Magazine Cover Staff Blog

POTUS!

POTUS will be decided within a week. Tuesday the 6th of November is when over a year and a half of primaries and presidential campaign trails come to a head … Well kind of….

Americans across the union will cast their vote for the Electoral College on the Tuesday, after the first Monday in November (6/11/12), Then on the Monday, after the second Wednesday of December (17/12/12) the electors will cast their ballots for both President and Vice President. Later on the 6th of January the vote count of electors is announced by the President of the Senate (the Previous Vice President) to both houses of Congress. The process wraps up on the January 20th at noon when the president is sworn in.

Even six days out it is still not clear who will take the Oval Office in January. Current polling suggests that Romney leads on popular Vote with 49% nationwide, while President Obama earns only 47%. 51% of voters have a favourable opinion of Romney and 48% say the same of Obama and by a 51% to 45% margin, voters trust Romney more than Obama on the economy. Yet, none of this matters when Obama continues to have a statistically significant lead in 7 of 9 swing states .

Bloomberg Business week released their Election issue on the fifteenth of October. They crafted a list of Reagan inspired “Are you better off than you were 4 years ago” issues. In doing so they have identified a number of unusual indicators. Condoms and iPADs were utilised to grasp consumer confidence, Federal Firearm-and-Ammunition excise tax to highlight NRA interests and Fenway stadium filled with sprinkles to demonstrate capital reserves of US Corporations.

Bloomberg’s unconventional style continues throughout. Foreign policy is debated by cab drivers in Jakarta, Tehran and São Paulo. Diplomacy is treated as a romantic relationship between POTUS and various international leaders. Bike mechanics are identified as one of the fastest growing business sectors. Bloomberg has a way of communicating that is unparalleled in the business press. Graphics, photos, and illustrations commandeer the space of focus articles, while personal stories are used to convey grander concepts.

When the USA enter the voting booth they will be casting their opinion on a broad church of ideas. POTUS, VP, SCOTUS, ObamaCare, immigration, the economy, cost-of -living will all have a bearing. Bloomberg identified most important swing issues, but still, the election remains beyond prediction. Even when the two Campaigns have spent over $2billion (excluding PAC money) and all it has done is muddy the water. Whether incumbent Obama wins, or GOP candidate Romney, the election has been entertaining and Bloomberg’s coverage has been inspired.