TPM Reader AB says I’ve got it wrong on the auto bailout …
I have to disagree with your assessment of President Obama vs. generic Republican in the handling of the auto industry bailout. This one is pretty personal for me since I live in Southeast Michigan and work for an automotive supplier. I followed this one pretty close. There was very little support outside of the state of Michigan and Ohio for bailing out GM and Chrysler from either party. The Southern Wing of the Republican Party opposed Bush’s handout to GM and Chrysler to keep them afloat as he kicked the can down the road to the next guy and they were 100% opposed to Obama’s decision to save GM and Chrysler.
Peggy Noonan predicts a Romney win: “All the vibrations are right.”
TPM Reader MT:
Noonan cites the giant crowds at the Romney rallies.
Remember the giant crowds at the end-of-campaign rallies for Dukakis? For Mondale? And the feeling among Democrats each time that maybe, just maybe, the polls were wrong and their guy wasn’t headed for a humiliating defeat?
The TPM Electoral Scoreboard stands at Obama 290, Romney 191.
The basic picture looks similar to what it’s been for some time, with close but not quite at President Obama’s maximal position. At the moment there are three states in the Toss Up column, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. In the first two Romney has a small but tangible lead. Obama has one in Virginia. As recently as this morning Colorado briefly slipped into the Toss Up category. Now it’s back in Obama’s column.
The basic picture is that, if you buy the polls, Romney has to essentially run the table. The popular vote is close to tied with the slightest margin — currently .7% — for Obama.
He has to win Florida, North Carolina and Virginia (the first two seem likely). Then he also has to pick up a few states currently in the Obama column. It’s a tall order. But far from impossible.
For those of you with a TPMPrime membership, here is our schedule of live chats for Election Day:
11/6, 11am EST: TPM’s Brian Beutler
11/6, Noon EST: TPM’s Evan McMorris-Santoro & Benjy Sarlin
11/6, 4pm EST: TPM’s Josh Marshall
On Wednesday we will have a series of post-Election chats that we will announce once ballots are cast and the results come in.