Welcome to “Thursday Numbers” and thanks for stopping in! If this is your first time visiting The Western Word, this is my weekly column where I take a look at the numbers in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes laced with just a little sarcasm.
NOTICE: If you read this column you will probably gain knowledge not found on other websites! You may be able to use this information to impress your family, friends, and co-workers. The information might even be life changing – so consider yourself warned…
This week I write about viewers of the last Presidential debate, Donald Trump, Presidential ads, U.S. Senate ads, selling virginity, the Montana Governor’s race, unemployment, the “You Don’t Own Me PSA,” oil and gas leases in Montana, Katy Perry, Student Debt, Approval ratings, Home Runs, and much more!
59,200,000
According to the Washington Post, “An estimated 59.2 million people tuned in across 11 networks to watch Monday’s final face-off between President Barack Obama and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney before Election Day.”
By most accounts, Obama won two of the three debates. Romney won the first one and that gave him some momentum.
5,000,000
That’s what Donald Trump will donate to a charity (of the President’s choice) if President Barack Obama releases his college records and his passport records.
I am waiting for Trump to offer the same deal to Romney if Romney releases his tax returns for the last 12 years…
Last night Obama jokingly commented about Trump’s offer on The Tonight Show saying, “This all dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya. We had, you know, constant run-ins on the soccer field. He wasn’t very good and resented it.”
Game, set, match to Obama…
915,000
According to a story in USA Today, “The presidential race’s ad wars are breaking campaign records, with more than 915,000 commercials aired on broadcast and cable stations since President Obama and Mitt Romney began competing against each other in earnest.”
They are all starting to run together…
887,000
According to an e-mail from Jon Tester’s Campaign, Rehberg, Rove, and friends are spending $887,000 this week in the Billings media market.
Montana is a cheap buy…
772,000
According to this story, “A 20-year-old Brazilian student has sold her virginity in an online auction to a Japanese man named Natsu for £483,000 ($772,000).”
Hmmm…
621,181
According to Lee Newspapers, that is how much money gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill has spent “with a Springfield, Va., advertising company to place ads since Oct. 8.” Late yesterday a Montana judge “temporarily ordered Republican governor candidate Rick Hill to stop spending a disputed $500,000 donation and cancel all pending ads bought with this money, while she reviews the contribution’s legality.”
That had to hurt the Hill campaign. The Montana Governor’s race is finally getting interesting…
369,000
That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week, which according to the U.S. Department of Labor is “a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 392,000.”
Good news!
348,000
According to an e-mail from Jon Tester’s Campaign, they and their friends are spending $348,000 this week in the Billings media market.
96,455
That’s how many views the “You Don’t Own Me PSA” has received as of this morning. You can watch it HERE.
Pass it on to your friends…
75,000
The Associated Press is reporting, “A Texas company has bought oil and gas leases on almost 75,000 acres in northeast Montana’s McCone County.”
Here we go…
25,211
That’s how many U.S. Senate race ads were run in Montana from October 1-21 according to a report from the Wesleyan Media Project. The ads cost about $3.27 million.
I think I’ve seen them all…so is there a certificate or medal or something for accomplishing that?
24,113
The Project on Student Debt, released by the Institute for College Access and Success in Washington, D.C., found that 65 percent of students graduating with four-year degrees in Montana had to borrow money to pay for school and left with an average student debt of $24,113.
Welcome to the real world…
1986
On this date in 1986, “The New York Mets won Game 6 of the World Series in the 10th inning when a routine ground ball went through Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs.” Here’s the original Associated Press story.
It was a tough time for Buckner…
53
According to Gallup, that’s the approval rating for President Obama as of October 24, 2012, which is the highest it has been for quite some time.
Obama’s last two debate performances have helped him…
28
Happy 28th birthday to Katy Perry! Enjoy the “Part of Me” video!
Perry campaigned for Obama in Las Vegas last night…
21
According to Gallup, “Twenty-one percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, higher than the 13% Gallup measured in September, and the highest rating in any month since May 2011.”
Maybe it’s higher because they have been on recess for so long and worked less…
20
The Obama for America campaign published a 20-page booklet outlining his second-term plans.
If you live in a battleground state, you’ll probably get one…
3
Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants hit three home runs last night. He joins Reggie Jackson, Babe Ruth and Albert Pujols as the only players to hit three home runs in a World Series game.
The Giants came out in game one looking dominate…
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The Western Word 
Are you an Obama propagandist now? Obama did not win the argument with trump. In fact he looked aloof and stuck up on Leno. Also I notice you don’t have any of the swing state or Rasmussen numbers here. Could it be that your dear leader won’t allow you to print?
Come on Jack. You usually are your own man but it is clear you have blindspot for Obama, who is the worst president to ever hold office. Intellectually dishonest and a flat out lying POS (you didn’t comment on the new Libya reports either btw).
Really sad that you can’t break yourself from your zombi like following of the charlatan in chief. You use to do Opposition Research. Pretend you we’re hired to do it on Obama and then reevaluate whether or not that man should hold any seat of power, much less the POTUS.
Ryan – Thanks for your comments, but if I’m working for Obama, I guess my paycheck got lost!
Other points:
-If you read back a year or so in my blog, you’ll see that I have not always been kind to Obama.
-In my opinion Obama made Trump, once again, look like an idiot.
-I’ve posted information from Rasmussen at least 13 times this past year and I Tweet many of their results. I posted information from Public Policy Polling 13 times. But I like Gallup polling better (you don’t have to pay money to subscribe to get all the results).
-It’s tough to judge a President’s greatness during his term.
-I would suggest you surf the cable news channels instead of always believing what you hear on Fox News.
Thanks again – until next time – Jack