McCain pulling out of Michigan

[RedEarth]

Source: Politico

John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.

McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. Wisconsin went for Kerry in 2004, Ohio and Florida for Bush.

McCain's campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Republicans had been bullish on Michigan, hopeful that McCain's past success in the state in the 2000 primary combined with voter dissatisfaction with Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and skepticism among blue-collar voters about Barack Obama could make it competitive.

McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin spent the night after the GOP convention at a large rally in Macomb County, just outside Detroit. The two returned later last month for another sizable event in Grand Rapids.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/McCain_pulling_out_of_Michigan.html?showall

[no_hypocrisy]

1. A frustrated Michigan couldn't be reached for comment . . . .

[meegbear]

3. ...

:spray:

[robertpaulsen]

19. No comment necessary. Michigan just wasn't satisfied with McCain's performance.

:)

[Endangered Specie]

2. Funny how the McCains are alot better at pulling out than the Palins

[mikeytherat]

4. Spewing coffee on my keyboard!

mikey_the_rat

[DesertFlower]

5. do you mean what i think you mean?

[rateyes]

8. Gives a whole new meaning to the word

"deregulation" if you know what I mean. :D

[catbyte]

9. Ha, ha!

Frustrated Michigan...I was at the Obama rally in Grand Rapids this morning and it was AWESOME. There had to have been 15,000-16,000 people there. We were packed in like sheep. He was in great form today. My favorite moment came when he said, "If I'm elected President...", the whole crown shouted "WHEN, WHEN". He smiled a sheepish grin and said, "I'm superstitious..." It was great. He's pulling crowds in GR like I've never seen, and I've lived here since 1973. People were energized, hopeful, and fed up. I'm so glad that I got up at 5:45 this morning. I'll never forget it. :bounce: :toast:

Diane

"Tales of the hunt will glorify the hunter until lions have their own historians."--African proverb

[thunderchicken]

24. I was there too

What a great event that was. Even bought a T-shirt. This article states there was a sizable event for McCain in Grand Rapids...maybe one fifth the turnout that we had this morning; and they had better weather. This morning was not the greatest...some drizzle and cool---in the low 40's with a NE breeze...but the GR press reports 16,900 people. That's a lot for Grand Rapids. I'm so happy I went too, it was more than worth it.

Dave

[PassingFair]

37. Welcome to DU, Dave!

:hi:

...from the other side of the state in St. Clair Shores!

[louis-t]

29. Wow, that says a lot. GR area fairly red isn't it?

Being DeVos country and all.

[The Hope Mobile]

31. "Normally" unquestionably VERY red

Full of fundies. My whole family is there and they've never deviated . . . until this year.

[louis-t]

44. I love Michigan.

Glad your family is seeing the light.

[uppityperson]

17. DUZY!

[Dr.Phool]

6. !

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Don't bother coming to Florida either John!

Concentrate on Alaska!!!

Although I doubt you'll get the moose vote.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[KamaAina]

7. Note that Michigan is not kicking back and smoking a cigarette

:evilgrin:

[Dollface]

10. He pulled out when he caught Michigan checking its watch. Bye Bye, don't call

[catbyte]

13. Yuck!

McCain, pull-out, frustrated, ewwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!! :puke:

The McCain/Palin thing after the convention was a staged, by-invitation-only gig. The old fart is too afraid to let regular folks in. Coward. Although I guess I don't blame them--they couldn't draw a crowd like Obama did today. Chumps. I'll be SO GLAD to not see any more shitty McCain ads. Woohoo!!

:evilgrin:

Diane

"Tales of the hunt will glorify the hunter until lions have their own historians."--African proverb

[Myrina]

11. 'A sizeable event in Grand Rapids' ??

Notice how they won't even tell the world how pitifully small their crowds really are ????



