Governor Races a Preview of 2010?
(October 31, 2009 - Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images North America)
Gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey to forecast 2010?
As voters head to the polls today in Virginia and New Jersey, will they be cognizant of the fact that their vote is being viewed, at least in part, as a bell-weather for the midterm elections of 2010? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say no… unless that is they are self-absorbed and arrogant to the “nth” degree.
The truth is that pundits make waaayy to much out of elections such as these. They are important elections for measuring the general tone of a state or if there are enough races – even the nation generally, but two elections in New Jersey and Virginia are hardly reflective of the nation as a whole. I don’t want to sound like a complete downer here, because I do think Republicans will take both races, but we can get to that in a minute.
The problem I have with this sort of meteorological forecasting is that regardless of how the race turns out, it over looks one absolutely fundamental issue. Between now and November 2010, Democrats in Congress and our wonderfully liberal President may alienate, marginalize, overtax, and disenfranchise even more Americans than they already have. I fail to see these elections as “predictors” for next year simply because I think they will continue to drive this nation into the ground between now and then and drive a bigger wedge between the American people and the Democratic Majority. I believe today’s victories will be claimed narrowly, but I have no doubt that next year will produce a much more decisive victory.
The race in Virginia is leaning heavily toward a Republican victory. Republican Bob McDonnell is leading in recent polls by more than 10 points over Democrat Creigh Deeds. The race in New Jersey is a great deal closer however. Incumbent Governor John Corzine is in a virtual dead heat with Republican candidate Chris Christie. Many prognosticators have called this the monumental race of ‘09 as President Obama won the state by more than 16 points in the ‘08 Presidential Election. The Obama administration has certainly given credence to this notion as the President has made three trips to the Garden State to campaign for the sitting governor. He made two stops over the weekend – one in upstate New Jersey and one in the Southern part of the state. Voter turnout today is thought to be the x factor going into the race as Dem’s hope that the urban and minority vote that helped to pad the President’s victory will provide similar support for Corzine. I fail to see that such an outpouring will come to fruition for two reasons. 1. this is an odd year election – not even an off-year election or midterm. 2. Corzine is hardly the charismatic “transcendent” candidate that Obama was in ‘08.
Corzine is definitely running scared. He took to taking cheap shots at Christie’s weight this week running adds referring to the “weight” of the work load and other inferences that the Republican candidate is not “fit” enough to handle the pressures of the job. The Corzine camp clearly hopes that New Jersey voters fail to remember that Christie rises to this candidacy from his position as a US Attorney – I would venture to say that there may be a little pressure and workload in a jurisdiction like New Jersey – one word – RICO!!
The short of it is this… I think these races are important because it would be nice to see Republicans holding state offices in these states if for nothing else but to increase the presence and stature of the Party there. That being said, state level politics are fickle and are hardly a definitive reflection of national politics, let alone predictive tools for 2010. A defeat in New Jersey will be a shot to the pride of President Obama because he spent so much time stumping for Corzine and may be a sign that he has lost some of his mojo, but I fail to see that it will be a sign that Republicans will run roughshod over Democrats in New Jersey in 2010. I do believe that will happen, but I think the catalyst that will drive that reaction is still yet to reveal itself. If we need to predict anything, lets spend sometime predicting whether it will be Afghanistan or healthcare that leads to a Republican victory in 2010.
President Obama and his Democratic allies pulled out the stops Sunday in a bid to prevent Republicans from sweeping the major state and local elections Tuesday.
Obama also personally vouched for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine Sunday in his tough race for re-election against Republican Chris Christie. The president traveled to two Democratic strongholds in the Garden State to urge supporters to drive up voter turnout on Tuesday just as they did for him a year ago.
“You need to work hard on Tuesday,” Obama told a Camden crowd. “I need you to go back into your neighborhood. I’m going to need you to knock on doors. … I’m going to need you to do the same thing you did last year.”
But the last-minute maneuvers come ahead of a perilous election for Democrats. In the other major race, Virginia’s gubernatorial election, Republican Bob McDonnell appears poised for victory over Democrat Creigh Deeds. A Richmond Times-Dispatch poll released Sunday showed McDonnell leading Deeds by double digits, which is consistent with other recent surveys.
The White House is aware Democratic losses would be spun as a referendum on Obama. The results of Tuesday’s elections could also foreshadow next year’s elections, when 37 governorships come up for grabs.
The Obama administration seems to view the New Jersey race as its best hope for victory, and has devoted the president’s final campaign push to that race.
