The LA Times writes on the electoral college and discusses how much of the country simply does not matter in determining the outcome of this election. The Times includes North Carolina and New Mexico among their Battlegrounds, but as I discussed in my lead-off post, I view them as superfluous to the actual Battleground states. At the same time I include Michigan and Wisconsin which the Times excludes.
From now until November, expect to hear a lot about Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa and Colorado, the states that could determine whether Barack Obama gets a second term. The Los Angeles Times is publishing a series of stories labeled “The Battlegrounds.” The Wall Street Journal has dubbed similar coverage “Swing Nation.”
Obama, Mitt Romney and their surrogates will be slugging it out in these battlegrounds, kissing babies and eating rubber chicken in places such as Ames, Iowa and Dayton, Ohio. Much of Obama’s travels as president has been to these swing states. Air Force One’s flight plans have included Ohio at least 20 times since Obama entered the White House.
Paul West [of the LA Times] reported that Romney has to win Virginia and Ohio to have any realistic chance at securing victory. Obama is almost certain to be reelected, West says, if he wins either one. He won both in 2008. If he loses Ohio or Virginia, Obama will need to win Pennsylvania and smaller battleground states — Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada — to get to 270.
While we disagree with the LA Times over their expanded Battleground we can’t blame them for wanting to have a couple more states to cover during what will be an incredibly focused campaign for the next five months.