:)

[zbdent]

14. McCain supporters almost numbered as many as the port-a-pottys ...

[Jokinomx]

45. That caught my eye also... I live 30 minutes from G.R. and the

Local TV networks reported that 3,500 people attended the mclame/failin rally.... although I do have to add, they held it in a venue that holds only 3,500....so people that wanted to be there had to get free tickets from the G.R. repug headquarters. They gave all of them out in a few hours... and left most people that wanted to attend out in the cold.

I have attended two of BHO rallys and both were 10,000 or more... I would have gone to the one this morning but I didn't want to miss work.

:toast:

[zbdent]

12. he got tired of being the only person in Michigan who thought the fundamentals

of the economy were sound?

[Bette Noir]

15. He's running out of money.

Yay.

[shaniqua6392]

16. I have never been so proud of my fellow Michiganders as I am right now!!

I am just bursting right now. I knew his numbers were bad here. They just kept making it sound like McCain was ahead. I knew we were smarter than that. Things are so bad here that it has to ripe for the picking by a Democrat!!

[Fire1]

35. Thank you, fellow dems, we'll take a bow!

[defendandprotect]

18. Good news --!!

[Mabus]

20. Is he pulling out or just suspending his campaign there?

And, does he know yet?

:hide:

[Nebulous Abstraction]

21. A nice development, but no big shocker...

...his union-killing ass never had a chance there.

[no limit]

22. Too many bitter unemployed bitter folks to deal with for a guy that owns 7 homes.

[annarbor]

23. I bet McCain regrets....

not picking Michigan-born Mitt Romney now!
Romney actually won Michigan in the primary.

He didn't have a chance after his comments about the economy. One thing Michigan needs is a president with the knowledge to help turn our economy around.


See ya!

Hope you pack it in in Ohio too!!!!!

[McCamy Taylor]

25. The SCOTUS must have promised to invalidate all the early votes from Ohio.

I can not imagine any other scenario in which they would abandon Michigan....unless McCain is just plain out of money. How are his finances? His handling of the economy should have slowed contributions from the usual VIPs to a trickle.

[intheflow]

48. I was thinking the campaign must have secured vote-stealing there,

so he could easily take his money to bribe people in other swing states. :tinfoilhat:

[Chulanowa]

26. It's not a pullout

It's a strategic redeployment to nowhere, fast.

[No Passaran]

27. this is all great, but..

You know he's gonna take all that money and resources to Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin. We need to step up and make him pull out of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. If Obama takes NM, NV and CO, McCain can have Ohio and Florida. It won't even matter.

[David Zephyr]

28. Translation: McCain is keeping Palin and Romney won't replace her.

Mitt Romney was McCain's ace in the hole (which I think would never have worked anyway) for Michigan, a battleground state where McCain once had a shot at winning, albeit a small one.

If McCain is pulling out of Michigan, if his campaign has made a strategic move to give up on Michigan, then Palin is in until November.

[tanyev]

30. Come spend all that money on more campaign ads in Texas, Johnny.

I was surprised to see he felt he needed to run ads here. Doesn't bother me--that's what TV remotes are for.

[damntexdem]

32. Campaignus interuptus! Just not fertile enough for him now?

Well, he should have practiced safe campaigning from the start.

[Stand and Fight]

33. The writing is on the wall...

Folks, we may very well be bearing witness to the death throes of Neo-Conservatism.

[lonestarnot]

39. Oh Hallelujah!

[GinaMaria]

34. is this like 'suspending' his campaign

He's not really going to do it? McLame has tried this fake out before to get Obama to pull back. That is one desperate camp.

[ailsagirl]

36. Has a candidate ever conceded a state weeks before the race?

I don't recall that happening before!! Isn't it like a general concession of defeat? (or leaning in that direction)
:shrug:

Whatever it is, GREAT sign for us!! :bounce:

[CatholicEdHead]

40. Obama pulled out of North Dakota not too long ago

to help focus on Minnesota.

[ailsagirl]

43. Oops-- must have missed that one. Guess it was the word

"conceded" that threw me. :hi:

[fujiyama]

49. Worth noting though

there's a huge difference. MI is always within 5 points (at least other than '96). I don't remember the last time a Dem even won ND.

