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Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan sing along with Janna Ryan as the Oakridge Boys perform during a campaign rally at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Marion, Ohio on Sunday.
Ohio's Republican governor said Sunday that private polls show Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney beating President Barack Obama in the all-important battleground state of Ohio just as auto industry politics assume a dominant role in the closing days of the campaign.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) predicted outright that Romney would win Ohio on "Meet the Press" and, with it, the presidential election — a overall contest which Kasich said wouldn't be that close.
"Right now, I believe we're currently ahead. Internals show us currently ahead," he said, referring to the private polling candidates routinely conduct. "Honestly, I believe that Romney is going to carry Ohio."
The governor's show of confidence comes after a week in which Obama and Romney — along with their respective running mates — barnstormed the Buckeye State in hopes of securing the state's 18 electoral votes, which would greatly enhance either candidate's hopes of winning the presidential election.
A Cincinnati Enquirer/Ohio News poll released Sunday and conducted Oct. 18-23 showed the two candidates tied at 49 percent apiece among likely voters in the state. Two other public polls earlier in the week, by CNN/ORC and TIME magazine, showed Obama leading by a small margin.
Romney was set to spend Sunday touring the Buckeye State after canceling a series of stops in Virginia due to the impending Hurricane Sandy; Obama will make a quick trip to Youngstown on Monday before returning to Washington to monitor the hurricane. The president canceled planned stops in northern Virginia and Colorado in the first half of this week.
Both the president and Romney are battling to turn out their supporters to the polls and shake loose the few remaining undecided voters in a handful of swing states. The Romney campaign has claimed that momentum is on their side, a claim which the Obama campaign argues is a bluff.
The Romney campaign circulated on Sunday several newspaper endorsements — the Des Moines Register and the Cincinnati Enquirer among them — to argue that the Republican ticket had made inroads in crucial swing states. The Obama campaign responded in kind by sending reporters endorsement editorials from the Youngstown Vindicator and the Toledo Blade, both of which referenced the 2009 auto industry bailout as a point in Obama's favor.
The auto bailout — which Romney had opposed, memorably, in a New York Times op-ed entitled "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" — has assumed a central role in the closing days of the campaign, especially as the election plays out largely on a Midwestern, industrial and economically-battered playing field.
RELATED: Auto politics haunt Romney in NW Ohio
Kasich argued that the auto bailout hadn't actually boosted Ohio's economy as much as Obama would have the state's voters think.
"We are thrilled that we have a strong auto industry," he argued, "but it doesn't account for the growth of 112,000 jobs in our state."
Reuters, Getty Images
In the final push in the 2012 presidential election, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama make their last appeals to voters.
The Romney campaign also aired a new ad in Ohio touting an endorsement from the right-leaning Detroit News and iconic automan Lee Iacocca, while also making a controversial claim about productions of Jeeps in China.
"Obama took GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy and sold Chrysler to Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China," the ad says in reference to plans by the auto company to build a new production facility in China to sell vehicles in that country.
The ad is accurate but plays to misinformation that spread earlier this week — partly because Romney had previously voiced the claims — suggesting that Chrysler was planning to move production of all Jeeps to China. The automaker has strongly disputed those reports, though they could have an impact in battleground corners of Ohio like Toledo, a major hub for Jeep production in North America.
First Read: Romney's Ohio fortunes tied to softening bailout stance
The governors of two other battleground states — John Hickenlooper (D) of Colorado and Scott Walker (R) of Wisconsin — relied on more traditional fare to make the case for and against their candidates.
"What are those deductions and tax credits he's going to get rid of?" Hickenlooper asked of Romney's tax reform plan, seizing on the former Massachusetts governor's refusal to specify which loopholes and deductions he would eliminate to finance his proposed tax cuts.
And Walker, whose contentious collective bargaining reforms sparked a standoff with his state legislature and a recall election which he won, argued that Romney has a track record of working in a bipartisan manner.
"He's proven that he can do it in a state like Massachusetts," Walker said.
But neither Walker nor Hickenlooper seemed as confident as Kasich, who predicted that the fate of Ohio's electoral votes — and the election — would be known early on election night.
"I'm not sure the election's going to be as close as what everybody is talking about today," he said.
