Steady stream of voters head to polls

Polls close at 7 p.m. today

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Of a handful of local voters polled in Jefferson City this morning, many said President Obama is starting to turn the country around and deserves another four years at the helm.

“I think he deserves a second chance,” said Kanisha Lewis as she went into Community Christian Church, 409 Ellis Blvd., to vote this morning. “I think he’ll get it together.”

Also voting at the church, which is Ward 5 Precinct 4, were Richard and Laramie Thompson, who said they want Congress to work better together and compromise more.

Richard Thompson said he voted to re-elect Democrat U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, to make sure that one party doesn’t control both chambers of Congress.

He said he supports Jefferson City’s annexation and, despite being a smoker, supports Proposition B, which would raise tobacco taxes.

“Hopefully, I’ll quit,” he said with a laugh. “Hopefully, they’ll make it too expensive.”

The Thompsons are retired — he was a state worker, she was a teacher — but say they believe in social programs and the “principle of taking care of people,” as she said.

Of the people interviewed who specified their presidential vote, seven supported Obama and two picked Romney. A couple of people who were interviewed appeared to lean more conservative, but declined to specify their presidential pick.

Harold McCoy, a retired educator and member of the Eagles, said the country is on the upswing.

“I think he (Obama) should be given the chance to complete his mission,” he said.

Obama, he added, represents the lower middle class and people with disabilities.

McCoy said that the Fraternal Order of the Eagles created the impetus for Social Security. And he returned from his car to tell a reporter about his dislike for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin, especially Akin’s stances on Social Security and women’s issues.

“Todd Akin must not be elected to the Senate,” he said.

Previously Akin has said: “Social Security, through the years, for many, many people, has been a terrible investment. It’s really a tax, is all it is. Social Security is a tax.”

Akin said it’s not responsible spending.

Whitey and Judy Owens voted at Moreau Heights Elementary School, which is Ward 5, Precinct 3.

“We’re heading in the right direction, so we just need to keep going,” he said.

His wife added: “I sure don’t want to go the other way.”

Judy Owens, a former 1st Ward City Council representative, said she opposes the Proposition B tobacco tax and supports the city’s annexation attempt.

“The city has to grow, and that’s the only way for it to grow,” she said.

Doloris Kelsey said the government gives too much away through welfare programs.

School children, she said, are given meals throughout the day at school, then given food to bring home.

That, she said, is the job of the parents.

“If people can’t afford babies, they shouldn’t be having them,” she said.

Austin Beck, 20, voted today at Moreau Heights, in his first presidential election.

“I voted for Mitt Romney. It wasn’t about him, it was about the other guy,” he said.

He said the country recently has been on a “down slope,” and he believes more things will get accomplished with Republicans in power.

While a quick, unscientific poll showed more supporters for Obama than Romney, a larger — yet just as unscientific poll — also shows Obama with the edge.

In downtown Jefferson City early this afternoon, Chez Monet’s “cookie” poll recently showed Obama is leading the race against Romney: 659 to 618.

More like this story

spelchek 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Obama will take an early lead until all the Republicans get off work.

midmocitizen 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Obama has had four years. If he hasn't made improvements in four years, WHY give him another four? For crying out loud, the guy gave himself an "incomplete" grade. He spent the first four years blaming his predecessor; who's he going to blame for the past four years?

RobHunterJohnson 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Where have you been this entire conversation, if you think Romneys got the plan then by all means go vote for him? Obama inherited one gigantic mess, thing are better today than they were 4 years ago, open your eyes? Rob

midmocitizen 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Your grammar skills are atrocious. Regardless, I did, and they are.

RobHunterJohnson 6 months, 2 weeks ago

I di'nt u was a gradin me. I'll try harder, I still have not voted, but you made my mind up! Rob

asb 6 months, 2 weeks ago

"Regardless, I did, and they are." Oh, and that's grammer?

january 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Grammar.

JCLifer 6 months, 2 weeks ago

ouch!

spelchek 6 months, 2 weeks ago

"Obama inherited one gigantic mess" -- How does spending $600,000,000 to ask voters to elect you to become President equal inherit? If what you say were true, exactly whom will Obama be inheriting the last four years from? Shouldn't you be hiring your President to fix problems rather than blame someone else for them? What a bunch of spineless cry babies the Democrat party has become. No wonder the rest of the world looks at us as a paper tiger.

RobHunterJohnson 6 months, 2 weeks ago

No we should be hiring a Congress to fix the problems, but as long as 1/2 of us refuse to allow them to pay for it we will continue to set in the same spot we have been, either one of them will inherit another mess after this day? How do you feel about Romneys kid (TAGG) owning the voting machines in Ohio? I just watched one working on UTube? Rob

newone 6 months, 2 weeks ago

And if you think that if Romney get's it he isn't going to blame Obama for his first four years? Give me a break! And just so you know IF Romney gets it I fully expect this country to be back in shape and the unemployment rate and gas prices to be down within a year like you all expected Obama to do!

