Pennsylvania. (0.00 / 0)

   Actually Democrats make up 51% of registered voters.  There are 1.2 million more Democrats than Republicans in Pennsylvania.  
  Point taken.

John McCain lets lobbyists shape his economic policy

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by: cilerder86 @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:03:59 PM CDT

But why the Colorado leak? (4.00 / 2)

I don't understand why top McCain people would be hinting of pulling out of Colorado. For what purpose? Isn't such news terribly depressing to GOTV efforts in the state?  

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by: Semblance @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:09:11 PM CDT

Dissatisfaction about campaign priorities (4.00 / 2)

In a losing campaign, it's not uncommon that the top people start worrying about how they come out of things.  The real mercenaries talk to the press about how things would be good if only the candidate listened to them.

So there are people who likely think that McCain is spreading his resources too thin, and Schmidt and McCain disagree.  So the consultant talks to the press and says Schmidt et al are wrong.

Talking about it isn't in the campaign's best interest, certainly.  But the consultant may think it's in his own interest to tell the reporter this.

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by: mbayrob @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 00:31:52 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Somehow reminds of the Clinton campaign... (0.00 / 0)

what with all those consultants not supporting their candidates message, but publicly washing dirty laundry. Hardly a recipe for success. Politicians should keep records and take care not to hire such an egocentric sniper for their campaign. But, ok, too many politicians don't care...

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by: Gray @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 03:14:10 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

margins (0.00 / 0)

I doubt either the McCain campaign or the Obama campaign believe that Obama is ahead by double digits in Pennsylvania, otherwise why would both campaigns be competing there so feverishly? Obama has spent time there recently, as well as Bill & Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden. There has to be something else at work here. From what I heard, the Obama campaign is worried about white resistance in Pennsylvania. Of all blue states susceptible to racism, Pennsylvania would be at the top of my list.

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by: boomersun @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:09:22 PM CDT

But, they aren't going back... (0.00 / 0)

...They said that the next 10 days will be all focused on red states... no blue states... that includes PA.

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

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by: lord_mike @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:28:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

PA (0.00 / 0)

I didn't read too much into this either, and was relieved to read what campaign stops Obama plans to miss.

But even if McCain stays in CO, which it seems he should, why is he so confident on PA? Campaign posturing? Sure, maybe. But according to 538's handy chart, PA is not the best place to be spending money for a nearly-broke campaign. Point being, I started to worry today about voting in PA. We know there is no early voting. And this handy map linked today by the Votemaster tells us that PA has among the weakest voting standards of any swing state.

Chris, I know you have warned about unfounded cries of vote fraud, but when do seemingly irrational campaign decisions start to stink so much that we are forced to pursue ulterior motives? For now I'll just assume McCain thinks Wright will have a particularly large impact on PA, though a 10-point difference is really hard to imagine.  

"Don't hate the media, become the media" -Jello Biafra

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by: LandStander @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:10:34 PM CDT

Here's a campaign update (4.00 / 8)

Most McCain staffers are spending inordinate amounts of time and energy figuring out how to avoid being blamed for the upcoming defeat, and are devising "I-told-you-so" stories to explain how things would have worked out better if everyone had only listened to them.

And I know that without having talked with a single staffer on the McCain campaign!

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by: Pesto @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:15:03 PM CDT

Are you accounting for early voting? (0.00 / 0)

I agree that trying to win Pennsylvania seems like a ridiculous gambit on its face, but it does not have any early voting, so that McCain would only need to be ahead there on November 4.  Colorado is already voting, and so even if McCain were to turn it around over the next few weeks, a certain percentage of the electorate, much of it likely pro-Obama, would already be locked in.  It's not clear to me that Colorado is the better option for McCain when that is factored in (I mean, both options are shitty, but you get the idea).

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by: rfahey22 @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:17:37 PM CDT

50% in CO have requested absentee ballots... (0.00 / 0)

...it's incredible, really!

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

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by: lord_mike @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:30:10 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

really? (0.00 / 0)

where did u read that?

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by: boomersun @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:35:36 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Honestly not surprising (0.00 / 0)

A majority of voters in Washington state vote early by mail.

All voters in Oregon do so.

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by: Ben P @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:42:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Not the best source, but... (0.00 / 0)

...I heard this mentioned on Fox News today. I was surprised too.  

"Don't take much, does it, elected Democrats, to get your balls tucked up." Cf.

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by: Steve in Sacto @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 01:30:59 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

My take on PA (0.00 / 0)

This is my take. I think they believe because there is only same day voting that the race will close through heavy negative campaigning, some of it directly targeted at specific constituencies.
But I also, personally, think this. I grew up in the Philadelphia area. People like Schmidt (a Rove prodigy who I imagine has little practical understanding of working class northeastern culture) probably don't understand the area and believe that a) we're still in the 1980s with regards to race issues and b) that McCain is still viewed by suburban women as the same man as he was in '00. As if the last 6 months haven't happened.

