McCain Campaign - CONCEDING - Electoral College; Will Aim for "Close Second"

[kpete]

McCain Campaign Conceding Electoral College; Will Aim for "Close Second"
by: tremayne
Fri Oct 03, 2008 at 20:40

The McCain campaign has been making some tough choices lately. We got the news yesterday that McCain was closing shop in Michigan. Today the campaign has set its sights lower and will now try to lose "by less than Bob Dole, maybe even Bush 41 in 1992." Dole captured 159 electoral votes, Bush 41 got 168.

The McCain team's change of heart was spurred in part by this post by Sean Quinn which stated:

You could take every McCain volunteer we’ve seen doing actual work in the entire trip, over six states, and it would add up to the same as Obama’s single Thornton, CO office. Or his single Durango, CO office. These ground campaigns bear no relationship to each other.
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/10/on-road-st-louis-county-missouri.html

UPDATED TO Add:
After some soul searching Steve Schmidt made the obvious decision: move the entire ground operation to Durango. Here's the new McCain plan:

1. Maintain their current solid leads in 20 states for a total of 158 electors. This will put them within striking distance of Bob Dole.

2. Hold on for victory in West Virginia. The polls have been tightening in WV but the McCain campaign has a plan. They have asked Sarah Palin to hold down the fort there, stay out of the national spotlight and work her charms. Her response: "You betcha!" This is five more important electors for a 163 total which will eclipse Bob Dole's take.

3. To surpass Bush 41's total they will need six more electors. Until Tuesday the plan was to somehow take Iowa and its 7 electors. But midway into his meeting with the Des Moines Register editorial board a voice inside John McCain's head, the one that makes all the important campaign decisions, said "Fuck these 'Huskers*, I don't need their damn votes." That brings us to....

4. Fanning out from their new base in Durango, the McCain ground operation believes they can hold Colorado and its nine electors. This will give McCain 172 electors, more than Bush 41: a moral victory.

After some soul searching Steve Schmidt made the obvious decision: move the entire ground operation to Durango. Here's the new McCain plan:

read the rest here:
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8820

[racaulk]

1. Hey kpete, your link isn't working.

Try this: http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8820

:hi:

[kpete]

7. thanks

and peace to you today, kp

[madaboutharry]

2. I am seeing a blank grey page.

Is the link bad?

[Eric J in MN]

3. LOL

NT

[racaulk]

4. McCain's campaign is in such bad shape, it's hard to know whether or not this is satire.

:rofl:

You know what they say John, the second place finisher is the first place loser! See ya in January...back in the Senate! :hi:

[Berry Cool]

5. I thought for sure when I opened this

it would be a link to satiricalpolitical.

I was wrong!

[Bucky]

6. If it's deliberate disinformation, it's a lame attempt. But I can't believe....

I mean, seriously, I can't believe McCain would really throw in the towel still four and a half weeks out. No one survives this long in politics by being a quitter. If he doesn't go in whole hog, he'll be persona non grata in Republican circles forever--moreso than he is already.

This may be coming out of something, but I just can't take this analysis at face value.

[John Q. Citizen]

14. Forever may be quick.

"If he doesn't go in whole hog, he'll be persona non grata in Republican circles forever--moreso than he is already."

He's almost done.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

8. Good one

:rofl:

[CakeGrrl]

9. "Soul searching" from the campaign that lies about *everything*?

I call boolsheet.

[petersjo02]

10. Nebraskans are the huskers.

Us Iowans are Hawkeyes. ;-)

[chiefofclarinet]

17. That would be McThuselah forgetting what state he is in.

*The voice inside McCain's head is (sometimes) often confused.

Yep, I think McLame is giving up on Iowa, though he won't publicize it due to the reaction to his abandoning Michigan. Yay!!!!!

[achtung_circus]

19. Post again, quick!!11!!

you are the Number of the Beast!!11!

[jazzjunkysue]

11. So, we need to look at the education status in the following redder than red states:

Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas, Alabama

Is it all ignorance? Bigotry? Religion? I'm really curious. I'd love to see a sociologist look at all kinds of data on these states and see what the common stats are for IQ, education, religion, careers, and reading level. I'd like to know how so much of the country can be so against Gramps while these people still go for him in the high 90's.

And what are the differences in the really blue states?

Would make a really interesting graduate thesis.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Very sparsely populated states, for the most part.

I wonder how that affects the red/blue situation.

[jazzjunkysue]

18. Wow. I totally missed that.. You're right. Maybe they're more vulnerable

to right wing radio/TV, because they're not living in populated areas.

