I don't believe Florida is crucial to Obama's cause as you say. Romney will take that state, but Obama has winning leads in enough of the other swing states to see him home. Romney's last minute attempt to unbalance the President's campaign by declaring Pennsylvania, reasonably secure for the Democrats, as "in the mix", has a hint of desperation about it. My call is 291-247 for Obama - with Florida going to Romney.

I also think Obama will be re-elected and he will probably exceed 300 electoral college votes.If pressed, I'd have to say this has been a contest between two mediocrities, a contest made quite unedifying by Obama's personal attacks on Romney's character.

Interesting to see that Julia Gillard in Australia and Ed Miliband in Britain are using the same smearing, personal attacks against their opponents. The only difference from the Obama campaign is that Gillard and Milliband are both accusing their opponents of sexism and/or misogyny. It seems that being a married man with a family is a crime in the eyes of so-called 'progressives' these days. How far the once honourable Labour movement has fallen.

The pollsters may think it's a tight race but not the punters.

On Betfair Romney is a 3 - 1 outsider in a two horse race. For the past two weeks Betfair punters have given Obama a better than 70% chance of being re-elected.

The Dow has been trending up this year and the incumbent rarely loses when that happens.

In fact, against Romney, I would say that Obama would be a shoo-in if here weren't Black. I think that will shave a percent or two of his margin.

Full disclosure: I have a mild preference for Romney. But I certainly won't be crying myself to sleep if he loses.

If I were an American I might sit this one out.

Well, it seems that President Obama has the popular vote, which is hardly ever conclusive in these contests; and the majority of the College vote as well, which is!?
I believe the College vote, which by the way is the instrument which alone decides presidential elections, has swung back to Obama?
Firstly, because Romney reversed "alleged" former core values, in an effort to win over the tea party and the recalcitrant religious right?
And then, having achieved that and secured quite a lot of "independent" electoral funding, started talking the moderate Governor Romney talk once more?
Secondly, because Sandy arrived at the most critical point for Governor Romney, allowed President Obama to be seen out and about, acting like a President; and brought to a screeching halt, what first debate momentum, Romney still retained, after a second and third debate trouncing?
I also believe that some of the college vote incorporates some deeply held religious beliefs, which are often offended by obscene wealth; and or, the idea than an election; and or, the most powerful political position in the world, can be bought?
[Two trillion plus, thus far and counting!]
I also believe the abortion debate has changed quite a few minds; and or, voting intentions?
And finally, I believe the American people and indeed, the college are just plain war weary, and may have been put offside somewhat, by the Romney call to arms and intemperate sabre rattling?
Obama by a short half head!
Rhrosty.

For so many Americans who cast a vote for Obama four years ago, what good did it do? very little. They wanted hope and change and got neither.

If Obama wins, he will not have the mandate he had four years ago, when the Democrats controlled both the Congress and the White House. It is very unlikely that Democrats will control the House of Representatives after tomorrow, so bitter, dysfunctional, corrupt, political partisanship will begin anew starting Wednesday if Obama wins, which I think is likely. If Romney wins, Republicans probably won't control the Senate. No one knows what Romney would do in any case; he sold his soul to the Devil when he was 3 years old.

When Obama and the Democrats did have the mandate four years ago, they hastened the nation toward bankruptcy by expanding the Medicare system while excluding a single-payer option. They passed a completely ineffectual financial "reform" bill (Dodd-Frank) which restored exactly none of the safeguards that Roosevelt and the New Dealers put into place in the 1930s to rein in the Big Money Boys.

The other thing the Democrats did in 2009/10 was to pass a 787 billion dollar stimulus program which, if you believe in such things, simply increased the public debt without creating any lasting or fundamental change in the structurally flawed American economy, which still sucks today and will suck tomorrow too.

The reason the economy is going to suck forever is that American people, ordinary citizens have been sold down the river for 30 years now by wealthy corporate elites, especially Financial Tycoons, but also non-financial interests, with the connivance of a corrupt Congress. Obama ably continued the tradition of selling the US down the river, for example in mortgage write-down programs which were advertised as providing help for underwater homeowners but were actually designed to protect the banks holding the mortgages. Income and wealth inequality has actually gotten worse under Obama than it did under Bush.

Does it really matter who wins? Business as usual will continue, to the world’s detriment.

America is an amazing place. They are having an election contest between Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber, both of them stooges of the Corporate-Military-Industrial-Political-Capitalist regime.

If Americans had any sense, they wouldn't vote for either stooge. They would vote for independents and get rid of the corrupt two-party system once and for all.

If Australians followed suit, we'd get something right for a change!

The author rightly points out that the 2000 and 2004 elections were marred by electoral fraud, although that might be said to be a massive understatement. It is rather curious therefore that the discussion about the 2012 election is free of any such analysis.

The evidence is overwhelming. There has been massive manipulation of the right and opportunity of voters to actually cast their votes. That effort has been directed at persons who might reasonably be expected to vote for Obama rather than Romney. There are multiple law suits already in the system challenging these voter manipulation laws. Whether they have any effect remains to be seen.

The author also completely fails to discuss the role of voting machines. Again the evidence is overwhelming. They are corrupt and have demonstrably been used to favour Republicans. They are the reason Bush the Lesser "won" in 2004. Jimmy Carter's organisation, which has overseen many foreign elections, refuses to participate in the US one because, as he says, there is no means of checking the veracity of the results.

As commentators above have noted however, it probably does not make an iota of difference which of the two main horses is actually declared the winner: the real decisions will continue to be made elsewhere, and the myth of American democracy will die another death.

Who will win? The Banking Military Industrial Complex always wins.They own Obama,Romney and most of Congress.