Sending Palin to campaign in the Philly area - even in any eastern part of the state is just tone-deaf, IMO. Her style just doesn't play here. That faux folksy heartland thing doesn't play in this area. Not to say that Eastern PA is like the Bay Area, but its not conservative in the way Rove-style politics works. They're reaching back to the Nixon era here.

The fact that a guy like Michael Smerconish endorsed Obama should tell you all you need to know. He's EXACTLY the kind of person they need to have on their side for a strategy like this to have any chance of success. He's a pure Rizzo-crat, pro-police, anti-black radicalism - made a big part of his career campaigning against Mumia abu-jamal and in favor Daniel Faulkner and his widow. And he's endorsing Obama. (I don't know if you know the Mumia case, but it became something of an international cause for leftist activists, which is GREATLY resented by many in Philadelphia - basically, Mumia, a black radical, was accused and convicted of killing a cop - Faulkner - in 1982, but there are doubts about his guilt)

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by: Ben P @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:46:45 PM CDT

my (Jewish) grandmother (0.00 / 0)

used to say she'd never vote for a Jew for president, because if something went wrong, "They'll blame the Jews."

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.

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by: desmoinesdem @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 22:52:36 PM CDT

Well, the Hawaii thing isnt exactly nothing. (0.00 / 0)

I'd already read somewhere that Obama was cancelling the Madison trip, but he could easily have scheduled other events in Indiana and Ohio for the 36 hours he'll probably be in Hawaii.  He is leaving something on the field by flying out there.  

You're right that those particular events were likely to be cancelled anyway though.  Poor Obamaniacs in Madison...

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by: texas dem @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 23:38:49 PM CDT

Yes, poor us (0.00 / 0)

I assumed he was just coming to Madison for the press and photo ops that a massive rally would provide. When Kerry came here in 2004 with Springstein and the Foo Fighters, he drew 80K - a record at the time. I'm sure that Obama would draw more. Its too bad, but really, we are a group that he does not have to work too hard to energize. His grandma is more important.

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by: taraleigh @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 11:38:22 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Ok, maybe someone should say that (4.00 / 3)

we hope that Obama's grandmother will get better or are we all a little too wrapped up in trying to see the political aspect of every move?  

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by: zelt @ Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 23:54:58 PM CDT

Thank you!! ... (4.00 / 1)

and Chris is missing the boat a little here .. because Obama's grandmother is the person that basically raised him ..  so she is more like a mother to Obama

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by: Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 00:21:22 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

We forget the guy is human (4.00 / 2)

His mother and father have been dead for years, and I'm sure that the passing of his grandmother will be a major rite of passage for him.  Mostly, he's done what he can to get elected.  His campaign is run by tremendously gifted people that he selected and trusts.  So he can take a couple of days to say good bye to his grandmother, who very likely he will never see again.

Sometimes, we expect and ask too much of our political leaders.  Let the man be.

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by: mbayrob @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 00:38:01 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

right, he's got to go (4.00 / 1)

Of course he does.  And if she is really facing the end of life, she probably doesn't have the strength or awareness of events to order him not to make the trip.  

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by: sarany @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 07:11:47 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

and he learned from when his mom died (4.00 / 1)

Remember, he didn't come back to Hawaii when his mom finally passed on.  Apparently, from his writings, he's regretted that quite seriously ever since.

I can't imagine his letting that sort of thing happen again with Toots.

If she's not getting ready to go now I bet we'll see more hurried flights to Hawaii in the next month or so, possibly with the rest of the family in tow as well.

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by: elfpix @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 12:07:13 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Chris, did you really mean to say this in this manner? (0.00 / 0)

"It probably will look good too, as not visiting your dying grandmother isn't the best way to win over undecideds."

Considering his grandmother is the last "parent" he has, losing his dad at a very young age, his mother at a younger age than most, then his grandfather, I think your comment is crass.

I am hoping it was a tongue-in-cheek statement, it is so out of character to all you have ever written before.

Maybe an edit of that statement?

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by: eyesonthestreet @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 00:48:03 AM CDT

Imho he only got carried away by rationality, (0.00 / 0)

understandably at this point, with the election round the corner. This long campaign takes its toll, making us sometimes forget that the candidate is only human, too, and has emotional needs of his own. However, despite the missing empathy in the phrasing, Chris has a point: Even if Obama couldn't stand his grandma, it wouldn't look good not to care about her in this critical moment.  

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by: Gray @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 03:23:52 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I get the idea now about no early voting (0.00 / 0)

At least there is a slice of sense to it now. But what good is it to McCain winning PA on November 4th if he has already lost CO, VA and NC, maybe others, due to early voting?

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by: BHL @ Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 05:24:04 AM CDT