[lonestarnot]

38. Way good news! Woohoo!

:woohoo:

[JNelson6563]

41. Hooray Michigan!

Lemme tell ya, there's been Obama interns in every nook and cranny of that state for months now. They were registering new voters all summer and recruiting lots of other people to register even more voters. They've also been organizng phone banks, door to door efforts and larger events. The ground game in Michigan has been incredibly organized and, subsequently, very effective (on election day we will know just how effective). So many people who are not usually involved in politics are joining this effort, I believe when it all comes out in the end, the true analysis of this operation, it will become the new paradigm for successful campaigns to come.

Of course I believe that McLame's organization is establishing entirely new paradigms for a truly dreadful campaign.

Julie

[MichiganVote]

42. ....:)....and now for an invitation. May the rest of the dirtbag republicans leave us too.

[livelongandprosper]

46. But why does he go to Maine?

I heard that on CNN.

I thought Maine was solid Obama.

[fujiyama]

50. He's trying to peel off ONE

electoral vote there in ME district 2 since they split their EVs according to who wins the congressional district.

But the last time that happened...hell I don't even think it HAS happened in the past and likely won't this year either. Nebraska also does it, but like Maine I don't think they've split their's.

[llmart]

47. Yes!

I'm sick of looking at his stupid ads anyway and didn't know if I could tolerate another 4 weeks of it.

[Suji to Seoul]

51. McCain Gives Up On Michigan In a Major Retreat

Source: Yahoo News

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential candidate John McCain conceded battleground Michigan to the Democrats on Thursday, GOP officials said, a major retreat as he struggles to regain his footing in a campaign increasingly dominated by economic issues.

These officials said McCain was pulling staff and advertising out of the economically distressed Midwestern state. He also canceled a visit slated for next week. Michigan, with 17 electoral votes, voted for Democrat John Kerry in 2004, but Republicans had poured money into an effort to try to place it in their column this year.

The decision marked the first time either McCain or his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, has tacitly conceded a traditional battleground state in a race for the White House with little more than a month remaining.

In a campaign now unfolding across more than a dozen states, the decision allows McCain's resources to be sent to Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida and other more competitive states. But it also means Obama can shift money to other states like Virginia, Colorado and North Carolina where he is trying to eat into traditional Republican territory.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081002/ap_on_el_pr/mccain

---

And the hits keep coming for Geezer. 17 more EVs for Obama!

[LatteLibertine]

52. How sad

Admitting defeat already? McCain should just go home to AZ. He's tired weak and out of it.

[PATRICK]

53. The effect on the popular vote

Of McCain having to retreat in very populous areas cannot be judged by looking at general opinion polls. In practice this is conceding landslide popular vote territory while trying to shore up some mystical fantasy line for a narrow electoral scenario. For the cheating to occur the disparity will be overwhelming if "surrendered states" put Obama way over the top in raw numbers. The "plan" at some point will be for Obama to be a very clear popular vote winner with and electoral college "miracle" for old man McCain. That brief spark of possibility will extinguish as real world principles and old fashioned politics drown it out.

[vinylsolution]

54. Don't be fooled by this....

... apparent retreat. The 'foreclosure fix' is in.

Thousands of working and middle class former homeowners will be denied their right to vote.

McCain is pulling his staff out because they know they've already got Michigan in the bag, and can now turn their attention to other battleground states.

WAKE UP AMERICA!!

[happygoluckytoyou]

55. w00h00.... only 49 to go.... PALIN-DRONE : That whining voice ya betcha!!!

[jmondine]

56. Ah,,, so he DOES know how to "suspend a campaign"

[Historic NY]

57. Hey he has 49 more to go.

[ailsagirl]

58. What's WEIRD is that palin didn't even know about this until the

day after it was announced. She sure does her homeswork, you betcha!! :rofl: