Red States Going Blue

[cynatnite]

Out of all the so-called firm red states, which one has the best chance of going blue?

I'm going to say TN because here in Kingsport, it's almost 50/50 K/E and B/C signs. Everyone I have talked to, except for my mother :eyes: is going with Kerry.

[shawmut]

1. If you mean the solid red states I'd say Virginia

just a guess.


If you mean states that voted for Bush in 2000, I'd say New Hampshire.

[exsoccermom]

39. A couple week ago, we were in Northern VA

and the Kerry/Edwards signs outnumbered B/C by a ton. Last weekend I drove down to Richmond on US 301--signs were about even on the way down and back. The Aunties, Uncle, and cousins are all for Kerry.

[rfranklin]

2. You have to do something about your mother...

Perhaps some sleeping pills on election day just to give her a good day's rest?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. Offer her chocolate

flavored exlax

[cynatnite]

8. I'm considering all options and open for suggestions. LOL n/t

[calimary]

13. Perhaps you'd like to send her this?

A friend of mine emailed it to me this morning. I do not have a link. Not sure where it came from. But it's good reading in any event.


A Significant Letter
Date: Wed, Oct 27, 2004, 9:01 AM

Subject: Republican Senator from Kentucky Marlow W. Cook: Special to Louisville Courier-Journal October 20, 2004
________________________________________________

I shall cast my vote for John Kerry come Nov 2.

I have been, and will continue to be, a Republican. But when we as a party send the wrong person to the White House, then it is our responsibility to send him home if our nation suffers as a result of his actions. I fall in the category of good conservative thinkers, like George F. Will, for instance, who wrote: "This administration cannot be trusted to govern if it cannot be counted on to think and having thought, to have second thoughts."

I say, well done George Will, or, even better, from the mouth of the numero uno of conservatives, William F. Buckley Jr.: "If I knew then what I know now about what kind of situation we would be in, I would have opposed the war."

First, let's talk about George Bush's moral standards.

In 2000, to defeat Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a man who was shot down in Vietnam and imprisoned for over five years, they used Carl Rove's "East Texas special." They started the rumor that he was gay, saying he had spent too much time in the Hanoi Hilton. They said he was crazy. They said his wife was on drugs. Then, to top it off, they spread pictures of his adopted daughter, who was born in Bangladesh and thus dark skinned, to the sons and daughters of the Confederacy in rural South Carolina.

To show he was not just picking on Republicans, he went after Sen. Max Cleland from Georgia, a Democrat seeking re-election. Bush henchmen said he wasn't patriotic because Cleland did not agree 100 percent on how to handle homeland security. They published his picture along with Cuba's Castro, questioning Cleland's patriotism and commitment to America's security.

Never mind that his Republican challenger was a Vietnam deferment case and Cleland, who had served in Vietnam, came home in a wheel chair having lost three limbs fighting for his country. Anyone who wants to win an election and control of the legislative body that badly has no moral character at all.

We know his father got him in the Texas Air National Guard so he would not have to go to Vietnam. The religious right can have him with those Moral standards. We also have Vice President Dick Cheney, who deferred his way out of Vietnam because, as he says, he "had more important things to do."

I have just turned 78. During my lifetime, we have sent 31,377,741 Americans to war, not including whatever will be the final figures for the Iraq fiasco. Of those, 502,722 died and 928,980 came home without legs,arms or what have you.

Those wars were to defend freedom throughout the free world from communism, dictators and tyrants. Now Americans are the aggressors:

We start the wars, we blow up all the infrastructure in those countries, and then turn around and spend tax dollars denying our nation an excellent education system, medical and drug programs, and the list goes on. ...

I hope you all have noticed the Bush administration's style in the campaign so far. All negative, trashing Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John Edwards and Democrats in general. Not once have they said what they have done right, what they have done wrong or what they have not done at all.

