Obama/Biden's up by 2 pts in NC & McCain/Palin have no stops planned here

[Lex]

at all before November 4th, according to our local news just now. :wtf:

Sen. Elizabeth Dole is down 6 points to her Democratic challenger Kay Hagan here in NC as well.

[bluestateguy]

1. They think NC is going to just magically "come around"

This is similar to the Gore campaign's attitude toward Tennessee in 2000. They didn't take seriously the trouble they were in down there until it was too late.

[Labors of Hercules]

11. not magic, ELBOW GREASE...

We're working our asses off here, thank you very much. :hi:

[bluestateguy]

17. I was referring to the McCain campaign

[Labors of Hercules]

26. ah... gotcha.

It was the comparison to Gore that threw me off. :thumbsup:

[K8-EEE]

20. a BIG THANK YOU from Los Angeles for your good work!

Truly you are saving all our asses!! We appreciate, GO NC! GREAT TURNAROUND! :hi:

[Awsi Dooger]

23. Not exactly similar

Gore was assuming a red state would vote blue. McCain is confident a red state will remain red.

I agree with McCain. I bet on the Republican ticket to win North Carolina the last two days. IMO, it's an incredible value. You've got a state with more than 40% self-identified conservatives and a double digit red partisan index in recent cycles. And I can play that state at slightly less than 60? Give me that every time.

I'm not a believer in state polls, not compared to overall landscape and common sense. It's still an open race in a polarized era. You're asking for a southern state to vote for a black man of the opposite party of the state's typical partisanship on the federal level. Sorry, but I'm not buying it.

This race is expanding in Obama's direction now, but just like Obama was eligible for a recoil two weeks ago, McCain will also naturally tighten it up, and that shifts the states back to their typical tendencies. If it's a 2-4 point outcome nationally, there's no question North Carolina votes for McCain.

Frankly, Obama backers on Intrade don't know what they are doing in certain states, far too optimistic. Same thing during the primaries. I've got Indiana and North Carolina at bargain rates for McCain, and I've got Obama at a great 50/50 rate to win overall.

[Lex]

24. Don't discount the numbers of African American voters who'll turn out

on Election Day. Also did you know this:

With the presidential election only two months away, North Carolina political parties are in a fight to the finish to capture the state's changing electorate.

Although Republicans have successfully courted 36,000 newly registered voters this election cycle, Democrats have added 167,000 residents to their voter rolls in the traditionally red state.

"We were under no illusions going into 2008 that it was going to be anything other than easy," said Brent Woodcox, spokesperson for the North Carolina Republican Party.

link

[riqster]

28. Keep in mind, there was election fraud in Tennessee in 2000

It wasn't JUST Florida. Gore and the Dems didn't (and still don't, the idiots) take this issue seriously.

[DCBob]

2. It is clear that the McCain campaign is now playing a national game.

They know they can't win the state by state ground battle. Look for more "hail mary" attempts to capture national headlines. They know that is their only way to win now.

[MindMatter]

15. Or to say it a different way, campaigning just makes mattes worse

Think about it. Since naming Palin, we know his crowds have gotten bigger. But show me a state where they have campaigned vigorously and gained ground. Michigan? Pennsylvania? Colorado? The bigger crowds are evidently their own choir.

And why are they losing ground? Because of fundamental problems. McCain is a cranky old man who often times appears irrational. Palin is a dimwit. And more importantly, their positions on issues are fundamentally against what most people believe.

I honestly believe that McCain's strategists have determined that they cannot win by campaigning. They can only win by running the fiercest negative ads and my throwing Hail Mary passes hoping that one of them will be an immaculate reception.

This explains why in Indiana, as the race has gotten very tight, he isn't adding campaign events, not even with surrogates, but the GOP is vastly increasing their ad spend. This explains why after the debate he went to DC instead of going back to events in battleground states.

I don't agre with him. I think campaigning is necessary.

[depakid]

21. A related problem is that neither one of them has a grasp (or any interest in) state & local issues

So how are they going to connect with people at their rallies?

Obama on the other hand- due to the long primary season's already been everywhere- and taken his crash courses.

Biden's nearly a local in Pennsylvania. Palin probably didn't even know what a cheese steak was.

[Tarheel_Dem]

3. How does one get polled? I've been a registered voter for 30+ years,

and have never EVER been polled. I sometimes wonder if they poll the same people over & over again.

[gateley]

4. K&R! nt

[Kdillard]

5. Good I hope NC surprises them big time.

[bluecatz]

6. They must be talking about the Rasmussen poll

Conducted on the 23rd:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/north_carolina/election_2008_north_carolina_presidential_election

[Lex]

7. Well, yeah, ya think?

The point is, doesn't seem to be bothering McSame in the least.

Obama and Biden were here today and plan more appearances.

[Arkana]

8. Then we just keep hammering away. Pump resources into Indiana

and North Carolina to see if we might flip the states.

Have Biden work PA and OH.

[Lex]

9. Obama and Biden were here today in NC!

And plan more appearances. :thumbsup:

[Seen the light]

10. McCain has a very strained relationship with the NCGOP

Supposedly, the state chairwoman here despises McCain after he threw the NCGOP under the bus for running the Wright ad earlier this year.

[Mira]

12. Greensboro today - large crowd - wonderful energy. I got there

a bit late and could not get a place to SEE them. But I heard Obama - he was phenomenal and passionate. What a high it was for me to be there in the crowd.
Took my Grandson, too, I've taken him twice to march against Bush and the war in Washington, and he needed to be there for the sake of HOPE>

[Lex]

16. Very cool! Did you see this?

US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama (lower L, white shirt) supporters try to catch a glimpse of him as he greets supporters at J. Douglas Galyon Depot during a rally running mate Joe Biden, in Greensboro, North Carolina, September 27, 2008.

[knowledgeispwr]

13. McCain/Palin is taking NC for granted

NC and Va may just slip through their fingers.

In any case, they are going to have to pump more resources in to hold on to us.

Obama/Biden being on the offense in so many states gives them so many opportunities for victory (and gives McCain/Palin so few...hahaha).

[angee_is_mad]

14. Was disappointed Katy wasn't at the rally today

I hope it wasn't strategy and was afraid ole libby would use it in a ad. I ask some of volunteers and they said she was out of the State.

Barack Obama just might be able to pull it out in NC.

[Zomby Woof]

18. Oh please let it be so

My sister woke up from her 20 year politcal coma and became an Obama supporter this year. Even better, my freeptard brother-in-law, who always votes Repuke, is supporting Obama.

You just never fucking know.

[Thrill]

19. They're in denial. They're spending all the time in Michigan and PA. They'll regret thinking NC

and VA are safe. Both also have Democratic Governors running the elections. So no hanky panky

[kevinds13]

22. Keep up the fight and don't give an inch

:toast:

[FatDave]

25. I think McCain's hurting for money

and is having to make some really tough decisions about where to spend. It's the "make them spend everywhere and bleed them dry" strategy (aka 50 state strategy, even though we're now letting a couple go) paying off.

[terrya]

27. That would be fantastic if Dole lost her Senate seat.

:-)