Why Obama Baracks the Vote, what to Look for in Indiana, and more on GAS

This is why so many new people are mobilized to vote for Obama:

From Yahoo! News, Obama’s campaign bussed students to early voting in order to increase voter turnout:

More than 160,000 voters cast their ballots early [in Indiana], with large numbers coming in from Obama strongholds in Lake (Gary), Marion (Indianapolis) and Monroe (Indiana University-Bloomington) counties.

The Obama campaign tried taking full advantage of this option at Purdue and Indiana University, where classes concluded last week, by shuttling students to the county election site. “The traffic was so heavy that the county clerk agreed they would bring the polling place to the center of campus for two days,” Hanson said.

The Yahoo! News article continues regarding what to look for in tonight’s primary results in Indiana:

Obama needs to pile up large margins in Indianapolis in the middle of the state and in Gary’s Lake County in the northwest corner, which is part of the Chicago media market.

Both areas boast significant African American populations. Gary, a city of 100,000 residents, is 84 percent black. Indianapolis, population 780,000, is 25 percent black.

A good night for Obama would mean 10- to 20-point margins in both areas, analysts said.

Obama will also need 20-point margins in college towns such as Bloomington and West Lafayette, analysts said.

Clinton must rely on the Ohio River towns in southern Indiana along the Kentucky border. Obama drew 8,000 people to rally in Evansville, and picked up key endorsements in this area, such as Congressman Baron Hill and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, a revered figure. But Clinton is nevertheless favored to win the region by double digits. She spent the final hours of the campaign Monday in New Albany, a city of 37,000 with 7 percent black population, and Evansville, a city of 117,000 that is 11 percent black.

Clinton also hopes to pad her lead in east central Indiana. Economically-distressed cities with union influence, such as Anderson, Muncie and Richmond, present favorable terrain for Clinton, but they also have African American populations of between eight and 15 percent, Howey said.

Places to watch. Kokomo’s Howard County is the bellwether to watch, Howey said. It is urban and rural, with a mix of African Americans and blue collar workers, some employed in the Chrysler plants. According to Howey, it tends to back the winner in gubernatorial, congressional and state legislative races.

The South Bend area drew significant focus from both campaigns. It is home to the University of Notre Dame, which bodes well for Obama, but there are also many Catholics and a “strong tradition of blue collar Reagan Democratic voters” that would favor Clinton, said Hanson.

The wealthy Republican suburbs north of Indianapolis also received attention from the campaigns, suggesting that both candidates are looking for crossover votes, Howey said. A poll conducted for the Howey Politics Indiana found that up to 20 percent of Tuesday’s turnout could be non-Democrats.

And finally, CNN reports that Hillary Clinton and McCain still can’t get it right with the gas tax:

What are the chances 200 economists would know more about the gas-tax holiday proposals of John McCain and Hillary Clinton? Clinton and McCain would like to buy your vote for somewhere between $28 and $70, which is how much you would save if their idea ever happens… which it won’t. If it does, I will eat an Exxon station.

The economists – including four Nobel Prize winners, advisers to past presidents and Republicans as well as Democrats (some of whom are Clinton supporters) – signed a letter rejecting the candidates’ plans for the summertime tax relief.

They say it would simply generate major profits for oil companies, instead of significantly lowering prices for consumers. Also, they say it would encourage people to keep buying expensive imported oil, instead of conserving. Lastly, they believe such a tax holiday wouldn’t provide much relief for families who feel squeezed by current economic conditions.

Barack Obama has said all along this is nothing more than a political “gimmick.” Top House Democrats – including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chairman of the Financial Services Committee Barney Frank – have also come out against these proposals.

But, Clinton and McCain don’t seem to be paying much attention to the critics. Meanwhile Goldman Sachs is out with a report today that crude oil could rise to as much as $200 per barrel within the next 2 years. Where are Clinton and McCain on that? The answer is: nowhere. They’re trying to buy your vote for 18 cents a gallon for three months.