The Other McCain

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FROM OHIO: Schedule Scrambled; Obama, Romney Cancel Campaign Events

Posted on | October 29, 2012 | 23 Comments

MARION, Ohio
Looks like Hurricane Sandy has already caused major damage to my plans for the next couple of days, as both Mitt Romney and President Obama are canceling campaign events because of Hurricane Sandy’s impact on the East Coast. By the way, this storm is so large we’re getting effects as far inland as Ohio.

UPDATE: I’ll be uploading photos from last night’s rally here, but meanwhile here’s the report:

Paul Ryan stood onstage Sunday evening and told a fired-up crowd of nearly 5,000 supporters, “As Ohio goes, so goes America.”
Few would argue with the Republican vice presidential candidate. Of the 11 states rated as “toss ups” by Real Clear Politics, none is more fiercely contested than the Buckeye State, whose 18 Electoral College votes appear destined to decide this election. And the latest poll, commissioned by a consortium of Ohio’s eight largest newspapers, shows the state a dead heat, with 49 percent each for GOP challenger Mitt Romney and President Obama. Perhaps more important, the poll conducted Oct. 18-23 by University of Cincinnati’s Institute for Policy Research, showed Romney has gained three points — and Obama has lost two points — since September, when Obama led 51-46 in Ohio.
This net five-point shift in the Ohio newspaper poll substantially mirrors a general trend, as Romney has improved his standing in the RCP average for the state by a net 3.5 points since Sept. 30. And while Obama still leads most Ohio polls (by an average 2.1 points), “The trendline is going in our direction,” senior Romney campaign adviser Kevin Madden said Sunday night during the rally at the Marion County Fairgrounds Coliseum. . . .

Read the rest at The American Spectator.

UPDATE II: Of course, when a crisis hits, nobody answers their phones, so I’m still scrambling to get specific details from Romney’s campaign, which has yet to issue an “Updated Media Advisory” on their schedule. Probably everybody’s on conference calls right now. Meanwhile, the lobby of this hotel is full of guys who look a lot like Secret Service agents and there’s an SUV in the parking lot with Virginia tags and a Romney/Ryan bumper sticker — probably a campaign staffer. Here’s the latest poll talk from Fred Barnes at The Weekly Standard:

The bipartisan Battleground Poll, in its “vote election model,” is projecting that Mitt Romney will defeat President Obama 52 percent to 47 percent. . . .
While Obama can close the gap with a strong voter turnout effort, “reports from the field would indicate that not to be the case, and Mitt Romney may well be heading to a decisive victory,” says pollster Ed Goeas. . . .
The poll’s election model takes into account variables including voter intensity, age, and education, and voters who are certain in their vote. The race “remains very close in the surface,” Goeas said, “but the political environment and the composition of the likely electorate favor Governor Romney.”

UPDATE III: Went out to the nearest convenience store and grabbed a copy of the local newspaper, the Marion Star which — historians will note — was once published by a guy named Warren G. Harding. The front page of the paper today is dominated by two stories covering Sunday’s rally:

Romney, Ryan rouse crowd

Audience comes away
filled with enthusiasm

This is from the second story:

MARION – Energized and pumped up was how the crowd left Veterans Memorial Coliseum Sunday night after attending the “Victory In Ohio” rally for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
There are nine more days until there will be a change, Romney emphasized, encouraging people to get out and vote early or on Nov. 6 for him and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.
Sara Lawhon and her daughter, Erin, came over from Mount Vernon.
“I’m excited,” Sara said. “It’s fun to be in the same room with people cheering for the same thing and feeling the same way you do.”
Erin, 14, still has four more years before she will be able to vote, but she shared her mother’s excitement.
“I thought he was honest and truthful,” she said. “He went by the heart because he believes in it.”

Mount Vernon is in adjacent Knox County. Just got this via e-mail from a friend on the Romney campaign staff: “Daveport is on today, but all other events today and tomorrow are cancelled. Will update with details when we have them.”

UPDATE IV: Hot Air headline on story from Katie Pavlich at Townhall:

Obama campaign warns against politicizing
hurricane as Bill Clinton politicizes it

UPDATE V: Thanks to Finrod in the comments for the news that Rasmussen’s latest Ohio poll has Romney 50, Obama 48.

Of course, Nate Silver has raised Obama’s re-election chances to 74.6%, because . . . Objectivity!




 

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Category: Election 2012, Mitt Romney, Ohio, Paul Ryan, Polls, Shoe Leather Fund

Comments

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MJGP4QXZ5PRW2MFA5E25CV2WNU rosalie

    I’m clinging to these positive reports and trends. Dear Lord, please let Romney win.

  • Finrod Felagund
  • http://boogieforward.us/ K-Bob

    That’s a heckuvva lot of drivin’ to have events cancelled.

    Good luck catching back up with the campaign.

    Don’t y’all eat only fast food, neither.

  • http://wizbangblog.com/ Adjoran

    At this point Romney’s main task is NOT TO BLOW IT, so if Obama is cancelling campaign events for the storm, count on Romney’s being cancelled as well. No late cheap shot about “he campaigned while our people were at risk,” no matter how ballsy that would be for Obama after watching our Ambassador die on live video.

    This is what a preference cascade looks like.

  • 1bulwetweft

    Nitpicking a little – Mt Vernon is in Knox County, not Morrow County. (Mt. Gilead is in Morrow County.) Kinda funny tho’ as Knox Countians tend to look down their noses at Morrow Countians as “hillbillies”….which I guess we are – proudly so.
    Mt. Vernon also tends to lean liberal so I doubt they’re a bastion of strength for Mitt, so it makes me grin even more that they get mentioned in a prominent conservative blog.

    I am growing more & more confident that Ohio will break for Romney. Even so, we should all continue to work like we’re 10 points behind.

    “Don’t get cocky, kid.”

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    I am sure there is plenty for RSM to report on in Ohio.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Hitchcock/100002124988161 John Hitchcock

    Accidentally posted in the wrong thread (how does that happen?):

    As a 44-year resident of Mount Vernon, Ohio, and now a 3-year resident of Killeen, Texas, I was saddened to find out that Mount Vernon is now in Morrow County and is no longer the County Seat of Knox County.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MJGP4QXZ5PRW2MFA5E25CV2WNU rosalie

    “Don’t y’all eat only fast food, neither.”
    Now, you know that will fall on deaf ears.

  • Wombat_socho

    You can eat healthy at a McDonald’s, for several values of healthy. The chicken salads should suit the low-fat dieter, while low-carb dieters can go for the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Caveman Style (i.e. sans buns).

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MJGP4QXZ5PRW2MFA5E25CV2WNU rosalie

    One thing’s for sure, Stacy will not eat the chicken salad nor the quarter pounder without the bun. And he might even make that two quarter pounders. And I wonder if there’s a Sheetz gas station in the area?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003232872834 Becca Lower

    When did McDonald’s become a sponsor of this-here blog?

  • Wombat_socho

    No worries. I made it disappear for you.

  • Wombat_socho

    Those are all up in the northeast corner of the state.

  • Wombat_socho

    McD’s has provided wireless support for our efforts on numerous occasions, in addition to being the frequent provider of cheap food fast. We really ought to see if they’d buy an ad.

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