WP: Kerry Team Reassigned As Va. All but Conceded

[kskiska]

RICHMOND, Oct. 3 -- Sen. John F. Kerry's top campaign officials in Virginia have been reassigned to work in other states, effectively conceding the commonwealth to President Bush even as the Democratic presidential candidate rides a wave of momentum nationally from his performance in last week's debate.

Susan Swecker, the Kerry campaign's state director, and Jonathan Beeton, the press secretary, were scheduled to leave Virginia on Sunday night, Beeton said. An additional 18 campaign staff workers were sent to help elsewhere, leaving about 10 paid staffers in Virginia.

Beeton said he would probably go to Minnesota or Wisconsin, though he said it was unclear exactly where the campaign needed the most help. He said he did not know where Swecker, a longtime Virginia Democrat, was going to campaign for the last month before the election.

"Virginia has been a battleground state this year, but it's not a top-tier state. It's never been an Ohio or a Wisconsin or a West Virginia," he said. "We're going where the race may be a bit closer. We are gladly going to these other states."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4459-2004Oct3.html

[Catch22Dem]

1. I agree, get them to more important states

I mean no disrespect, Virginia. I was a proud resident of your state for 3 years and thought it was wonderful, but we gotta be practical.

[Carla in Ca]

13. Beeton was a little condescending in his comments.

I doubt they will have a chance now!

[Cha]

2. That's too bad! I don't to concede anything to

those stupid assholes!

[Rose Siding]

4. I KNOW

I hate to see this! People need it. Is it a money problem? And why is the campaign doing something so visible like this? ARRRGH!

[dolstein]

3. To those who laughed when I said Kerry couldn't win in the South

I told you so.

With a month to go in the 2000 election, there were still several Southern and border states that were considered to be up for grabs -- Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Florida. Kerry's down to exactly one -- Florida.

And what particularly bothers me is that the Kerry campaign's shifting of resources is getting all this high profile coverage -- last week we saw similar stories on the Kerry campaign abandoning Missouri. But we never hear anything about what the Bush campaign is doing. They've got to be making many of the same tough decisions regarding where to put their resources. But we never hear about it.

[KoKo]

5. It's suspicious these announcements in that should we trust WaPo or NYT's

to tell us what Kerry camp is doing? Who would be leaking this from Kerry Campaign..saying: "We're giving up in this state, giving up in that state.

I'll believe it when the Kerry campaign reports it...otherwise it's probably heresay, that they shifted some folks from one state to another , but is reported as "giving up."

It could be normal shifting, because they feel the state is secure enough, and can spread the resources rather than the spin of the supposed leaks. :shrug:

[Cha]

8. You're so right...they

did a "gotcha" on me.

This could be completely faux!

[Doosh]

7. latest mason-dixon poll shows bush only up 6 in virginia

still seems "in play" to me, same with Tennessee, bush only up 6. in a very fluid race.

I don't know what you mean about border states up for grabs in 2000, actually seemed like the other way around with Arkansas and Missouri being surprisingly close as gore made a late surge.

Plus, Colorado is competitive this year and is wasn't in 2000, same with West Virginia

[demokatgurrl]

17. I thought VA was winnable!!!!

Why do they do this? Can they possibly be running out of money?

[AndyTiedye]

9. If We're Pulling out of Virginia to Shore up Minnesota and Wisconsin

then we must have been in worse shape than we thought last week.
The pull-out decisions must have been made before the debate,
when things were certainly looking very bad for our side.

> To those who laughed when I said Kerry couldn't win in the South
> I told you so.

I have long advocated a northern-eastern-western strategy.

> With a month to go in the 2000 election, there were still several
> Southern and border states that were considered to be up for grabs --
> Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Florida. Kerry's down to exactly one
> -- Florida.

which, being Florida, is at grave risk of being stolen again anyway.

> Kerry campaign's shifting of resources is getting all this high profile coverage
> -- last week we saw similar stories on the Kerry campaign abandoning Missouri.
> But we never hear anything about what the Bush campaign is doing.
> They've got to be making many of the same tough decisions
regarding
> where to put their resources. But we never hear about it.

They don't have to make such decisions because they have unlimited resources,
including unlimited free airtime on the networks.

[IIgnoreNobody]

21. If you want to say 'I told you so', you'd better wait till Nov. 3.

It doesn't make sense to brag about your prediction of southern Democratic defeat being correct while it is still a prediction.

