McCain to campaign in Tennessee on Monday - but to attend, you must be from Virginia

[TornadoTN]

In typical John McCain fashion, he makes another perplexing and boneheaded move in his campaign:

http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/breaking_news_mccain_to_campaign_on_monday_in_tri_cities/15763/

Editor / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: October 31, 2008

UPDATED:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain will hold a late-morning campaign rally Monday at Tri-City Aviation on the grounds of Tri-Cities Regional Airport, a national campaign spokeswoman said Friday.

The doors to the event will open at 9:30 a.m. Monday, spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said.

Unnamed GOP dignitaries will open the rally about 10:45. McCain will speak shortly thereafter, and usually talks for about 30 minutes, she said.

Supporters who want to attend can pick up free tickets to the event at regional campaign offices from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today. The locations, all in Virginia, for the tickets are:

So McCain is coming here to East Tennessee, closing the event to Tennesseans, and giving away tickets to Virginians - most of which will have to drive 2 hours or more to get here. You couldn't make this up if you tried.

We're getting a group together - around 50 of us - to give him a nice East Tennessee for Obama welcome!

[TornadoTN]

1. board movin' fast bump nt

[Jennicut]

2. This sounds idiotic but I have come to expect that from McInsane.

Why not just stay in VA?

[TornadoTN]

3. It doesn't make any sense - period

Southwest VA will probably break McCain anyway just based on the demographics but it should be close. He should be working to cut into the Obama vote in the rest of the state.

Plus, there are plenty of other airports for McCain to fly into so he can get to this region and put him in SW Virginia.

[book_worm]

4. Well, I take it this airport must be very close to VA? The report doesn't say people from TN can't

attend, it just says the tickets are available in offices in VA, so they may have to go there to get them. What's most perplexing, however, is on election eve why have a rally where you need tickets? Just invite the public. I would think McNuts would want as big a crowd as possible.

[TornadoTN]

5. I can confirm that its not open to Tennesseans

I have made several calls and one stop to McCain HQ's here - there are NO tickets being given away to Tennesseans for this event. However, they all said that there would probably be tickets available Monday morning if not enough Virginians decide to show up.

It is about 45 minutes from the state line, but the regions they are targeting are at least an hour or more from the airport. Not exactly the most efficient way to get people you are targeting to the rally.

[dbmk]

7. Which means that there will be plenty room for Tennesseans :)

And plenty of room for anyone else after they have taken their cut, I suspect. :)

[ncgrits]

6. For what it's worth, Bristol in on the VA/TN line. The main street, State St.

runs right down the line. One side of the street is in Tennessee and the other side is in Virginia. So it's still weird but not as bad as it sounds initially. . . .

[TornadoTN]

9. Im from the TRI

It still doesn't make much sense, especially since they are trying to get focus on the Blacksburg and surrounding areas of VA.

[EastTennesseeDem]

8. Hmm...(licks chops)