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Only allowing citizens who can prove they are actual citizens in not voter suppression. It is ensuring only citizens can vote. Nice try libtards to get illegals to vote.
You guys lost the Voter ID fraud. Get over it already.
It is amusing that the liberal lemmings are against fair voter registration laws. Is it because it has been repeatedly proven that most voter fraud is organized by the Democratic Party? Almost as many dead Democrats vote as there are live ones.
This is very good for America.
Republican House, Senate, WH. A clean sweep. Drain the Democon swamp.
For the rich 1% and for the large corporation people -- could be like going back to the robber baron days......... yes.................. history shows this combination is not good for most people and the country as a whole.. it will be especially bad given he "current different extreme right change d Republican part"
stoney, what have you been smoking? You must not realize that the wealthy are paying for your staples. You might even be able to get a job if Romney wins, it might make you feel less inclined to want to steal from the efforts of the wealthy.
You mean the inheritances of the wealthy? The wealthy sure aren't paying for my staples, I'm paying for the roads and sewers and other infrastructure that allow them to have businesses. I paid for my own extensive education and I have worked hard all my life. I enjoy life but I do not demand ridiculous pay. I don't screw customers and employees. I believe that my contributions have been substantive and have made people's lives better and happier. Selfishness just makes people miserable. Tough minded selfishness rots a society and a political system. I'm so tired of people admiring ill-gotten wealth.
Romney will keep telling everyone he will win, until he loses.
Then he will say it's Obama's fault, and for once he will be right!!
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) has a Real Good Gig at FoxNews when he isn't Governor Bless his Heart...
I think this will be a close race -- this why folks need to get out and vote............I'm in VA and will be a first OBama voter............
I think if Romney wins he will turn so hard right so fast to please the core base of the republican\tea party he will need a chiropractor to work on his neck..
This extreme will not be good for the country as a whole..
We need to get back to a moderate balance on issues and working congress.. I think this is more likely for many reasons with a second term of the current president despite not being a ra ra supporter of Obama and having issues with many things in his administration.. I feel the extreme right of congress is worse.............
I do not know what precisely will happen in the election, but for my bit I have made my choice for this election
You know it's funny....the voting for Obama is similar to the jurors who voted that OJ was bot guilty.They know OJ was guilty but it was t7hgeir turn to teach the system and White people a lesson.Same with Obama...there is no doubt that people know through is 4 yesar record that he is inept,has no leadership skills(since he never ran anything),is a liar,is a fan of Communism and Marxism,has racialk and economically divided further this nation,has purposely allowed 27 million people to be unemployed and millions on disability(to ensure he gets their vote) and finally watch streaming video allowing 4 murder to take place in Libya.But....the blacks and Liberals want to teach Americans a lesson....we cannot let this country endure another 4 yeasr on Huseein Obama.He will finish his job all right same as Hitler finished his.
John Kasich is a moron. I live in Ohio so I know, and it's seriously embarrassing to have him as our governor. My cats are smarter than he is.
.. ROMNEY CAMPAIGN BUSTED PHOTOSHOPPING .... go check out the photo shopped (horribly done) so the crowd at Romney's rally looked bigger .... the photo had far too many ERRORS in it to be worth anything ... too funny .... then another photoshop error at a military rally .... same group of men ... posted in one photo but several times over and over ....
..... you think he could at least hire a good photo shop person to make it look realistic .... heck my 12 year old grandson coulda done a better job with his camera .....
... go check out the photo's ......EPIC photo shop disaster .... just type in Mitts imaginary rally crowd ...
LIAR LIAR LIAR .... OMG ... Can u believe this guy ..... cheat and liar ...
OBAMA 2012
You are looney, but what is more further from the truth, Obama pays people to come to his rallies, or that Romney alters photos? Which is more disturbing to you?
I am amazed at how close it is in Ohio. Just what is it people like about Obama's first four years that they would want another four more of the same? Hmmmmm, let's see:
Over 8% unemployment for a record 43 months in a row! It's now said to be 7.8%, which still stinks. Oh, BTW, they didn't include California in the totals, which has over 10% unemployment. Duhhh. So, it's still over 8% folks.
Over $16 trillion in debt and counting? He increased it five trillion rather than reduce it five trillion as promised.
Over 14% unemployment for blacks.
