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| "Blue"
in the Race | Posted:
08.02.04 | |
| As
Election Day approaches Democrats and Republicans are both battling to woo voters
in traditionally "blue," or democratic states, states that could decide
the outcome of the race. Printer-friendly versions: HTML
/ PDF | |
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|  In
2000, Democratic candidate Al Gore won twenty states to George Bush's 30. The
Pacific coast, the Northeast (except New Hampshire), and a handful of states in
between voted "blue" - or Democratic - some by less than a percentage
point. With American voters again divided almost evenly between the Republican
and Democratic nominees for president, and more states than ever promising a close
finish, the race to reaffirm-or win over-voters is at a crucial stage. | |
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| Wooing
blue states | |
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For John Kerry, this year's Democratic nominee, that means working hard to
motivate and energize the party's traditional supporters to be sure they turn
out on Election Day. Among blue-collar workers and minorities, though, two groups
that traditionally vote Democratic, his privileged Boston upbringing  and
twenty years in Washington's inner circle aren't necessarily pluses. But,
with his choice of charismatic Southerner John Edwards as a running mate and lots
of campaign stops aimed at small-town voters in blue-collar towns, Kerry hopes
to solidify his grip on "blue" states while strengthening his position
in states that went for Gore by a narrow margin in 2000, states like Iowa, Minnesota,
Oregon & New Mexico. To remind voters in these
and other closely contested states to vote Democratic once again, Kerry has spent
a good deal of money on television advertising. Combined with additional ads run
by political groups opposed to Bush's re-election, the Kerry campaign is out-advertising
George Bush by 2-1. | |
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| Choosing
blue for the conventions | |
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One worry for the Kerry campaign could be that these blue states have lost
seven electoral votes since 2000 because of population changes. Electoral votes
are votes cast by members of each state's electoral body to elect the president
and vice president. On the plus-side, a recent endorsement by the NAACP could
help motivate more African-American voters to visit the polls-which would be sure
to help the Democratic candidate. For their part, Republicans are heading
for New York City - a Democratic stronghold - to hold their nominating convention
at the end of August. By selecting the site of the 9/11 attacks,  George
Bush's party hopes to strengthen his image as a strong leader in dangerous times.
The Democrats held their convention in Boston, another "blue" city,
where John Kerry could bank on finding support among left-leaning citizens who,
like him, tend to value a firm divide between church and state, stronger protections
for civil liberties, environmentalism, gun control, labor unions, and - perhaps
most importantly - opposition to the way the United States went into Iraq without
United Nations backing. | |
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| Republicans
fight back | |
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The GOP, or Grand Old Party as the Republican Party is sometimes referred to,
is also mobilizing a virtual army of volunteers to rally grass-roots support for
their candidate in Democratic-leaning states like Wisconsin, which the President
recently visited for the first time since 2001. The Bush campaign has also touched
down recently in Oregon, Iowa, and Michigan, states they think they may have a
chance to win back in November. New York may be a lost cause for any Republican
hopeful, convention or no convention, but California's recent selection of Arnold
Schwarzenegger as governor has bolstered Republican hopes  there--even
though the former action hero has a more liberal stance on social issues than
most Republicans. In fact, it may be social issues that sway voters one
way or the other. Democratic voters may be concerned about security at home and
abroad and may be drawn to the policies of George Bush, but when it comes to gay
rights, abortion rights, and civil rights, they're firmly behind their party's
candidate. On the other hand, the President's appeals to his far-right,
conservative support base -- for a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage,
for example, and his financial support for "faith-based" community initiatives
may hurt him in "blue" America as much as it helps him elsewhere. --Amy
Brill, Online NewsHour | |
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After H1N1-related school closures in the last flu season, local schools have lowered the severity of their response and are focusing on preventative action that does not interrupt education.