Lyndon Johnson said America could have guns and butter at the same time. This administration says you can have guns, butter and no taxes at the same time. God help us if we are not smart enough to know that is wrong, and we live by it to our peril. We in this nation have a serious problem. Its almost worse than terrorism: We are broke. Our government is borrowing a billion dollars a day. They are now borrowing from the government pension program, for apparently they have gotten as much out of the Social Security Trust as it can take.

Our House and Senate announce weekly grants for every kind of favorite local programs to save legislative seats, and it's all borrowed money.

If you listened to the President confirming the value of our war with Iraq, you heard him say, "If no weapons of mass destruction were found, at least we know we have stopped his future distribution of same to terrorists." If that is his justification, then, if he is re-elected our next war will be against Iran and at the same time North Korea, for indeed they have weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons, which they have readily admitted. Those wars will require a draft of men and women. ..

I am not enamored with John Kerry, but I am frightened to death of George Bush. I fear a secret government. I abhor a government that refuses to supply the Congress with requested information. I am against a government that refuses to tell the country with whom the leaders of our country sat down and determined our energy policy, and to prove how much they want to keep that secret, they took it all the way to the Supreme Court.

Those of you who are fiscal conservatives and abhor our staggering debt, tell your conservative friends, "Vote for Kerry," because without Bush to control the Congress, the first thing lawmakers will demand Kerry do is balance the budget.

The wonderful thing about this country is its gift of citizenship, then it's freedom to register as one sees fit. For me, as a Republican, I feel that when my party gives me a dangerous leader who flouts the truth, takes the country into an undeclared war and then adds a war on terrorism to it without debate by the Congress, we have a duty to rid ourselves of those who are taking our country on a perilous ride in the wrong direction.

If we are indeed the party of Lincoln (I paraphrase his words), a president who deems to have the right to declare war at will without the consent of the Congress is a president who far exceeds his power under our Constitution.

It will take John Kerry for four years to put our country on the right path.

____________________________________________________

The writer, a Republican formerly of Louisville, was Jefferson County judge from 1962-1968 and U.S. senator from Kentucky from 1968-1975.

[CrispyQ]

27. Well, this was my last resort effort with a friend . . .

...and it worked!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1186597

[Rebellious Republican]

28. Is she a religious person who believes in good morals, show this

Download this video and show it to her and point the "major league asshole" comment as recently as 2000.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1192119

[exsoccermom]

40. Heck, if she is a religious person who believes in good morals, show her

the twins!

[cynatnite]

49. She thinks Kerry gets his money from Satan

Ketchup = Red. Maybe that's what it is :eyes:

I was at her house just a few days ago and she had email problems and asked me to fix it. I was doing that and just seeing the subjects of her emails was enough to convince me she won't change her mind.

Every other one was about praying for *. I didn't read them, couldn't because it wouldn't have been right plus I wouldn't have lasted long enough to fix her email. Anyways, there's a group of them and they email each other back and forth.

I'm sure in one of them they're praying for the misguided daughter :eyes: Least that's how it works if I don't fall in line with the rest of the kool-aid drinkers.

She goes to church ALL the time. Revivals and everything. I'm convinced the pulpit has done some fine politicizing.

Anything I've tried to do, she absolutely won't hear it. There's no amount of reasoning at all, sad to say.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. TN, ARK, VA and AZ

Az only has about 4 million people...K/E events have been PACKED

[LSdemocrat]

7. Missouri could also go blue under the radar (New poll B-48 K-45)

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/3C667982BF4F245B86256F3A00145966?OpenDocument&Headline=MISSOURI+POLL%3A+Missouri+reflects+tight+race

[CMO]

35. I agree...

I think mo can still win. I think we would have a better chance if Kerry would visit mo one more time...

That article was interesting. Can you believe this cracked out quote:

"But Baker adds she's primarily backing Bush "because he's honest, because he cares, because he's a God-fearing man and that brings wisdom." :wtf:

I can't believe that anyone could actually believe anything that lush says. OMFG!!!!!!! honest? God-fearing? :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[gulliver]

47. I think Kerry is going to win MO.

A 48-45 lead for Bush means Bush is behind. 7 points undecided and Bush under 50.