Anemic economic growth, year after year, after year.
No budget for the past three years as required by the Constitution.
A healthcare plan that will cost over three times what they said it would, was opposed by over 60% of the population, sucks $700,000,000 out of Medicare to help pay for it, and wasn't even read by any member of Congress that voted for it? How could you vote for a bill you haven't even read?
Solyndra FAIL and cover-up (or at least no due diligence) that cost taxpayers over half a billion dollars.
FAILURE to protect our embassy in Libya resulting in the deaths of four Americans, and the cover-up afterward.
Fast and Furious FAILURE, resulting in the death of a boarder control officer and the cover-up by the Obama administration. Holder held in contempt of Congress.
This presidency is a failure and it is time for Americans to realize it and vote for a man that is highly qualified to lead us out of it, Mitt Romney.
Its better than Mitt!
nancy -
Please explain HOW. How and why is Obama better?
Oh, and don't bother with the talking points either as they 've already been proven false.
Totally agree with Hawkeye. The Dems can vote early so they don't miss their welfare check and Jerry Springer on their 50" flatscreen. Everyone should vote on the same day.
Don't forget talking to their friends on their Obamaphones.
Dog Whistle Politics at it's Best.
I am waiting for you guys to come out with Reagan s "Welfare Queen" comment next.
It's too bad Welfare to Work was put in place by Bill Clinton, because if it wasn't then your Welfare comments would carry some weight.
Dog Whistle Politics by the Republicans and the trained dogs ears are perking up!
Liberals are either stupid or they are masochists, or they might be both. Obama has been the worst President in US history. He has single-handily ruined the American economy and caused misery for a large portion of American citizens. He is almost ruining the American auto industry, if it weren't for foreign-owned companies producing American made autos there probably would not be an industry. Obama is an embarrassment to the US as our chief ambassador. What is it that the liberals like, the pain?
Back when Comrade Sotero was trying to stimulate the economy(and Matthews leg) he spent 4 billion on some windmills to create 7000 jobs. 300 jobs remain today. Another success story, right limpwrists???? We have not heard from FEASTLY lately, will someone take her feedbag off????
Why do the democrats still let smiling Joe Biden out in public! On Friday he said in a speech that Romney was going to give Rich people 120 Million of them a 500 TRILLION tax cut....
The clearest indication of Obama's colossal failure as a president is the declining growth rate of our economy over the last 3 years.
2010 GDP ........................2.4%
2011 GDP ........................2.0%
2012 GDP year to date ....1.8%
Notice the pattern - Let's make President Obama the next one term Jimmy Carter, remember him?
When you consider that the GDP growth rate in 2008 was 1.1% in 2008 and -2.6% in 2009...
And when you consider that the second largest economy in the world, the Eurozone, is plagued by a credit crisis that is dragging the entire world economy down and is estimated to be having the effect of subtracting 1% from our GDP growth rate...
And when you consider that the U.S. GDP growth rate is actually better right now than all of our big competitors except China...
It helps to look at the GDP by quarter going back to 2009:
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2012/txt/gdp3q12_adv.txt
Gross domestic product (GDP)
I 09 II 09 III 09 IV 09
-5.3 -.3 1.4 4.0
I 10 II 10 III 10 IV 10
2.3 2.2 2.6 2.4
I 11 II 11 III 11 IV 11
.1 2 .5 1.3 4.1
I 12 II 12 III 12
2.0 1.3 2.0
Now take into account what was going on during those quarters, like Congress putting the country on the brink of default because of their brinkmanship of the Federal Debt, downgrading the U.S.'s credit rating.
Ideal GDP is between 2 and 3.
"He's proven that he can do it in a state like Massachusetts," Walker said. Does anyone know that Mass SUCKED at the end of Romney's turn? 47th in job creation. Romney’s austerity budget for fiscal year 2004, unveiled just weeks later, included even more substantial cuts in state funding for cities and towns.[5] The final budget passed by the legislature (after overriding Romney’s attempt to make still further cuts using line-item vetoes), cut funding for local aid to many communities by as much as 20 percent.[17][18] Already struggling to absorb funding cuts from the prior year’s budget, communities across the state were forced to cut services and hike fees, while laying off teachers, police officers, and other municipal workers.
