Yes you read right. The reason Washington Post in Chris Cillizza's piece -- Why we aren’t moving Ohio to ‘lean Obama’ -- won't shift Ohio to "Lean Obama" on their electoral map, despite the EVIDENCE from various polls, is because it would prematurely show Romney losing. Their reason is NOT because Pres. Obama's lead is within the margin of error, or that there's insufficient polling available from different polling outfits. No. Among 3 mindboggling reasons, They are NOT changing their electoral map because of this reason (I kid you not):
Romney’s campaign simply will not walk away from Ohio. They understand that to pull money out of Ohio would be regarded as something between capitulation and panic — neither words they want associated with their candidate in the final 50 (or so) days between now and the election. Ohio is the crown jewel — electorally speaking — of the industrial Midwest, a region hit hard over the past decade by the collapse of the manufacturing sector among other economic hardships. Putting aside the symbolic importance of Ohio, there is also a practical reason to believe that the Romney campaign will spend every dime they have to try to win the state. With neither Michigan or Pennsylvania seemingly where the GOP would like them to be in terms of competitiveness, Ohio’s 18 electoral votes become all the more critical.
It is not surprising that Washington Post would bow to the GOP playing the refs after seeing what they did to Nate Silver earlier this week.
This is what remains of news reporting now; to deliberately manipulate FACTS in order to placate Republicans panicking about impending loss of Ohio. Washington Post is willing to lay it's puffed up reputation at the feet of political hacks just so their lies can last a little longer. And for the life of me I see nothing that prevents WAPO from changing Ohio back to toss up state later if polls change.
It is all about giving Romney as many chances as Koch $$$ has greased corporate media's ad departments with. Here you see blatant pandering to one campaign, stringing the electorate out for what reason? Buying time to put all the cheating tactics in place just as Ken Blackwell did in 2004?
Despite the fact that Real Clear Politics polling average of all the recent state polls out in Ohio shows Obama at 48.5% to Romney’s 44.3%, WAPO without an iota of proof says that this election is more likely to be a repeat of 2004 in Ohio. Therefore the President's clear lead must be transient.
2. Ohio has been one of the most closely divided states at the presidential level for the past three decades. Since 1980, the GOP nominee has carried it five times (1980, 1984, 1988, 2000, 2004) while Democrats have won it three (1992, 1996, 2008). If you believe that 2012 will look a lot like 2004 in terms of how the electoral map shakes out, then it’s hard not to imagine that Ohio is going to wind up close. (In 2004, George W. Bush won Ohio by 118,000 out of more than 5.5 million cast.)
What is the factual basis for this assertion? Why should we assume that 2012 is going to be like 2004 and not 1996, if not 2008? Nowhere in this argument is there any consideration for the President's strong advantage with:
1. Workers helped by increased manufacturing, including the auto industry with Pres. Obama holding a 4 point lead on Romney on the Economy
2. Women where the President leads Romney 54% to 38%
3. improvement with men where Romney's lead is down to single digits
4. lower unemployment rates at 7.2%
5. Strong union mobilization, as demonstrated in last year's overwhelming defeat of SB 5
Were these the same conditions under which the 2004 or previous elections took place? What about the poor approval rating of Kasich and the outrage over Sec of State Husted's voter/voting calendar manipulation? What is the reason for assuming Romney will close the yawning gender gap, or auto bailout advantage for President Obama that dwindles Romney's lead among men?
As indicated above the only reason Washington Post is doing this is for POLITICAL reasons to aid the Republican ticket. Bending over backward to accommodate GOP fee fees as Ciliza declares "Ohio has long been the sine qua non of Republican electoral math. No Republican in the modern era has won the presidency without carrying the Buckeye State". Nothing more be said. Please go to the Post and register your opinion. Sick sick