The National Journal has an interesting look at U.S. senators, using an assessment of how far apart some states' senators are in ideology and Senate votes on issues. The state with the most divided senators on issues is Iowa, whose "odd couple" of Democrat Tom Harkin and Republican Chuck Grassley have a differential rating of 64.8, according to the Journal's scoring. North Carolina's two senators weren't far behind. Coming in third, Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican Richard Burr had a differential rating of 59.7. Squeezed in between are Wisconsin's Herb Kohl, a Democrat, and Republican Ron Johnson.
Interestingly, fourth on the list is Ohio, a key state in tomorrow's Super Tuesday primary voting. The differential rating between Ohio's two senators, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman is 55.7. Front-running Republican presidential contenders Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are looking to Ohio to boost their campaign hopes this week. But polls are still see-sawing between the two. The most recent released earlier today, the Suffolk University poll, gave the edge to Santorum. Santorum led Romney 37 percent to 33 percent in a poll of likely Ohio voters. Newt Gingrich was third with 16 percent and Ron Paul came in fourth with 8 percent.
Another poll released today showed the slugfest in the GOP contest may be helping President Barack Obama, giving him a boost from a surprising quarter. The new NBC/Wall Street Journal national survey released Monday, showed Obama with a 50 percent to 43 percent advantage over Romney nationally, up from a 47 percent to 44 percent lead in the average of the news organizations' polls during the second half of 2011, just before the voting began in the Republican race. Obama has made his biggest gains among the group that has consistently resisted him the most: white voters without a college education.
In the NBC/WSJ surveys through the second half of 2011, Romney led Obama among those working-class white voters by a commanding 52 percent to 38 percent, according to figures provided by Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster who conducts the survey with Democrat Peter Hart. But in latest survey, Romney's advantage with those voters had shriveled to just five percentage points-48 percent to 43 percent. By comparison, in 2008 non-college white voters backed John McCain over Obama by a resounding 58 percent to 40 percent; Republicans won even more of them (63 percent) in the 2010 Congressional election.
Rick Santorum's recent diatribe against Obama as a "snob" for touting a more educated populace might not be working. Could be many in the working class have aspirations for more learning too for themselves and their children.
Santorum obviously does for his children. On Monday, he was out speaking to a crowd in Miamisburg, Ohio, bemoaning being outspent by Romney and saying he had to draw down on his own savings and money he's putting aside for his children's college educations.
Say what? “We’re living basically spending down our savings," Santorum said. "Not necessarily the best thing to do when you have three kids entering into college the next couple of years.”
Ahem. Do as I say, not as I do, Rick?
Posted by Fannie Flono
Monday, March 5, 2012
Political odd coupling, and Tuesday's tight race
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6 comments:
So you despise Santorum. Oh well, at least he actually had children and invested in the next generation, unlike most of the gay and/or childless by choice Observer columnists/editors.
And President Clueless is digging into every parents childs future by increasing the national debt by only 5 trillion since Xerxes took office. But not to worry, these same future government dependent leeches can now stay on their parents health care plan until they are 58.
That should work out well for every American that actually still pays taxes now a day.
Clearly, when Santorum called Obama a "snob" that was over the top. But his point about not everyone should go to a University is spot on. Why rack up tens of thousands of dollars in debt when you could go to a community college for a fraction of the cost and learn a trade that can't' be outsourced and is in great demand? Far too many high school students feel pressure to go to a university and end up majoring in psychology or some other field where the return on the investment, given the amount of debt that is assumed, doesn't justify the time or money.
We have an acute shortage of skilled workers that manufacturers are looking for (http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/05/smallbusiness/manufacturing-workers/index.htm). Instead of encouraging everyone to go to a university, why not find what they enjoy and are competent in, and instead send them to a trade school. Santorum is right to say that being a plumber, carpenter, electrician, you name, are honorable professions.
That's what this op-ed piece should focus on.
anon 4:31, you don't make much sense with your comment. Do you drink a lot?
Santorum was 'mistaken' again, (Republicans seem to do that a LOT when it concerns the President.) Santorum told Solidad Obrien that he didn't remember where he read that tidbit, after she showed him the clip from President Obama's first State of the Union speech. President Obama said he wanted everyone to commit to at least 1 year of higher education - a four year university, community college, trade school or an apprenticeship. It makes sense, to improve opportunities and earning ability. This is quite different than a 'snob' demanding 4 years of college.
Everyone should go to college and become an investment banker. That's where the money is. And if you screw up, you get a bailout from the Republicans and the Democrats.
Then the Observer columnist screams about bailing out GM, but not BofA.
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