I've been canvassing "unlikely voters" from Kerry leaning areas, and they are not unlikely voters any more. Tons of strong Kerrys now, and tons of leaning Kerrys.

Also, the number of Kerry signs in my suburban neighborhood dwarfs the number of Gore signs for '04. And there are no Bush signs. Dems want Bush out. Dem turnout is going to be very high.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

32. NH, NV

those are good bets. A lot of people forget NH's 4 votes.

[Katwomen]

5. I predict this is how Kerry is going to win the election

[newyawker99]

18. Hi Becomingbecameundone!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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

[DCdem87]

9. I would say...

as far as solid reds go...Virginia (I'm from Virginia). Red states changing hands I think will be Colorado, New Hampshire...possibly Arkansas, Florida and or Ohio, hopefully West Virginia (it has great potential but i dont know). The long and short of it is that increased democratic turnout all over the country makes all of these states and even some others unpredictable as to whether they will go bush or KERRY.

[Jane Austin]

10. Good Heavens! The Tri-Cities have always been Republican!

And the Fundies rule the airwaves and everything else.



(Edited to add message.)

[Bandit]

11. Kingsport is my birth place

I still have relatives there but they are fundies. I live in a very red state Alaska and it would not surprise me if we didn't turn blue this election. I have seen zero Bush* signs. I mean zero...zilch...Nada...None. I have seen plenty of democratic signs and bumper stickers though. They may vote Bush* but they sure are not enthusiastic about it.

[calimary]

16. LOVE those pumpkin photos!

Hilarious! Thanks for posting them!

[bburton11]

12. Tennessee Blue?

I hope we turn blue, I am in Clarksville I havent seen as many *signs as you would think.

[tnlefty]

17. Welcome bburton11!

Good news in Clarksville? I'm between Chattanooga and Cleveland and there are quite a few K/E signs and bumperstickers when I'm out and about. I've had many people coming up to me in parking lots and asking me for stickers, yardsigns, buttons, etc. I'm always wearing something when I'm out and my vehicle is like a rolling billboard. I've noticed that some people just need to get the feeling that it's OK to support someone other than blinky* and to want a different path than his diastrous policies.

Trying to remain cautiously optimistic!

[newyawker99]

19. Hi bburton11!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[quaoar]

14. Alabama will turn blue

OK, not really.

But how about Louisiana?

[funkybutt]

21. Louisiana CAN go blue

NO kidding! Seriously. I feel it. The latest poll (not that I believe polls) has it within 8. I think we could easily make up for that with the newly registered voters, extremely high turnout,and the unlikely voters. Just watch people...it'll be really close..don't laugh

[bushwakker]

36. Clinton won 'Bama once I think?

[nostalgicaboutmyfutr]

15. Colorado will be Kerry Country! eom

[ogradda]

45. i think you're right

n/t

[JGG]

20. NC could go blue

[DaveinMD]

22. Colorado is most likely

I consider Arkansas a purple state.

[Soup Bean]

23. I live in Johnson City.

People don't really talk about their politics much here, because it's so closely tied to religion, and you wind up pissing off all your friends.

Having said that, I've never seen so many Dem signs around. Clinton didn't have anywhere near this kind of signage when he ran and actually won the state.

[Spiffarino]

24. Yep...NC's goin' blue this year

We are pounding on doors and calling all Dems to GOTV. In our county alone we have surpassed the average number of early Democratic voters at this point in any election...by three times.

People are seriously wanting to get rid of the Boosh menace, even in the so-called red states. Watch and enjoy.

[vixengrl]

25. Apologies to Crystal Gayle:

Don't it make the Red States Blue?

Don't know when
they've voted blue,
but it seems Bush
pissed them off, too,
they want someone new,

We'll be fine
once he's gone
Better off
without that fraud.
He's such a loser, too.

And don't it make the Red states blue?


It's no state secret,
Bush tells some lies.
We ask for reasons,
he gives alibis.
When he leaves the White House,
we won't even cry.
He spins a story,
while soldiers die--

And don't it make the Red States Blue?