Romney will more likely do Israel's bidding and attack Iran.Presently as Malcolm Fraser observes,the BMIC is trying to surround China and Russia.WW3 is not far away unless we wake up soon.

As the progressive radio host Mike Malloy says "Under the democrats we have a slow march to a fascist state, under the Republicans we have a race to a fascist state".

"Hold your nose and vote Obama".

Romney, as someone said, sold his soul to the devil many decades ago. This man will dance to the Tea party extremist tune when in conservative states and then moderate his views when in swing states. He is a man of no virtue. People who call him a successful business man are blinded by the "who has the most money is the best" viewpoint. If that were the case, if the ends truly justifies the means then Robert Mugabe is a great business man because he has hundreds of Millions.
When someone buys a business with a private equity buyout and can shift the debt of the purchase on to the business just bought, raping all the cash out of the business, reaping bonuses from the bank for bringing them the deal, then shifting production to China to massively increase profitability then setting up a company in the Caribbean to purchase the products from the China facility at the cost of production then selling the products to the USA company a the price the USA company delivers the products to the end user, they have set up the following, no profits in the USA, no Profits in China but hey presto huge profits in the Caribbean. They call this good business do they? I call it criminal, how can anyone with any sense of fairness support Romney?
As someone who has never had an employer other than my own company set up while at University I am fully supportive of business builders and fellow employers, however this USA style of Predatory Capitalism is too much too far, it's heads they win tails you lose.

So it's the lesser of two evils for me, vote Obama.

I do find much of this rather funny. No one has ever handed out so much tax payer money to their friends & donors as Obama, & got away with it.

No one could plan to do as much to destroy jobs as Obama. He is out to destroy their coal industry, oil industry, & the new prosperity being generated by the shale gas bonanza, just to buy his green funding. It is his rank & file low income supporters that he is planning to hurt the most.

If he gets back just watch the crazies coming out of his EPA.

If he gets the boot, just watch the flurry of regulations put into force, before Romney gets into the white house.

It will take the US years to get over Obama if they chuck him out now, decades if he gets another term.

This bloke has the arrogant stupidity of Rudd, with the sly viscous cunning of Gillard all rolled into one. Poor silly yanks.

I understand the votes in and counted. The result was Obama 5 votes, Romney 5 votes. So voted the good folk of Dixville New Hampshire, where polling began at midnight and was completed and counted by about 5 past. Obama took a commanding lead early scoring 100% of the vote when Tanner Tillotson was the first to cast a vote and proclaimed a Obama victory as that's the bloke he voted for.
All I can say is there can't be much to do in Dixville New Hampshire, and Tanner Tillotson and his neighbors should get a life. Gee, I should get a life I'm writing about it. who cares, Obamba, Romney, there will be no change, they both are the servants of US capitalism, imperialism. Make another war, kill another million, loose another trillion, what's going to change.

Prof Chris Busby has found evidence of slightly enriched uranium in Fallujah Iraq.They found this evidence in women's hair which dates back to the Fallujah attacks.Birth deformities are off the scale.They found eveidence of slightly enriched Uranium,not Depleted Uranium which is also used.Busby surmises that this is some sort of new thermobaric small nuclear weapon,perhaps a neutron bomb.

The US seems to think it will have the edge with these new weapons in conjunction with their missile shields.Russia and China have responded by expanding their navies so they can have nuke weapons closer to Western targets.

Can insanity be a collective malady? Graham Richardson years ago gave us an insight into this mentality in relation to winning at all costs."Whatever it takes."

In pursuit of power,humans will sacrifice just about anything or anyone.They lose all grip on reality and their obsessive compulsive disorders over rides good judgement.

Since 2001 Western forces have antogonised Russia and China with their invasion of many countries.The USA has the most weapons by far but will not win a conventional war against the likes of Russia and China.

We will be a nation of first strike because of the US presence here.Both the major parties fall over themselves in wanting to please US interests.Both Malcom Fraser and Paul Keating,two ex-PM's have warned us about this US policy of encircling China and Russia.

One thing's for certain, we'll never go short of a conspiracy theory on OLO. Fascist state, electoral fraud, big business, big military, the oil business! Whew! All we need is the odd extra terrestrial and we'll have the lot. LOL? I'll say.

@ Senior Victorian. You nominate 5 areas that presumably you think are "conspiracy theories". How do you reach that conclusion. An objective observer who actually pays attention to the evidence would rapidly reach the conclusion that none of the five are conspiracy theories but solidly based in fact. Have you any evidence (as opposed to fact free opinion) that would demonstrate the opposite?

Senior Citizen.Dwight Eisenhower must be your chief conspiracy buff along with John F Kennedy.

Dwight Eisenhower 1961 speech," In the councils of Govt we must guard against the unwarranted influence whether they be sought or unsought by the Military Industrial Complex.The potential for the disasterous rise of miss placed power exists and will persist.We must never let this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."

JFK also did a speech just before his death about secret societies and their danger to our democracies.

Senior Citizen,do youself a favour and see this site http://www.globalresearch.ca/

See my post of Tuesday, 6 November 2012 11:18:02 AM

The betting markets called it right.

Obama was the odds-on favourite.

Romney was a 3 - 1 outsider in a two horse race.

The bookies and betting markets got it right in 2000, 2004, 2008 and now 2012. That's four in a row.

Moral of the story:

If you want to know election results forget the pundits and talking heads on TV and consult your local bookmaker.

I find it hysterical when Hasbeen says " It is his rank & file low income supporters that he is planning to hurt the most." Oh is that so, mmm then please tell the car industry workers whose jobs he saved and who repaid him in droves with their votes in the Auto states. Was it not the hollow man Romney who said "let the auto makers go broke"? You see the right wing define a successful country as one where corporations are highly profitable regardless of the people. There has to be balance