Why the 2012 election could all come down to Florida

[ensho]

http://news.yahoo.com/why-2012-election-could-come-down-florida-170426017.html


The nation's premier swing state, younger and more diverse than you think, will be vital in deciding who wins the White House. Along the way, Florida could determine the GOP primary, too.

-snip-

And while Sandy is part of a cohort that leans Democratic – he's young (age 26) and college-educated – he's also unemployed and owes $30,000 in student loans. So he's just the kind of young voter the Republicans believe they can win next year on their way to retaking Florida, where unemployment remains high – 10.3 percent in October – and the home foreclosure rate is among the highest in the country. In 2008, Obama won Florida by fewer than three percentage points.

Welcome to the biggest, most diverse battleground state in presidential politics, where every demographic group and, lest we forget, every vote matters. It's been 11 years since the days of "hanging chads" and Bush versus Gore, when the Republican governor of Texas and the Democratic vice president came closer to an exact tie in the final deciding state than anyone dreamed possible.

In 2012, Florida will be a more valuable prize than ever. This time, 29 electoral votes are at stake, up from 25 in 2000, of the 270 needed for victory. For the Republican nominee, Florida is a must-win – thus the choice of Tampa for the GOP convention next August. For Obama, winning without Florida will be difficult but doable. He has electoral votes to burn from the 365 he won in '08.

-very long snip of history and who is going to vote whichaway-

"That's going to be our challenge," says Leonard Curry, Florida's new Republican Party chairman. "We have to recognize that people like Obama as a person, but just because you like someone doesn't mean they should be president."
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and the repubs/neocons will do dirty to get what they want

[William769]

1. I hope not!

We are still trying to get over 2000!

[ensho]

2. I will never get over 2000

nt

[L. Coyote]

3. or Ohio. or PA, or Wisconsin, or Iowa, or New Mexico, or Nevada

[HockeyMom]

4. They are trying very, very hard to rig the election

with redistricting, restrictions on voters/voting, etc., so that in a close election they will "win". We need to be very proactive to not let them do this. I live in a very red area and I have seen it myself. If not for my pride, I would have registered as Independent, or even Republican (horrors), to beat their system.