Dual Apperances in Ohio on Thursday

 Image Credit: Evan Vucci/AP Photo

Both Obama and Romney made appearances in Ohio on Thursday, rallying crowds of thousands for their cause.  This New York Times article has some interesting questions regarding why "in the era of the blog and the tweet and the 24-hour news cycle" our candidates still take the time to conduct rallies for a small number of voters.  According to the latest polls, Obama still leads Romney by 4 points, a very small drop from last week.  It will continue to be "too close to call" until the actual elections, but whoever wins Ohio will certainly be making big strides towards the presidency.

Democrats use 47% Comment to Dog Romney in Ohio

Immediate repercussions to Romney's 47% comments

Sparks are flying in Ohio as Romney is still trailing Obama, according to the latest polls.  New television ads airing in the state from the Obama party are attacking Romney on his comments from a private fundraiser where he stated:

       "There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it -- that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ... These are people who pay no income tax. ... [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

Although it's mostly true according to Lucy Madison from CBS news, the comment is still hurting Romney across the polls--not only in Ohio. The problem with his comment is that he's basically attacking the people who are exempt from taxes because they are either disabled, elderly, or under/close to the poverty line.  Saying that his "job is not to worry about those people" is bogus.    This was clearly a speech meant for the well-to-do attending the fund raiser.  The rich voters want to know that they get to keep their money.  The poorer voters want to know that they get to keep what little money they have.  He also assumes that this 47% does not "take personal responsibility and care for their lives."  Let me offer a personal example in the contrary.  I work a part time job while going to school full-time.  Right now I work for minimum wage at about 15-20 hours a week and I make under $10,000 a year.  Way under.  So, when it comes to taxes, although I pay them, I get most of them back in April because I make so little money.  So, student loans aside, does this mean that I don't pay taxes?  According to Romney, is educating myself and working during school to keep my expenses down not "taking personal responsibility and care" for my life?

 

Sources:  [First Thoughts: Battleground Ohio]

                [Divided State Still A Toss-up]

                [Fact-checking Romney's "47 percent" Comment]

Romney Speaks in Painesville, Ohio on September 14, 2012

Last week in Ohio...

(Photo Credit: Cincinnati.com AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Mitt Romney made his third appearance in Ohio on Friday, stopping off at Lake Erie College in Painesville on a rainy day to speak to a crowd of roughly 3,000.  His speech emphasized his plan to create jobs for graduating students and the search for new resources that would help to create those jobs.  He also touched on the nation's debt issue, referring to Obama by telling the crowd that "we can't afford this president" (qtd Hutchison). Florida's U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio, followed Romney on Monday and is currently carrying out his campaign in Northeast Ohio to further emphasize plans to take care of the nation's debt.

Questions and opinions from the lower-middle class college student...

Jobs jobs jobs.  Every presidential candidate places an emphasis on job creation as a large part of their campaigns.  But how exactly can a president create jobs?  Are presidential candidates just throwing out arbitrary numbers to make their potential voters happy?

Romney's plan to drill for new resources bothers me.  Not only are these resources running out, but their limited to begin with.  Operations like fracking (the latest in drill technology) may create jobs for a few weeks or even a few months while the resource is extracted, but what happens after that?  Do the jobs just disappear? Does Romney even care?  Is it possible that he just wants those big numbers up front and isn't worried about the sustainability of such a work site?  On top of that, creating more and more excavation sites for extracting natural resources creates more environmental problems on top of the ones we already have.

Is there anyone who cares about sustainable living?

Resources:
[Florida Senator To Campaign For Romney In Ohio]
[In Ohio, Romney sticks to economic message, not Middle East]
[Romney holds rally at Lake Erie College in Painesville]
[Marco Rubio comes to northeast Ohio]