Or, maybe the remote white locations keep them thinking in old-fashioned ways.

It could also curtail the education: It's harder to recruit good teachers in the middle of nowhere.

Maybe the more cut-off you are to others, the more you cling to national, familiar personalities, meaning, the old guard, meaning, conservatives.

Really interesting.

[shimmergal]

22. MY guess is that the monotony of

small town life has some effect.

Here in Nevada we have a sharp divide between Clark County, which is heavily Democratic, and the rural counties, which are overwhelmingly Republican.

Clark Co. (Las Vegas) and Washoe County (Reno, fast losing its Repub majority) easily outnumber the rest of the state in population. But there's so much else going on in the cities (pause for laugh line about "glitter gulch" or whatever) that turnout is a problem. Not so with the sparsely populated areas--going to vote is a big opportunity for community, there.

Just my theory, and I'm hoping for a different result this year. We have to register a h##l of a lot of new voters, though, to overcome the big turnout in the Repub. counties.

[jkshaw]

20. I would love to see it! I've been stuck in

Utah for a long, long, 43 years. Republican have done nothing for the rank and file in Utah, yet a disturbing majority of them follow the GOP leaders like sheep.

[danimich1]

23. I live in Wyo, and I can't believe the racism

I haven't seen anything like this since I was a kid (not here, but growing up in Chicago). I really thought this country was starting to outgrow the blatant racism. I am surrounded by republicans, and many of my female friends, while democrats, are married to republicans. I can't believe the kind of crap that is circulating by text messages and email that they've told me about. The sad thing is that they aren't even upset or shocked over it.

I really hadn't heard many racist remarks at all until recently. My guess is that they're getting scared and so they can't control themselves. I'm hearing about "illegal dirty Mexicans," I've actually heard people use the "n" word, and have heard people declaring that there is no way they can vote for Obama and then make racist remarks. The fundies here are appalled because they think that people are comparing Obama to Jesus, and they'll vote for anyone but him. I know there is a lot of Obama anti-christ garbage going around, and people actually believe it.

In contrast, the early 20s people that I've spoken with are admittedly completely ignorant of the issues so aren't voting, but have bad things to say about Palin and are put off by McCain's age. I haven't heard racist comments from them yet, but they don't seem very interested in what is going on and don't plan to vote.

It's a sad time. I thought my generation (mid-30s - early 40s) was outgrowing racism, but they aren't (I guess they've been hiding it well). That's just what I'm seeing here in Wyoming. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a similar scenario in other western red states.

[Neecy]

25. it isn't purely education

I live in Kansas, in a suburb of Kansas City, MO.

In 2004, Kerry won two counties in KS: Wyandotte, which includes Kansas City, KS and has a large African-American population, and Douglas, which includes Lawrence (University of Kansas).

I live in Johnson county, and in 2004 there were tons of Bush lawn signs and bumper stickers here. This year my neighborhood is FULL of Obama signs. Literally everywhere you go you see our guy's signs. This is a typical middle class commuter suburb.

The only place I'm seeing McCain signs? A community directly adjacent to me, a wealthy McMansion suburb of huge homes and manicured lawns called Mission Hills.

I'll mention that Kansas has one of the best public school systems in the country. Stop bashing us because you perceive us as dumb, uneducated hicks. The only McCain support I'm seeing is among the EDUCATED wealthy overlords who want to keep their tax cuts and the religious nuts around Wichita. I think the election here will be closer than people think, and evidence of this is Pat Roberts actually having to run a race for reelection this year because he's afraid of the new voter registration and heavy Obama turnout.

[jazzjunkysue]

12. Off to the greatest page with thee.

[mile18blister]

15. I really wish this is true.

But I find it hard to believe that they're throwing in the towel while I hear stories of purging and caging.

Put a hatchet through every Diebold vote theft machine and I might start to believe.

Don't mean to be a party pooper but I'm still going through PTSD after that horrible Tuesday in 2004 when I fell asleep in the afternoon and awoke a few hours later to a nightmare.

[intheflow]

21. That's what I think, too.

I'll entertain the idea that Republicans are conceding, but my entire adult life, since Reagan and the Contract on America, tells me if they say the sky is blue you can be damn sure it's red somewhere.

[slampoet]

16. McCain better work hard. He's heading for Mondale territory real fast.

[kenny blankenship]

24. How about he gets a gentleman's "C", and we can all just put this behind us?

[eppur_se_muova]

26. Love the first three words of the title! ;^) nt