[smiley_glad_hands]

6. Va will be really tight for W.

I'm still hoping for an upset.

[diamond14]

10. swecker is TOO lazy...should NEVER have been sent to VA....

not only is she LAZY...she creates dissent and causes all kinds of confusion in the VA offices...good riddance....

I recommended that she be REMOVED when I called her in August, and was referred to her cell phone number....upon calling her cell phone, she answered that she was UP IN NEW JERSEY ATTENDING A WEDDING, instead of working on Kerry's campaign...it doesn't get more lazy than that....OUR Democratic Governor's staff probably got tired of those useless people...good riddence...

there are PLENTY of highly qualified VIRGINIANS working on Kerry's campaign...and we don't need lazy people.....

WE will KERRY Virginia...

http://www.NoVAforKerry.com

[napi21]

12. I don't know this lady, but for goodness sake, can't she even go

to a wedding? It was August! If it would have been October, maybe I could understand you being upset. I don't live in VA and have no idea how things are going there, but don't slam the lady for going to a wedding in Aug.

[glitch]

27. amen1234 and sofa king:

:yourock:

[sofa king]

11. Occupied Virginia won't surrender that easily.

I don't intend to quit. Neither do dozens of my friends. We will do our best from here, but as a Virginian I am fully aware that this state is awash in ignorance and hatred.

Best of luck, Senator, and don't worry about us--we may yet pull this one out for you.

[Norquist Nemesis]

14. We're all depending on you!

and thank you for all of your hard work. :) Keep it up!

[underpants]

20. THAT's the spirit

See my post below

[msanger]

15. foot soldiers can Kerry the day.

In 2000 there was NOTHING for Virginians to do for the Gore campaign - it was completely non-existant.

We've been working on voter registration in northern VA like crazy the last month, and this is the first time in my 18 years in the state there has been anything like an attempt to win the Presidency.

We have already registered a huge number of people (today is the last day to register) and have the volunteers in place for a huge GOTV.

All we need is three more good debates, and we can take the state.

If Bush dumps all his resources in the "swing" states and manages a draw there - then VA might be the state that wins it for us.

[peacemeal]

16. I wish they hadn't announced this

Because we have a lot of energy and support in Northern Virginia. I must know at least 10 people who voted for Bush last time who will be voting for Kerry. And while registering people this weekend I ran into very few Bush supporters - or at least ones willing to admit it. I wouldn't be surprised if they're close to being tied in the next post-debate poll.

[demokatgurrl]

18. Please keep it going, don't concede

even if the campaign FOOLISHLY does.

[underpants]

19. This is complete BS-Info from one of the heads of the Richmond office

I went it yesterday morning to drop off the cash fro the State Fair and new registrations from Saturday night and one of the young guys who set up and ran the Richmond office told me about this. I said,"Straight up are they bailing on us?" and he said "Oh no way we have everything set up but they can use us elsewhere, we HAVE to win the states we won in 2000 so since everything here is moving smoothly we are leaving it up to the volunteers. 5 paid people are staying here and all the offices are staying open (NoVa, Hampton Roads, Roanoke, Norton (Wise county waaaaaaaaay SW Va.) is doing a lot of good work , Harrisonburg, and Richmond)."

This guy was heading to Colorado today.

Folks, from everything I have seen personally there are lots of really fired up Dems AND Republicans here.

The latest Mason Dixon poll has Va. W49-Kerry 43 with 1% for Nader (he isn't even on the ballot) and the MOE is 4%, do the math. This doesn't include many of the newly registered voters (today is the deadline)-My wife and I have signed up about 30 ourselves and possibly 20-30+ from the registration fliers I put out.



VOLUNTEER!!!

[Rose Siding]

23. THANK you for that!

I HATED reading the spin in this article. Could it all have been from the reporter? I hope someone's still there who can get some media on the line to explain it the way they explained it to you. The last thing we need is for people to give up because of some press report.

[EndElectoral]

22. South is lost...why try?...I wish Wes Clark was debating Cheney tonight

[Doosh]

24. he was creamed in the primaries

and did poorly in the debates with Kerry and Edwards

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Blue_Tires]

26. "Virginia has never been a West Virginia"

as a proud native of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I just wanted to say I find that comment disgusting and represhensible...Don't even put us in the same sentence as that state to the northwest...lol