He put Massachusettes communities into a bind, with hundreds of police, fire and teachers being laid off due to the substantial cuts.
He will do that to America as well, and regardless of what this stupid paper reports as being a recent poll, its rubbish. Nov 6th is the day the truth comes out about these idiotic pollsters.
Governor Kasich also said, that the rescue of auto companies accounted for just 400 of the 112,000 new jobs that have come to Ohio since early last year. He's a worse bull----- than Romney.
The govenor hasn't done anything to improve Ohio. They spout numbers which show improvement but in reality it's worse now than ever. Unemployment is down in Ohio because many have exhausted their benefits or given up. It amazes me how many forget that Bush's policies and lack of action put this country in this situation, not Obama. They are now ready to vote another Republican in, hell I'm a registered republican and I ain't voting for these turkeys.
Another Bush blamer. Do you realize that Bush is no longer President? You morons, the problems with the economy are a result of Obama failures at being capable of fufilling his duties, nothing more.
The housing problem began when slick willy forced the banks to lower their lending standards so under qualified minorities could get homes they couldnt afford so he would look like a hero.
The fact that it remains a statistical tie at this late stage of the game speaks volumes to the confusion the average person is dealing with. This is far from over. I don't think the race between Carter and Reagan was even close at this point. By design, we have been divided so many ways this time that I am just afraid it is much more emotional than logical in this go round.
"We are thrilled that we have a strong auto industry," Kasich argued, "but it doesn't account for the growth of 112,000 jobs in our state."
Kasich's full of crap. He knows damn well, that Ohio's economy would be in a shambles without the auto bailout. Obama not only saved thousands of jobs at GM and Chrysler, but thousands of jobs at their suppliers AND these companies have added thousands of new employees.
Kasich take your outdated poll (that was conducted before the 3rd debate) and your ridiculous logic back to the governor's residence.
Wendell wilkie, most polls show a Romney surge in support in response to the three debates, especially the third. It would seem that it is you, that are full of crap. Bye the way, both GM and Chrysler are in worse positions now than they were during their struggles that led Obama to buy the companies with your tax dollars. More people have been laid off, more factories closed, and more jobs shipped overseas as a result of the Obama Administration management oversight of Chrysler and GM, and the future even looks more dire.
Carter was leading in the polls going into election day by a wide margin, and lost in a landslide
There is only one real issue in this election. Jobs, economy, deficit, immigration, Medicare, Social Security, education, foreign policy and more are challenges for both sides and the only question is will they be resolved to satisfy “the money” or to satisfy “the people”? With the subterfuge set aside “the money” or “the people” is the only one real issue. The Republican / Tea Party is owned and controlled by “the money” and over the last twelve years they have shown their total concentration is on serving only “the money”, without conscience for “the people”. The Democrats are really dependent on “the people” for their support and power and, while obviously imperfect, are actually working to serve those interests. In everything, without exception, with the deception put aside, this one issue is at the base of everything and is evident in all they do. The ironic thing is that both need to sway “the people” in order to have their way. The Republicans are cocky confident that with the power and influence of “the money” they will be able to con “the people” and manipulate public opinion, to literally use the voters as “pawns”. The Democrats are always fighting to keep up and to get their messages across to “the people”. In the end it is up to “the people”; will they vote for their own interests or be duped into voting for “the money’s”?
First, to say “big government” is at fault and the cause of our problems is actually a deception, an intentional distraction. Reducing government spending and the deficit are important goals but they aren’t what caused our problems and focusing there won’t ever solve our problems. What really caused our problems is permissive, co-responsible politicians catering to “the money”, their strong supporters, who then exploited their advantages and who with run-away greed, gross dishonesty and self-indulgence caused repeated crises in savings and loans, banks, dot.coms, manufacturing, the mortgage, investment and financial industries, as well as corporate corruption (like Enron) and with costly industrywide failures, always with “the few” having enormous gains and leaving the costs and lost jobs to the majority. Any objective viewing of reality totally substantiates that and recognizes it as what brought us to crisis point several times. The simple truth is that Romney, Ryan, Boehner and the rest of the Republican / Tea Party are owned and controlled by “the money” and their focus is totally on serving the 1%, which just can’t ever help the 99% and will only return us to “more of the same”, Bush-Cheney style.
