Free Republic

California voters may have just handed Democrats unbridled control over taxes as well as policy, but party leaders from Gov. Jerry Brown on down immediately pledged to exercise restraint. Although final tallies are not official, it appears Democrats will hold at least a two-thirds supermajority in both the Assembly and Senate. That gives them the ability to pass taxes and fees, and place initiatives — such as same-sex marriage and bonds — on the ballot without securing a single Republican vote.

A lot can change in just four years. For former Florida Governor Jeb Bush a four-year timetable is enough for a significant shift for the Republican party. He tells Joe Hagan of New York magazine: “It’s a math question. Four years from now, Texas is going to be a so-called blue state. Imagine Texas as a blue state, how hard it would be to carry the presidency or gain control of the Senate.” Hagan starts the article for New York magazine with this idea that Texas’ rapidly changing demographic will unfavorably affect the Republican party. He writes: “Sitting down across...

In the last tow days I have seen at least 3 TV ads from the Obama campaign air in various local and national networks in CT. Also, more and more SuperPAC ads for Chris Murphy. According to RCP it is O52 R42 in CT.

Due to posting restrictions, see article at link. Here is a historically liberal Oregon newspaper in Salem, Oregon endorsing Romney. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20121031/OPINION/310310078/Editorial-Give-Romney-chance-Obama-had-his?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|p

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Mitt Romney is suddenly plunging into traditionally Democratic-leaning Minnesota and Pennsylvania, and his GOP allies are trying to put Michigan into play. It's forcing President Barack Obama to defend his own turf - he's pouring money into television ads in the states and dispatching top backers - in the campaign's final week.

Obama won Oregon in 2008 by 16 points. This year his lead is down to just 6 points, per The Oregonian: President Barack Obama holds a relatively narrow lead of six points over Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Oregon, according to a new poll conducted for The Oregonian. Obama’s lead is considerably smaller than his margin of victory in Oregon four years ago and is a sign of how tight the presidential race has become across the nation…. Democratic officials continued to express optimism that Obama would win Oregon, which hasn’t gone for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984. But...

President Barack Obama holds a relatively narrow lead of six points over Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Oregon, according to a new poll conducted for The Oregonian. Obama's lead is considerably smaller than his margin of victory in Oregon four years ago and is a sign of how tight the presidential race has become across the nation.

Mitt Romney's campaign on Saturday launched an online fundraising initiative to to raise $7 million in 7 days so the campaign could expand the electoral map to "blue states" formerly firmly in the Obama column. Potential donors who visit the appropriately named "expand the map" site are asked to "Contribute now to help Romney-Ryan and the Republican team keep up the fight." "We need your help to raise $7 million in the next 7 days," the site says. "Your contribution will help us expand the electoral map -- we'll take our message into new states, and defeat Obama's billion-dollar machine."...

On Saturday the Daily News, the second largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan Los Angeles area, endorsed Mitt Romney for President in 2012. In 2008 the Daily News endorsed Barack Obama: FOUR years ago, as America faced serious trouble at home and abroad, this news organization embraced the need for bold change to a different brand of leadership and endorsed Barack Obama for president. That assessment of the depth of the nation's problems and the most promising solution was correct in 2008. Regrettably, it applies no less in 2012, after nearly a full term of Obama's administration. This is why the...

Tom Hauser @5hauser DEVELOPING: Senior Romney national campaign official tells MN GOP a visit to MN by Romney and/or Ryan for campaign rallies being considered.— Tom Hauser (@5hauser) October 28, 2012

The last time Minnesota cast its electoral votes for a Republican running for President was 1972. Even Ronald Reagan failed to win the state in both back-to-back landslide elections. It has elected Republicans to the occasional state-wide office, but for President, it is a deep indigo blue. Except, perhaps, this year. A new poll released this morning by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune finds the race essentially tied. Obama holds a slim 3-point lead but, at 47% support, is below the critical 50% threshold.  To be fair, Minnesota wasn't really part of Obama's firewall for his reelection hopes. It was more of...

