President Harry S. Truman famously said:
All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway.
As Progressives, we believe that a President has to govern all of the people, and that includes the smallest ones. I decided to examine in photos how the campaigners for the highest job in America, are doing with our most precious asset—our future. So follow me below the squiggly for a tongue-in-cheek photo diary of President Obama kissing babies.
Nate Silver’s serious statistical analysis provides the basis of my analysis of which babies make up the swing vote, the "Swing State Babies".
Nate Silver's Political Calculus
Source: FiveThirtyEight, New York Times
September 21, 2012
It bears mentioning here, that there are babies in other states not presented as swing state babies, who look poised to help the President govern.
A baby wears a sticker supporting U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) during a picnic with hundreds of participants in Fort Wayne, Indiana, May 4, 2008. The Indiana Presidential Primary will be held on May 6. REUTERS/Jason Reed
And here are the Swing State Babies:
Colorado
U.S. Democratic party Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) sits with 13-month-old Gracie McCormick, the daughter of an election campaign volunteer, in between phone calls to prospective voters at his election campaign local headquarters in Brighton, Colorado, October 26, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Florida
US President Barack Obama pulls a baby out of the crowd as he works the ropeline after delivering remarks during a campaign event at rollins College in Orlando, FL, August 2, 2012. (JIM WATSON/AFP/GettyImages)
Iowa
President Barack Obama kisses the forehead of 3-week-old Ethan Muhire of Marshalltown, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, during a campaign stop in Marshalltown. Obama is in the middle of a three-day bus tour across Iowa. (AP Photo/The Des Moines Register, Bryon Houlgrave)
Michigan
US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) holds seven months old Kabian Allen, after a workplace town hall meeting at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, May 14, 2008. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes
Nevada
U.S. President Barack Obama greets a little girl in the Thunderbirds Hangar at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada May 27, 2009. Obama marked the 100th day of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by highlighting the development and use of geothermal and solar energy. REUTERS/Jason Reed
New Hampshire
US President Barack Obama holds a baby as he greets supporters during a campaign event at a school in Durham, New Hampshire, on June 25, 2012. Obama has opened up a double-digit lead over Mitt Romney in a national poll released last week, even as a majority of respondents say the country is on the wrong track. Most surveys in recent weeks suggest a tight race for the White House culminating in the November election, but the new Bloomberg National Poll has Obama leading his Republican challenger 53-40 percent among likely voters. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GettyImages)
North Carolina
US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) picks up a baby during a campaign stop at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market in Greensboro, North Carolina, August 20, 2008. REUTERS/Jim Young
Ohio
DAYTON, OH - MARCH 13: U.S. President Barack Obama holds a baby after Western Kentucky Hilltoppers defeat the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils 59-58 at UD Arena in the first round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament on March 13, 2012 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Pennsylvania
US Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) holds a baby as he stands next to his wife Michelle after attending a small town hall meeting at the Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, April 21, 2008. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer
Virginia
ARLINGTON, VA - SEPTEMBER 11: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Barack Obama holds up a baby as he greets victims' families during an event to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon Memorial September 11, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia. Obama delivered remarks and laid a wreath during the event on the 9th anniversary of the tragedy. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Wisconsin
US Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama (D-IL) hands a baby back to the crowd after posing for photographs following a Labor Day speech at a campaign stop at the Marcus Ampitheather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin September 1, 2008. REUTERS/Allen Fredrickson
While I have you here; Are you In? Remember: We are doing it for all of the babies.