On Sunday, Obama attended a rally first in Camden and then in Newark, both areas where Democrats far outnumber Republicans. The strategy is to drive up turnout among the Democratic base to give Corzine the edge in what has become an airtight contest. In a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll released Sunday, Christie led Corzine by just 1 point among likely voters.
In Camden, Corzine repeatedly said his opponent is “wrong when it matters most.”
Obama called Corzine an “honorable” man who has provided property tax relief and reduced the size of government.
But Christie was continuing a grueling schedule of rallies and diner visits as well. He was capping off Sunday’s events with a get-out-the-vote rally in Republican-heavy Toms River. Though he can’t claim White House support, Christie has been joined lately by several prominent New Jersey Republicans and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
The New York congressional race, meanwhile, has attracted an unusual amount of attention. Hoffman, a third-party candidate, experienced of surge of support and endorsements late in the race, leading Scozzafava to drop out Saturday.
The move was expected to consolidate GOP voters behind Hoffman. But on Sunday, Scozzafava backed Owens.
White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett said on ABC’s “This Week” that Democrats would “love” to have the former Republican candidate back Owens.
And she criticized Hoffman’s surging candidacy as a sign that the Republican Party is squeezing out moderates.
“It’s rather telling when the Republican Party forces out a moderate Republican and it says, I think, a great deal about where the Republican Party is right now,” she said. “I think it’s becoming more and more extreme and more and more marginalized.”
Senior Adviser David Axelrod echoed that point on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“It sends a clear message to moderates within that party that there’s no room at the inn for them,” he said.
DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said in a statement that the developments in New York should send a “chilling message” to other moderate Republicans.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, though, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that New York represents an “unusual circumstance” and that “we want moderates in our party.”
In Virginia, McDonnell and Deeds barnstormed church services Sunday morning before rousing partisan crowds in their last blitz before Tuesday’s governor’s election.
But Obama, who stumped for Deeds last week, is not expected to return to Virginia.
Republican candidate Bob McDonnell is going into Tuesday’s election with a healthy, double-digit lead over his Democratic opponent in the Virginia gubernatorial race, a new poll shows.
A Richmond Times-Dispatch poll released Sunday showed McDonnell leading Creigh Deeds by 53-to-41 percent. Six percent were undecided.
The survey is consistent with other recent polls that have shown McDonnell with a seemingly unshakable advantage over Deeds. President Obama campaigned for Deeds for last week, but has since turned his focus to the New Jersey gubernatorial election, where Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine is locked in a much tighter race against Republican Chris Christie.
The latest Virginia poll suggests Deeds was not able to get much traction out of McDonnell’s uncovered law-school thesis, which criticized working women as being detrimental to families.
The poll showed Deeds’ unfavorable rating was 42 percent, which exceeded his favorable rating.
Fifty-one percent of those polled had a favorable view of McDonnell.
The poll was based on interviews with 625 likely voters last Wednesday and Thursday. The margin of error was 4 percentage points.
Two days before the New Jersey gubernatorial election, a new poll shows voters are split just about evenly between Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican challenger Chris Christie.
The two candidates have been in a dead heat for weeks. The Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll showed Christie with a 1-point lead over Corzine, well within the margin of error.
Among likely voters, Christie pulled 43 percent and Corzine pulled 42 percent. The survey also showed Independent Chris Daggett becoming less of a factor, with his support dropping from 14 percent to 8 percent. But the poll data suggests Daggett’s supporters are drifting toward Christie.
Corzine is suffering from low approval ratings. The survey showed just 35 percent approve of the job he’s doing. Looking to tilt the race, President Obama is heading to New Jersey Sunday to drum up support for the Democratic incumbent.
The poll of 1,041 likely voters was taken Wednesday through Friday. It had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Rasmussen Polling Both Races and NY 23
Finding a good job can be pretty troublesome. Especially when you have high expectations.
Here are some tips that helped me land the job of my dreams:
* Plan out your CV, if you’ve never done a CV before, this is the time to learn.
* Think about all the jobs you are qualified for. This may lead to discovering additional jobs you could land.
* Don’t neglect any source of jobs : internet, newspaper, radio and other media. Ask your friends that have similar jobs if there may be an opening in their company.
* Don’t just send the resume by email and wait for an answer. You need to call them and have them confirm the job opening and receiving your resume.
Finding a job is pretty much a job in itself and it’s all about how well can you market your abilities.
aL72me mxatbxwbdpoi, [url=http://zikitocnkpvh.com/]zikitocnkpvh[/url], [link=http://uzpyahldyyvm.com/]uzpyahldyyvm[/link], http://wfyuokzvobod.com/