Still think @barackobama's MSP ad buy is just for WI?Poll out tomorrow has MN within the margin: bit.ly/TN8AM4 #gameon— Ryan Mahoney (@rcmahoney) October 28, 2012

On Wednesday October 24th and Thursday October 25, 2012, The Hoffman Research Group surveyed a cross section of Oregon voters to ascertain voter preferences in the 2012 Presidential election. The resulting data found President Barack Obama currently leading Governor Mitt Romney by a 47% to 42% margin. When pushed, undecided voters broke toward Mitt Romney almost 2 to 1. The random sample of 615 Oregon voters surveyed 42% Democrats, 34% Republicans and 24% Unaffiliated voters. The statistical margin of error for this survey is plus or minus 3.9%. Attention was given to Oregon’s rural or urban divide and maintained appropriate...

Voters in the District and Maryland overwhelmed election officials at several polling places Saturday when larger than expected crowds turned out on the first day of early voting to cast ballots. Officials said thousands showed up at voting sites, spurred on by President’s Obama plea to vote early — and concern about the threat posed by Hurricane Sandy. Several polling officials found themselves in a midday scramble to install more voting machines. Long lines and lengthy waits were reported at polling places in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, as well as in several of the District’s wards. Some voters, frustrated...

I just finished slogging through a 69 page PDF by the State Budget Crisis Task Force outlining the dire state of affairs in Illinois. I knew in advance that pension funding is the biggest issue facing Illinois. The task force shows exactly that. Here is a summary. Pension Funding Levels Teachers Retirement System (TRS) - 46.1%State University Employees Retirement System (SURS) - 45.3%State Employees Retirement System (SERS) - 34.9%General Assembly Retirement System (GARS) - 20.2%Judicial Retirement System (JRS) - 31.0% Those funding levels assume 8% returns going forward, something that is not going to happen. So as bad as the...

Even in vividly blue California, President Obama's luster has faded since his historic victory here in 2008, a new poll has found. Despite his sizable lead over Mitt Romney, the president is unlikely to repeat his historic 2008 margin of victory here because of his diminished power to pull in people who don't traditionally support Democrats, according to the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. The drop in appeal across party and demographic lines has translated, at this point, to a 14-point edge over the Republican nominee among likely voters — well below Obama's 24-point victory in 2008, the biggest margin...

About 10 percent of the vote in Bernalillo County – based on 2008 voter turnout – has already been cast for the Nov. 6 election, according to the county clerk’s office. And so far, Democrats are leading in numbers. More than 53 percent of the early vote and absentee ballots have been cast by Democrats, although the party represents 46 percent of Bernalillo County’s registered voters. Setting aside absentee ballots, Democrats’ share of the early vote increases to nearly 56 percent of the vote so far. Political analyst Brian Sanderoff said that early Democratic advantage in the county’s ballot totals...

Hawaii had the lowest voter turnout rate in the United States in 2008, with fewer than half of the eligible population casting ballots. When I traveled to the state to find out why, I thought most of the problem might be apathy. The surfer thing, you know? That is part of it, to be sure. But there are many reasons America's 50th state doesn't vote as much as the other 49, plenty of them specific to Hawaii. Here's a bite-sized look at eight. If you want to be part of the solution, help us change the list by convincing these...

For some months, I have been predicting that Romney would not only win but win big. I have a number of lunches and other small wagers riding on the outcome, so I have been cheered by Team Romney’s meteoric rise in the polls recently. I understand the wisdom of Yogi Berra’s observation that it’s not over till it’s over. Harold Wilson was surely right that a week is a long time in politics. Still, while not exactly counting the chickens before they hatch, I am drawing up a menu that features poulet for the main course. I think there will...

Some polls are showing Romney with a strong surge and within striking distance of winning Minnesota and some pundits are saying that will happen. There is clear evidence of strong support and this big sign in a front yard in Stillwater, Minnesota shows that.