[NAO]

26. We've Been 'Workin Hard' to Turn Arizona Blue

http://turnazblue.com/

It's so damn frustrating to keep hearing that Arizona is 'solid red'.

I'm in Tucson, and we were visited by both Edwards and Cheney in the fall. Cheney was announced far in advance, and held on a Saturday. About 2,000 people attended. Edwards was on a Monday at noon and was announced only a few days in advance. Over 10,000 attended. The arena was packed, standing room only, and people were being turned away at the door.

Tucson was the 22nd city on Michael Moore's tour. His Tucson appearance had the largest turn out up to that point, with 14,500.

But somehow we got relegated to the 'lost cause' bin and ads were pulled. But we're still hopeful, and still workin' hard!

[hippiegranny]

34. I agree completely!

I see no indication that AZ is as solid Boooosh as everyone thinks. I see way more K/E signs and bumper stickers than Boosh/Chaingang ones! And every single person I know, except for 4 people I work with are voting Kerry. I am working the phone bank Saturday and am a poll watcher on Tuesday. This is the first for me and I know I am not alone! btw - I got signed up for my gigs at www.turnazblue.com

[Elidor]

29. Here in Mid-Tenn, Kerry signs outnumber Bush by a wide margin

IIRC, my county went Bush in 2000. Not this time, however.

Haven't been to Kingston in many a moon, It was a very pleasant place back in the 80's.

[Scoopie]

33. The sheer fact that

there are so many of us from Tennessee on this very board is a testiment as to how close I predict it will be!

:)

[Jeff1965]

30. Colorado Will Go Blue!

We voted for Clinton in 1992 and we will bring Democratic Senator Salazar to make the Senate a Democratic majority.

On the bad news side, still only two Democratic Congresswomen.

[texasmom]

37. Agree about Colorado n/t

[Scoopie]

31. Knoxville here!

:hi: Kingsport!!

In the city of Knoxville, we're about 2/3 Kerry, but out in the county of Knox - wooo-boy - they're Bush-happy. However, when you consider that we are both in "conservative" East Tennessee, our numbers look VERY good.
Can't imagine what the more progressive middle and western parts of the state are doing. I heard on the radio that the NAACP has registered 10,000 NEW African-American voters and are takin' 'em to the polls. That should do wonders to beat the white evangelicals in the east.
Internals on Zogby say that the state is more divided by gender and location (city vs. rural), with women and city voters trending toward Kerry, while men and rural voters are sticking with dumbass (rural voters aren't stupid, but they only get Rush for commentary out there in the sticks).
I can't explain the men. ;)

I still contend that one of the pinkish, so-called solid red states - maybe two or even three - are gonna shock the shit out of the media magpies. It might as well be Tennessee. Wouldn't that be poetic justice?

[Jon8503]

38. MO is now at a dead heat & Kerry has'nt even been here for a

while.

[fujiyama]

41. I think Arkansas and Virginia

are possible, if there is heavy turnout among minorities.

[chieftain]

42. I just got back from Kansas City and judging by what I saw , if

St. Louis is as avid Kerry as KC is , we will win Missouri .

[CMO]

48. St. Louis is blue....

We'll win!

[lynintenn]

43. AS much as I would Love it

Tennessee will not be blue

[billyoc]

44. Everything east of the Mississippi

will go to Kerry. And AZ, CO

[tanyev]

46. My dream scenario...

GOP shenanigans allow them to steal a couple swing states, but they lose the election anyway because a few "safe" states they ignored went blue. :bounce:

[cynatnite]

50. I am completely hyped!

Even if TN doesn't go blue, it will be a hell of a fight for it to go red from the sounds of it.

My good friend in Wisconsin is completely convinced this will be a landslide and the more I talk to her, read the posts here and watch TV, the margin will be much wider than anyone anticipates.

I say this out loud sometimes and it sounds damn good:

President Kerry.

I say it over and over :)