ND-Mason Dixon: Romney up 13

[Torie]

The oil patch over time is going to put the Dems out of business in ND.

[Torie]

Something slightly odd is happening in North Dakota. But either way, it's not a state either candidate needs to be concerned with this time around. In ten years, though...

I don't know, with the oil boom the state is only getting more conservative but when the boom goes bust a dramatic shift will happen. All of these polls show a big east west divide, Romney is only up by 1% in the eastern half of the state but he is pounding Obama out west.

ND is an odd state. Half of the state is like Iowa while the other half is like Wyoming.

Those fields are going to keep producing for a long time. They are huge. And right now a one bedroom apartment up there in the NE corner of ND and anywhere within a 100 miles in the middle of nowhere but rigs and ice and wind with the odd cow wandering around goes for about $2500 a month or something.

[Torie]

The oil patch over time is going to put the Dems out of business in ND.

North Dakota Dems are against oil production?  Even when it makes the state budget, which is now able to fund more and more of their priorities, balloon?  News to me.  Especially with the following points on its party platform:

"ENERGY INDUSTRY

--RefineryThe Dem/NPL Party supports programs which would facilitate the construction of a refinery in the state and urges the legislature to investigate the possibility of state/private partnerships to assist in the development of refining capacity.
--Pipelines, transmission lines and refinery Dem-NPL supports the State continue to assist in expanding and modernization of pipelines, transmission lines, and additional oil refining capacity in an environmentally responsible manner.
Investment in energy transmission The Dem-NPL supports the State to invest in and develop the infrastructure necessary to have our own natural gas and crude oil refining facilities.
--Energy Transmission The Dem-NPL supports policies that will lead to the expansion of North Dakota’s energy transmission capabilities."

http://www.demnpl.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={4833FFC1-6E82-4B15-9876-D87BFF531F5A}

The oil patch is a Pub constituency. Just like Hollywood is a Dem one. Do you know any Dems representing a fossil fuel zone these days (other than one holdout in WV which is trending Pub at warp speed)?  A Dem trying to go native to fit in is futile. The zone knows that the Dems overall will favor preserving the snail darter and native grasses, and windmills while raising fossil fuel taxes to save the species and the planet every day of the week.

Anyway, NW ND has trended pub in both the 2004 and 2008 election cycles.

[Torie]

Now anvi, I am just saying it is tough to go native, if your national party is on the "wrong" side of an issue. You just aren't trusted. Sure oil production is going up. Obama of course had nothing to do with it. There is a long lead time before production gets going, and God was generous. He decreed all those fields in NW ND would be on private land over which the government has no jurisdiction on this issue. The best Obama could do was stop a pipeline from being constructed, to make it cheaper to get stuff to market.

[Torie]

What on earth caused you to start reading about "Transcanada," as opposed to doing something worthwhile, like watching porno if your gf is in the wrong state?  We need to get over this Transcanada thing before we make much more progress here anvi.  I didn't have "Transcanada" penciled in when I took my little foray to inspect your front lines. I mean you live a long way from Canada. How on earth was I supposed to be prepared for this?  After we work through this all, we can then back to the serious business of x'raying into Obama's soul to find out just why he hates fossil fuels so much.

Sound like a plan?