Obama's "pork" projector
Key quote: “While we were working to eliminate pork-barrel earmark projects, he voted for nearly $1 billion in pork-barrel earmarks, including $3 million for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Ill.,”
Key quote: “While we were working to eliminate pork-barrel earmark projects, he voted for nearly $1 billion in pork-barrel earmarks, including $3 million for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Ill.,”
Key battlegrounds in the 2004 election, the eight states included in the poll are home to the 11 universities in the Big Ten conference. The results of the poll show that they are among the most competitive in the country and are likely to be pivotal in determining the election outcome.
Election 2008: Michigan Presidential Election Thursday, September 11, 2008 Michigan has cast its votes for the Democratic presidential candidate in four straight elections, and Barack Obama is trying to extend that streak. He currently holds a five point advantage--51% to 46%--over John McCain in this important battleground state. Those figures are little changed from a month ago when Obama held a 49% to 45% lead (with leaners). Nationally, the race between Obama and McCain remains close in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll. Michigan is increasingly viewed as one of a handful of states that the election will turn on, so both candidates are now spending more on ads there. It was one of the first states McCain visited with his new running mate Sarah Palin following last week's Republican National Convention. Obama is now viewed favorably by 58% of Michigan voters, up from 54% a month ago. McCains favorability rating continues to fall. It's now at 52%, down from 54% a month ago and 60% in July. Obama has an eight-point lead among women, but the candidates are essentially even among men. McCain leads handily among regular churchgoers while Obama has the edge among those who rarely or never attend services. As for the running mates, 53% have a favorable opinion of Palin while 52% say the same about Joseph Biden. However, opinions are much stronger about the Alaska governor-37% have a Very Favorable opinion of her while just 23% are that pleased with the longtime Delaware senator. Fifty-two percent (52%) say McCain made the right choice when he asked Palin to join the Republican ticket. Forty-two percent (42%) say Obama made the right choice of a running mate. Biden himself made headlines yesterday by suggesting that Hillary Clinton might have been a better option for Obama. Fifty-one percent (51%) of Michigan voters say the economy is the top issue of Election 2008. Just 21% see national security issues as the highest priority. Michigans 17 Electoral College votes have gone to the Democratic candidates in the last four presidential elections. Rasmussen Markets <http://markets.rasmussenreports.com/> data shows that Obama is currently given a 64.9 % chance of winning the state this year. At the time this poll was released, Michigan was ranked as Leans Democratic in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator. NOTE: Factors other than the latest Rasmussen Reports poll impact the Balance of Power ratings. The current status is indicated on the table in the upper right hand corner of this article. Now 31% of Michigan voters think President Bush is doing a good or excellent job, but most (52%) say he is doing a poor job. The survey was conducted in partnership with Fox Television Stations, Inc.
Key quote: "The fact that Sen. Barack Obama is popular at home in Illinois precludes any doubt that his home state’s big cache of 21 electoral votes will be in his column."
Minnesota: Obamas lead over McCain climbs to 18% Barack Obamas lead over John McCain in Minnesota has now grown to 18%, all at the expense of voters who have moved out of the Republicans column, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey. For the second month in a row, 52% back Obama, compared to 34% who now support McCain. But last month McCain had the support of 39% of Minnesota voters. When leaners are factored in, Obama leads McCain by 17% -- 54% to 37%. Obama has maintained a 13- to 15-point lead in four out of the previous five monthly polls. The only exception came in mid-March - soon after McCain wrapped up his partys nomination and the controversial remarks of Obamas pastor, Jeremiah Wright, were first reported -- when McCain was within four points of his Democratic opponent. While Obama and McCain maintain the support of more than eight out of 10 members of their respective parties, both have lost ground among unaffiliated voters, 25% of whom remain undecided. Obama leads McCain 45% to 23% among the unaffiliated, but both are down 7% from early June. The Democrat outpolls his Republican opponent nearly two-to-one among women voters 57% to 30%. He also has the support of 45% of men versus 39% who back McCain. Nationally, Obama and McCain are very competitive in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll. Rasmussen Markets data shows that Democrats are currently given an 77.0 % chance of winning Minnesotas 10 Electoral College votes in November (results updated on a 24/7 basis by market participants). Minnesota has gone for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1976, the longest streak in the nation, although by much smaller margins in the last two contests. Minnesota is considered a Likely Democratic state in the Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator NOTE: Factors other than the latest Rasmussen Reports poll impact the Balance of Power ratings. The current status is indicated on the table in the upper right hand corner of this article. The favorability ratings of both McCain and Obama continue to climb in Minnesota. McCain is regarded favorably by 56% of voters, up from 54% in June, while 65% view the Democratic candidate in a similar light, a 5% increase since last month. Forty-one percent (41%) of Minnesota voters regard the economy as the most important issue in the presidential campaign, with national security, the key issue in the 2004 election cycle, now ranked first by only 20%. Unlike the majority of voters, 50% in Minnesota say it is more important to protect the environment than to reduce the record price of gas at the pump. Only 30% say reducing gas prices is more important. While 48% favor overturning the ban on offshore oil drilling, a position first espoused by McCain and since endorsed by President Bush, 33% disagree. Again, unlike the majority nationwide, half of Minnesota voters (50%) do not believe offshore drilling is likely to drive down the price of gas. Only 41% believe it is likely to have that effect. Forty-seven percent (47%) oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, but 40% are in favor of it. Democrats in Congress have consistently opposed offshore drilling and the opening of ANWR for environmental reasons. However, a majority of Minnesota voters (51%) oppose returning to 55 mph speed limits, and even more (56%) say thats not the way to reduce gas and oil prices. Those figures are close to the national average. Only 24% think President Bush is doing a good or excellent job, down from 30% last month, while 58% rate his performance as poor. Nationally, the president continues to set record low ratings for job performance. Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (its free) let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news. This survey was conducted in partnership with Fox Television Stations Inc. This telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports July 10, 2008. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
Key Quote: "Democrat Barack Obama focused on energy today while Republican John McCain campaigned on women's issues as the presidential campaigns turned to two pivotal Midwest states."
Key quote: "When Barack Obama launched his presidential campaign, he called his three years as a community organizer in Chicago in the 1980s ``the best education I ever had.'' He's putting those lessons to good use in his drive for the White House, say many of those who worked with him then."
Key quote: "Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama celebrated the Fourth of July with his family in Montana.
Cheers greeted Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters as they arrived to watch the town parade. The crowd also broke into song, singing a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for Obama's oldest daughter, Malia, who turned 10 on Friday."
Key quote: "As John McCain returned from his visit to Latin America, Barack Obama ventured into what might seem like foreign territory.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is spending his Fourth of July weekend in several Republican states, as polls show him taking some surprising leads over his GOP rival.
He and his family attended an Independence Day parade Friday in Butte, Mont., and were hosting a “family picnic” later in the day."
Key quote: "The Mansfield, Ohio, town square hasn't seen a Democratic presidential candidate since John F. Kennedy in 1960. Barack Obama may change that."
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