Romney and Ryan are aggressive and even cocky in their presentations and attacks but what people need to understand is that having bold and aggressive liars is not an asset but rather a liability. Recognizing all of their actions makes the arrogant deception clear to any objective and concerned viewer. Bush-Cheney are the example of what the Republicans want to return to and they simply spent eight years stubbornly pursuing their private agenda totally focused on benefiting only the few, their strong supporters, while dependent on their subterfuge to con the people - those actions cost the majority greatly. Boehner, Cantor, Ryan, McConnell, Bachmann and others have spent the last four years belligerently committed to only their political ambitions and to serving only the 1%, their masters, as they withheld bipartisanship and faulted and blocked all efforts, without any concern for the costs to the people. ...
... Norquist, Cheney, Rove, the Koch brothers and others have consistently worked at intimidating their own to squelch individual consciences and assure unity behind “the money’s” interests and then to propagandize the country with their biased subterfuge. The Republican / Tea Party consistently offers “puppets”, ready to perform as “their strings are pulled”, for their candidates - Norquist even said that “the next Republican president will only have to sign the bills sent him”, arrogantly assuming they will gain control. We have seen their successful manipulations with the “conservative” Christian, the Swift-boat propaganda, the Tea Party movement and the mega-millions poured into the Wisconsin recall elections, all being well designed, well controlled and well funded efforts to sway voters in the same single direction - they shouldn’t ever be underestimated.
Those who are blindly loyal, who are committed to the Republicans will have rationalizations to answer all of this and to fault Obama and the Democrats. I don’t consider myself a Democrat but rather an Independent who actually converted from being a long-term registered and loyal Republican - all of the above and their insultingly taking for granted that they can just dupe, use and abuse the people totally alienated me. I know there is plenty of room for improvement with the Democrats and I still believe in Republican philosophies but I recognize the Republicans have no interest in serving the 99%, only in manipulating and controlling them with their subterfuge, and I see the only current hope for the majority is in voting for the Democrats. I think anyone who can be rational, objective and honest with themselves will clearly see the truth in everything stated here. The only way to avoid the Republicans further pushing this country into being a two-class society, continually feeding the insatiable “more” (never enough) appetite of the 1% while the 99% continues to struggle, always loosing more, is to firmly reject what the Republicans have become and thereby encourage them to return to being the Grande Ole Party with a honest conscience and real concern for the people.
Just like Biden's three letter word,JOBS, you say one issue and then list seven.lol see the resemblance-Stupid is as....... ....
Duh word from a right wing republican governor.
i am so surprised that the republican governor says romney will win. great story.
Listening to all of you with your crystal balls is quite amusing.
Right about the time you think you have it all figured out is the time you're the most ignorant!
Bush gave GM a "bridge loan" Obama didn't approve of GMs restructuring plans and June of 2009 GM went into bankruptcy just as Romney predicted.
Obama didn't bail out squat just like he didn't bail out 15 million more on food stamps since taking office or solve the 23 million looking for good jobs.
16.2 Trillion to show for it
O = Epic Fail
There were two auto bailout loans. Bush approved the first bridge loan of $17.4 billion in December. 2008, it's true. But if Obama, who was President Elect and nominal head of the Democratic Party, had for some reason opposed the measure (like Romney opposed it in his NYT Op-Ed piece), it's doubtful it would have happened.
Obama was inaugurated in January, 2009.
The car companies then asked in February, 2009 to borrow more. Obama made an appeal for support to a joint session of Congress and approved a second bridge loan of $21.6 billion.
thats interesting Wendell could you provide a link on this second bridge loan?
Wiki seems to be missing that bit of info
----------------
Please link your second bridge loan or did your liberal friends rewrite history again???
PS asking for a second bridge loan doesn't count as getting one approved.
So where is this proof??
Well, he's a Republican governor (poor devil - a Republican is not an enviable thing to be). What's he gonna do - predict a Romney LOSS in his state? Duh.
It's laughable that Obama is claiming to have saved the auto industry. The actions taken were started by Bush, so Obama needs to give credit to him since he's been blaming Bush for everything else. You can't have it both ways Obama.
In much the same way we need to credit Bush with the economic mess.
Good call...let's make sure Bush gets ALL his props!