Although the Democratic National Convention begins today, incumbent president Barack Obama seeks to win the hearts and minds of voters all over the country on September 6, this Thursday. The convention is being held in Charlotte, North Carolina this year, mainly due to the states' weight in Obama's re-election campaign. In 2008, Obama defeated Republican nominee John McCain by less than 1% of the vote.... and won the election. Not only was the margin microscopic, but Obama was the first Democrat to win the state in 32 years! Some believe that if he can take North Carolina once more in this election, the presidency may as well be his again.While polls favor President Obama in North Carolina at the moment, I am not convinced that this will be the deciding state for our future president. First of all, North Carolina is a solid Republican state, and for a Democrat to win in one out of 32 years is quite unconvincing. As far as I see it, President Obama will have to work quite hard to get the votes he needs from North Carolina. Second, his margin of victory was the slimmest of the slim, so I think this state could go both ways. Third, since Obama's acceptance speech is going to be outdoors this year (even though the forecast predicts storms later this week), not many people will show up due to a change in venue. This could potentially hurt his chances of winning North Carolina if his speech is moved indoors. But enough of me predicting the outcome of the election by the amount of people attending. For now, all we need to care about is what Obama's plans are for his next presidential term and if it appeals to us or not. So what's on your minds? Does North Carolina or any one state hold the key to either candidate's election? And here's a little Obama propaganda to go with it....
1 comment:
I think you definitely do make a valid point with regard to how even all the details will ultimately have some effect on the outcome of this election. At the same time, the more general context does also say quite a bit. There is a clear disconnect between the expectations set by Pres. Obama's rhetoric/charisma in the 2008 election campaign and the reality of today, setting up a J-curve-esque playing field. With that in mind, it's small wonder that the Economist pointed out "The fact that the president has had to 'go negative' so early and so relentlessly shows how badly he needs the election to be about Mr. Romney's weaknesses rather than his own achievements" (full article found here: (http://www.economist.com/node/21561890). Quite honestly, the YouTube ad presented a slap in the face that was disconcerting, to say the least...
In any case, to be fair, those who berate this administration's "shortcomings" should do so while also acknowledging the circumstances under which it operated, as well as its strides forward. Having seen both parties' candidates take the stage, though, it seems that the president's selling point lies in his vision of the future, however he may ultimately define it, rather than the past.
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