Sounds like Bush is giving up on Ohio....

[HeldsBelds]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=193746&page=1

Oct. 24, 2004 — Conventional wisdom has long held that the key to winning the presidential election is to take Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

President Bush says it's not so simple.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson, airing on "World News Tonight" and "Good Morning America," Bush notes the field of states that could help decide the election may be bigger than casual observers believe.

"I wouldn't discount Michigan," Bush says. "I wouldn't discount the influence of Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and New Mexico. I think this race is a non-predictable race. I think people like to boil it down to one or two states. I think you're gonna find there's a lot of interesting states … not considered to be in play."

[snowbear]

1. He should..

Bush should give up Ohio....
Because Ohio gave up on Bush... :bounce:

[Kolesar]

3. WashPost

The president is battling to hold on to Florida and Ohio, the two remaining biggest battlegrounds Bush won in 2000. He cannot afford to lose them both. But Kerry is struggling to hold on to several states Al Gore won, including Iowa and Wisconsin. Depending on how they and a handful of other states turn, the election still appears up for grabs.

GOP officials who talked to Bush-Cheney campaign leaders said the leaders have grown more worried about Ohio, Florida and other key states where Bush lacks a lead with just 10 days until the election. A poll by Ohio University's Scripps Survey Research Center, completed Thursday night, found Kerry leading 49 percent to 43 percent among registered voters, with a margin of error of five percentage points.

...snip...

Yee Haw!!!!

The Kerry campaign is building a cautiously upbeat aura around the candidate, and his staff believes Kerry has hit his stride in both his message and his delivery. For the past week, he has been launching his speech with talk of Iraq and the war on terrorism, pledging to keep America safe, but then he quickly moves to domestic issues. His transition from national security to the economy has become one of his greatest laugh lines before partisan audiences.

"A president has to be able to do more than one thing at the same time," Kerry shouted in Pueblo, as people laughed and cheered.

His second laugh line comes when Kerry ridicules Bush for repeatedly saying of his job, during the first debate, that it is "hard work."

"You know, when it comes to jobs, and health care and all these other things in that debate, I kept hearing the president say -- he would lean over the podium and he'd kind of look at you real nice, like -- then he said, 'It's hard work, it's hard work, it's hard work,' " Kerry said. "Well, Mr. President, I'm ready to relieve you of the hard work," he said, as the crowd roared.


....Haw Haw....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A57458-2004Oct23?language=printer

[0rganism]

2. Odd, since Zogby has bush leading in OH and Kerry up by 10 in MI

Clearly the campaign internals are bizarrely out of step with some of the "independent professionals".

[seeker4ever]

4. He's got Diebold in his pocket...

he's not worried about it.

[greenbriar]

7. just like when he said...don't worry about Florida

if the fucker is acting smug, then he has it rigged

[Journeyman]

5. I live in an "interesting state. . .not considered in play" . . .

maybe ShrubCo will spend this next week trying to turn California. That would be "non-predictable."

[greekspeak]

6. "you're gonna find...a lot of interesting states...not considered...in pla

Like Virginia, North Carolina?

[debatepro]

8. Laura's comment

Despite the busy campaigning schedule, first lady Laura Bush suggests she and her husband do not really worry about losing the election.

"I think we actually both have a peace about it," she tells Gibson




So do i lady

[unblock]

9. "you're gonna find ... not considered to be in play"

i read this from shrub and i hear, "the fix is in but it's not (just) florida this time."

i think they're planning on stealing something of a surprise state. like connecticut or new jersey, a state that's clearly kerry IF the votes are counted properly.

[tedoll78]

10. My theory?

The Bush campaign sees that we've registered over 600,000 new Democrats in Ohio.

They know that they can't make much of a dent in those voters via disenfranchisement.

And they know that these voters will add-onto Kerry's already-present lead in the state.

So they know they're goners in Ohio. And that it's time to move to other states.

But the sad thing for them is.. they're going to run into our ground game and registration scenario no matter where they flee. In Iowa, Democrats have returned twice as many early ballots as Republicans..

This is the story everywhere..

[NVMojo]

11. and their voter intimidation signups yesterday

couldn't have helped the repukes win any votes of confidence or popularity.

When I went to vote early yesterday, I went in rather full of suspicions after reading that news report. Luckily, no repuke intimidators in sight.

[TheFarseer]

15. so are you saying he can run, but he can't hide?

[TheFarseer]

12. He might have a shot in Wisconsin and Iowa but

He's seriously not going to win any of the other blue states. If he gives up on Ohio that makes the count 280 - 258. So he'd have to take the rest of the red states(by itself unlikely) and then take Iowa AND Wisconsin. It's just not going to happen for him.

[progressivebydesign]

13. Didn't his DAD steal Michigan in the primaries? n/t

[Bullshot]

14. Bush is coming to Findlay, Ohio on Wednesday.

But it will be more preaching to the choir. Findlay and Hancock County are extremely Republican, so, he's not going to gain any ground there.

[FlaIndie]

16. he is always preaching to the choir

loyalty oath. hard to get swing voters to listen to you if they don't want to sign

[NewYorkerfromMass]

17. If they're losing Ohio and NH, then they have to make up 24 EV's from 2000

and Wisconsin (10), Minnesota (10), and Iowa (7) are just the places they need to do it.
Also, NM is as good a place as any to steal 5 EV's.

[bush equals idiot]

18. They're crumbling like a bad oatmeal cookie.

Pennsylvania was their original great plan. They were just going to knock that off and relax.

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the where the fat lady sings. Didn't it Rove.