We’re at the end of the line and as much I’d like to jump in with a prediction, I think anything the pundits are guessing right now is more indicative of their own voting preference than actual data. At least of 1 PM CST as I write this, I haven’t seen any exit polls indicating a trend, nor do networks on either end of the partisan spectrum (Fox & CNN) seem to be jumping in. So it’s st... More

The respected Gallup poll sent stirrings through the political world this week with a poll showing that Mitt Romney is seven points ahead of Barack Obama in the national vote. If Gallup—the longest-running poll in existence is right—then forget the state-by-state calculations. It means the Republican candidate’s momentum will carry him to a solid win the Electoral College. Whether or not the... More

If you ever want to dispel the myth that Barack Obama represents the economic interest of the working class, take a drive through coal country. This last weekend, I drove through central Pennsylvania and the signs were out in force, demanding that Obama be the next worker to get laid off. The reason? These aren’t voters who put the rights of the unborn at the top of their agenda, as much as I’... More

Just before yesterday’s debate, a USA Today/Gallup poll showed Gov. Mitt Romney taking the lead over President Barack Obama. The lead was largely attributed to more women giving their support to the governor. As I wrote yesterday, this suggests that maybe, just maybe, women care about more than “pelvic politics” (abortion, contraception, abortion and abortion). The debates gave considerabl... More

The Republican Convention was wrapped up and a few themes were hit repeatedly—that while President Obama inherited a difficult situation he made it worse, then he’s better at talking than at doing and that he is in the throes of an ideology that has failed everywhere it’s been tried. Agree or disagree with that assessment, it’s certainly fair fodder for debate these next two months. But th... More

With Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan to be his vice-presidential candidate last weekend, the Republican ticket has ratcheted up the importance of Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin. The Badger State has only gone for the Republican candidate three times in the last ten elections and in each of those three (1972, 1980, 1984), the GOP won at least 44 states nationwide. Now the question is wheth... More

Is President Obama running for re-election just to hold onto political power? That’s the belief of Mitt Romney, as expressed in a CBS interview on Wednesday morning. It’s alluring to think of the opposition candidate as having no other motive than to keep the trappings of office, and I can only say I wish I believed it too. I think Obama wants more than power for its own sake. I believe this i... More

The left-leaning website Politico reports that partisan identification continues to decline across the United States—not just in terms of what people tell pollsters, but in the concrete terms of party registration. And the decline is not created equal—reporter Charles Mahtesian notes that Democrats are losing numbers in significantly greater degree than Republicans. What’s to be made of all ... More

Does the president really impact the billions of daily transactions that make up an economy? The state of the economy is the big issue in the 2012 presidential election, as it is in every presidential race. But is this really logical? An “economy”, after all, is not a set of policies promulgated by the government. It’s the collective result of literally billions of transactions every day. H... More

Pennsylvania has gone Democratic each year since 1988. But because the margins are usually competitive—George W. Bush came within two points of taking the state in 2004 and was within five points four years earlier. The competitiveness of the state usually earns it “battleground” status and a report from Scott Conroy at RealClearPolitics indicates that Mitt Romney believes he has a real shot... More