The presidential election is only a few days away and some people in the Baker community are agreeing with political pundits who say they won’t be surprised on Election Day if Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is elected president.
"There is no question in my mind that Barack Obama will be elected," Bruce Anderson, associate professor of political science, said.<br/>Senior Jason Mock and freshman Joylin Hall also believe Obama will be elected.Senior Jason Mock and freshman Joylin Hall also believe Obama will be elected.
Senior Jason Mock and freshman Joylin Hall also believe Obama will be elected.
"I'm quite confident that Obama will win," Mock said. "The polls are telling me that."<br/>From Gallup to Harris, Mock said the political polls he's seen indicate Obama is ahead of Sen. John McCain by 6 to 12 points.From Gallup to Harris, Mock said the political polls he's seen indicate Obama is ahead of Sen. John McCain by 6 to 12 points.
From Gallup to Harris, Mock said the political polls he’s seen indicate Obama is ahead of Sen. John McCain by 6 to 12 points.
Even though junior Kendra Hanson plans to vote for McCain, she also believes Obama will win the election.
“Currently, Obama is ahead in states that he has no logical business winning,” Anderson said. “He will win in places that Democrats don’t normally win.” In addition to swing states Florida and Ohio, Anderson said Obama is challenging McCain in several states the GOP should possess a stronghold, such as Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri and even Arkansas.
Anderson said the strong Republican base that existed in many states in past elections now is slipping mostly because of president George Bush’s unpopularity.
“A lot of Republicans are running away from Bush,” he said.
Hanson reciprocated the feeling that sometimes it’s difficult to stand by her political party.
“It’s a tough time to be a Republican,” Hanson said.
She feels many of Obama’s proposed policies will result in higher taxes; she disagrees with other Obama policies including his plan to redistribute wealth and foreign policy.
McCain appeals to Hanson because of his military service and strong stances of getting the federal budget under control and being a moderate.
“Unfortunately, John McCain may lose votes just because he is a Republican,” she said.
Another reason for the sudden disconnect from Republicans may have to do with another political figure.
Mock, Hall and Anderson all said Palin as the vice presidential nominee isn’t helping the GOP presidential campaign.
“It’s great that a woman has a chance of being vice president,” Hanson said. “But there were better people that (McCain) could have picked.”
Anderson noted Palin’s strong religious beliefs and link to corrupt Alaska politician Ted Stevens may be some reasons why voters are turned off by the McCain campaign.
Another unusual aspect about this election will be the number of voters going to the polls.
“I think that a lot of people who never voted before, because they weren’t interested in the past or who were too young to vote in the last presidential election, will be voting this time,” Mock said.
Anderson also said he thinks more young people and minority voters will be casting their ballot at the voting booth Tuesday.
But Anderson admits predicting how people will vote and voter turnout can be unpredictable.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “Some voters may stay home because they think their candidate has the election.”