Pubdate: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 Source: Wall Street Journal (US) Copyright: 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Contact: http://www.wsj.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487 Author: Janet Hook POT VOTE, CONVENTION PLANNING, TARGETING GREEN CARDS Support in Colorado for an initiative to legalize marijuana is gaining ground, according to a new poll-a development that could help President Barack Obama in that battleground state by driving turnout among young voters. The poll, conducted by North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling, found support for the initiative at 47% to 38%-up from 46% to 42% in mid-June. It is especially popular among young people, who tend to favor Mr. Obama. According to the PPP poll, Colorado voters under 45 years old support the initiative-which would make it legal to possess as much as one ounce of pot for recreational use-by 58% to 30%. Older voters oppose the initiative by 44% to 39%. However, increased turnout of pot-legalization supporters isn't a slam-dunk for Mr. Obama because he has opposed legalization, and his Justice Department has angered the movement with crackdowns on medical-marijuana dispensaries. Pot fans in Colorado could shun Mr. Obama and cast their ballot instead for Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson, who supports legalization. Mr. Obama won Colorado in 2008, but his edge in the state this year over Republican Mitt Romney has narrowed to 1.2 percentage points in polls averaged by Real Clear Politics. The Wall Street Journal/NBC poll in mid-July found that people aged 18 to 34 nationally favored Mr. Obama over Mr. Romney by 55% to 38%. -Janet Hook Democratic Convention Democrats planning their national convention hope to showcase regular Americans who exemplify President Barack Obama's policies. Not surprisingly, the program also will paint Republican Mitt Romney as being out of touch with middle-class challenges and Mr. Obama as fighting for the middle class. Documents obtained by Politico and confirmed by campaign officials-who cautioned that they are a few weeks old-amount to a brainstorming exercise for what may wind up on the three-day program in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 4-6. One idea: Have one or more high-profile Republicans address the convention. Obama aides said no one has been identified, and it may not happen. But if it does, the event could feature a former military leader, perhaps paired with a former enlisted man or woman. "Ideally they would have witnessed firsthand the difficult decisions [Mr. Obama has] made," the documents say. "A Republican leader would be ideal." Another idea is to showcase "real people" each night who personify the president's policies and successes. That could include an auto worker whose job was saved by the auto bailout or a student who benefited from reduced interest rates on college loans. One twist would be to present a pair of speakers discussing their personal experiences-one praising Mr. Obama and the other attacking Mr. Romney for their policy stances on topics like gay marriage, immigration and contraception. -Laura Meckler Virginia Virgil Goode, a former congressman from Virginia, is focusing his very-long-shot campaign for president on tougher immigration policies. This week, Mr. Goode, who is running on the Constitution Party ticket, met voters in Kentucky, Iowa, Wyoming and Utah and discussed his plan for a moratorium on the issuance of green cards-which allow noncitizens to live and work in the U.S.-until the unemployment rate drops below 5%. With the rate now at 8.3%, it's "absurd to allow so many green-card entrances," he said in an interview. "We need to preserve jobs for Americans first." Last year, nearly 1.1 million people were granted green cards for permanent residency, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Goode said as many as three-quarters of them compete with U.S. citizens for jobs. He also opposes automatic citizenship for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. Mr. Goode represented a congressional district in southern Virginia from 1997 to 2009, first as a Democrat and then an independent before becoming a Republican. His plan to get his name on the ballot in a dozen states ran into a hitch this week when the Virginia attorney general began investigating signatures on his petitions. Some political observers say that if he were to make it on the Virginia ballot, he could take votes from Mitt Romney, becoming a potential spoiler. Mr. Goode rejects the idea. "If we get on the ballot, I think we'll take votes from Democrats and Republicans," he said. -Andrew Seidman - --- MAP posted-by: Matt