Barack Obama Leading in Key Swing States and Amongst Women.

Concerns about Barack Obama’s ability to compete in the key swing states that have decided the last several elections are falling by the wayside, as a new poll Tuesday shows him ahead of Republican John McCain in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania:

•Florida: Obama edges McCain 47 - 43 percent;
•Ohio: Obama tops McCain 48 - 42 percent;
•Pennsylvania: Obama leads McCain 52 - 40 percent.

No president has won the White House without winning two of the three states since 1960.

James: This is obviously fabulous news and combine these numbers with Obama looking to expand the map by leading in my purple state of Colorado. He also has a good chance in New Mexico and Nevada. In addition to looking good in North Carolina and Virginia that have been red Republican states. And some are even talking about Georgia. He is able to put states into play that have been traditionally difficult for Democrats to win.

The three above states have been hit hard by this recession and I think much of his lead in them is because people are responding well to his message on the economy. He is

Concerns about women who supported Hillary Clinton abandoning the Democratic nominee in favor of McCain also appear to be unfounded, according to the poll. Obama leads McCain by 10 to 23 percent among the poll of likely voters.
James: One of the bedrock values of the Democrats is the commitment to women's rights in both reproductive rights but also in regards to equal pay for equal work, increasing the minimum wage and expanding education to all children--not just those who have a lot of money to pay for a private school. As well as a firm commitment to giving all children the health care that they need and deserve regardless of economic status. Barack understands that our children are our future and backbone of our society and the way we care for them shows what we truly value. Obama embodies these values and I am convinced that he will fight with all his power to honor, respect and retain the rights of women and push for the issues that women deeply care about.

And I think you can tell what kind of commitment that Barack will have toward women's rights when you look at his amazing wife Michelle. She is a strong, independent, brilliant woman and a wonderful mother who has a successful career. She is a great example of the modern woman.

I think Obama chose wisely (as did she) and seems to have a strong bond with her. They really seem to have a balanced marriage and a great connection with their kids. She rightly seems to have just as much say in the affairs of the family and their future as Barack. She was pivotal in his decision to run for president and I think it says a lot about his respect for women that he held her opinion in such high regard, which he should.

I also think that he has an insight to the needs of women in having two wonderful girls in his life. You can see his eyes light up and water up a bit when asked about them and you can tell that they are precious and deeply loved. He has said many times on the trail of how grateful he is to Hillary Clinton for showing his daughters that anything is possible for women. She showed them that women deserve everything that men do and can do anything that men do. I have no doubt that Barack Obama is the candidate for women. John McCain stands against everything that many of the women in my life stand for and that is a big reason why I oppose him.

I can not support a candidate like John McCain who doesn't seem to take the rights and issues that women care about seriously. He received a big, fat zero from NARAL (Pro-Choice organization) and Obama received 100%). He also voted down the Title X family planning program, which provides women with health care services ranging from birth control to breast cancer screenings. He voted against legislation that established criminal and civil penalties for those who use threats and violence to keep women from gaining access to reproductive health clinics.

Yet with all this good news we must not be complacent and take these leads for granted. We need to keep up the message of change and renewal of America in every corner of the country. It is vital that we keep up the heat on McCain and fight for every vote. We must not hesitate to tell everyone we can about what Obama will do to change America. We need to blog and write editorials as often as we can.

UPDATE ON ANWR DRILLING PLAN: According to the Department of Energy drilling in ANWR in Alaska would only reduce our dependency on oil by 4%. I wanted to add that I find it amazing that McCain is comparing Obama to former President Jimmy Carter in a negative light on energy when what he suggested in the '70's was implemented in Brazil and now they are all but completely off oil.

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