  Romney heard your pain, conservative Coloradans, and (in spite of one or two plane-related distractions) answered with some campaign stops in the Denver area and Pueblo.  The campaign's stop in Pueblo, an area where few if any analysts expect the Republicans to make much headway this season, raised one or two eyebrows, but Romney's campaign felt strongly that the area will respond positively to their message, "This is an area that the Obama economy has hit particularly hard." More on the outcome of his rallies later.

New Polls!

There were two majors polls that came out today showing Obama holding onto a lead over Romney in Colorado. The polls were from Public Policy Polling (PPP) and Purple Strategies. Embeded to the right is the aggregate RCP poll dating back to May. You can clearly see Obama's lead of 6.5 shrink to 2.1. Obama is holding on to a 3 point lead in the purple strategies poll which is the same margin he had in last years poll. Even though both of these polls show Obama with the lead they are after all only polls.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/co/colorado_romney_vs_obama-2023.html

The Battleground of Colorado

It's that time of the American political season again. Leaves are falling and the weather is cooling, but the race for American Public Office is getting about as hot as it can be. Money is being spent at record rates, ads are becoming increasingly omnipresent, and the balance of the world as we know it, some would have us beleive, hangs in the balance. And it all comes down to this.

They tell us that eight to ten states hold all of this election's deciding power: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, and perhapsNorth Carolina, Michigan and Pennsylvania too. Some say that it's worse than that; they tell us that the key to 1600 Penn could be held in a handful of counties scattered across the nation. Usually included in these lists are Arapahoe, Panellas, Hillsborough, Orange, Hamilton, Stark, Franklin, Clark, and Prince William Counties.

Coloradans (and Coloradoans) should perk up at the news, it means that every political operative in the country is watching you this autumn, especially you, Arapahoe county. You look like you may get to decide the election, or blamed for it. We will be watching too, providing coverage of polls, rallies, visits, ad buys, and analysis of the great state of Colorado as this election season draws to its already long-overdue conclusion.

Background Image

I would like to thank David Shankbone for releasing our gorgeous background image under a GNU Free Documentation Licence. It is a photograph of the Garden of the Gods Cathedral Valley near Colorado Springs, we only cropped it a little bit for the blog. More information about the photo and its maker can be found in the links above.