Top '08 Issues in Five Battleground States

No doubt about it: the '08 presidential candidate who wins the majority of key battleground states Nevada, Michigan, Colorado, Ohio and Virginia will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009.

Yet, the issues most on voters' minds, particularly those of Democratic voters, vary widely between these five very different states. And a popular issue stance in one of these states might cost Barack Obama or John MCain votes in another of the battleground states.

For example, liberals and conservatives alike in Virginia look askance at strong gun control laws, yet in innumerable parts of the U.S., strong gun control laws are an electoral winner.

Another example is immigration reform policies: the large working-class Latino population in Nevada supports liberalizing U.S. immigration laws and citizenship requirements, which is a highly unpopular stance in several other battleground states.

The result is double-talk or cleverly nuanced words from McCain and Obama, as well as mixed messages, messages whispered behind closed doors, and incomprehensible or nonsensical plans, speeches, mantras and monikers. The result is occasional out-and-out untruths.

The result is also message-free distractions such as Paris Hilton and Britney Spears comparisons, and such as gleefully celebrating the sound of "the roar of 50,000 Harleys" gulping gasoline at a greedy rate while ironically pledging that "We’re not going to pay $4 dollars a gallon for gas." But I digress...

Liberal voters in Nevada, Michigan, Colorado, Ohio and Virginia are desperately worried about the things that matter most to them: family, employment, education, home, community. The winning candidate will be the one who most convinces these voters that he truly understands their concerns and offers sensible plans to provide relief for their problems.

To better understand the rough political terrain facing Obama and McCain, read my new quick-reading summaries of the top issues in five states key to the '08 presidential election:

Top '08 Issues in Five Battleground States
• Top '08 Issues in Nevada, Key Battleground State
• Top '08 Issues in Michigan, Key Battleground State
• Top '08 Issues in Colorado, Key Battleground State
• Top '08 Issues in Ohio, Key Battleground State
• Top '08 Issues in Virginia, Key Battleground State

(Photo taken in 2004 in Haskins, Ohio of a worker welding a chair together: Chris Hondros/Getty Images)