JCLifer 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Romney at least has executive experience creating successful businesses. Obama has no eperience running anything. He could have done SOMETHING his first four years, but he failed miserably at everything.

newone 6 months, 2 weeks ago

As I have said several times before, running a business is NOTHING like running a country and it scares me that you people think it is the same. He hid is money from his business in off sh*re accounts so he didn't have to pay taxes on it, he shipped job's from his business over seas so he could pay them next to nothing, sorry but this is not type of person I want running our country!

midmocitizen 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Even if he didn't get it fixed in the first year (which he didn't), he still had three more years (in which he still didn't).

And, yes, I do believe Romney won't spend the next four years blaming Obama.

newone 6 months, 2 weeks ago

BS...he will get nothing done and he will blame Obama the entire four years, I will bet my life on that and you all will think that is ok because he is a Republican and for some reason in your mind that is ok.

Paroquet 6 months, 2 weeks ago

"Even if he didn't get it fixed in the first year (which he didn't), he still had three more years (in which he still didn't).

And, yes, I do believe Romney won't spend the next four years blaming Obama."

HA!

It's hard to undo eight years of raping, pillaging, and cronyism. Ever hear of trench warfare?

jcmo12345 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Spelcheck: thanks for showing everyone why those who are actually struggling because of a war the Republicans started and a bad economy that started when the Republicans were in office, along with bad luck, should not vote for Romney. I guess if you don't have a job then the Republicans don't support you. Oh, and next time, come up with an original quote, rather than stealng a tweet from a political science expert like Tim Tebow.

midmocitizen 6 months, 2 weeks ago

You do realize the "Tim Tebow" Twitter account you're referencing is a parody account, no?

spelchek 6 months, 2 weeks ago

I've never heard a repeated joke. You?

BubbaD 6 months, 2 weeks ago

So, your posts are jokes? Thanks, that explains a lot.

jcmo12345 6 months, 2 weeks ago

And this article says absolutely nothing of any worth about the race, or the people of Jefferson City...although Chez Monet does have delicious cookies...

jcmo12345 6 months, 2 weeks ago

I apologize, midmocitizen, you're right, I got in a hurry and didn't notice that...I think my point is still valid, though

spelchek 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Yep Romney is not president and it's his fault because republicans and democrats voted to go to war over 10 years ago (not just republicans...look it up). If you don't have a job it's because you worked for Solyndra, A123 Systems Inc, or Fisker; all recipients of the Obama green jobs policy. How can you say Republicans don't support you when the jobless rate has hovered above 8% the last four years and Democrats owning congress from 2006-2010 and the POTUS since 2008? You can blame all you want just like the POTUS, see where it gets you.

asb 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Yes Spel, we all went to war based on a direct attack on American soil, a lunatic government who supported and hid the perps, and a whole scheme of lies and arrogance by the oil and defense industry hacks controlling Bush. And Cindy Sheehan is a traitor. Yep some energy companies (a handful of nearly 50) getting federal loans failed. Geez, that's better than the average for companies getting bank loans. And the jobless rate, yeah, with the Teabag Congress sitting on every jobs bill put foward "to be sure Obama doesn't get a second term" it's tough to find work, eh? We know where the blame lies, and where the best antidote lives, at 1600 Pennsyvania ave. And, you forgot Benghazi . . . that latest in a decades long string of dead at American consulates around the world that seems to be so uniquely a sign of Obama's socialist-islamic-non Armerican weakness. That's where it get's me.

spelchek 6 months, 2 weeks ago

"And, you forgot Benghazi" -- So has the liberal media.

asb 6 months, 2 weeks ago

As far as I can tell, whenever any new facts come out about Benghazi, they're reported by all the media, rather than just FOX claiming a coverup of the conspiracy to hand America to the Moozlim 'stremists, or Chicago, I tend to drift on that one.

Littleinvestor 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Fiskers is still in business spelchek. They make great tree loppers and other tools. They are making their electric cars in Sweden, but are using batteries made in the U.S.

spelchek 6 months, 2 weeks ago

I didn't say they were out of business.

"Fisker itself received a $528.7 million loan from the Energy Department to produce high-end electric cars. The company, however, has had successive rounds of layoffs, spurring the DOE cut off part of the loan. Fisker sold no cars in 2011 and only 5000 in 2012, though the White House had predicted the company to sell 6,000 in those two years."

From conservative CBS:

cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57533659/another-green-energy-bankruptcy-gives-romney-fodder-for-debate/

asb 6 months, 2 weeks ago

I think "fodder" is the key word here. Most of the loans, including Fisker's, are in payment and have benefitted the jobs market and the non-carbon (facist-socialist-islamo-ChicagoMob) energy industry, at a pace the banks would love. Actually they do love, since these are all through lending institutions, just like the horrible PELL grants getting the lesser classes the college educations they need to greet you at Walmart..

RobHunterJohnson 6 months, 2 weeks ago

I would like to know what happenend to the Libyan policeman who the Ambassader reported by his car number the day of the attack? CIA report earlier this week! Rob

jcmo12345 6 months, 2 weeks ago

All these articles do is show how little people read the news, I fall in that category occasionally myself, unfortunately...

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