May 13, 2008
Country Roads (John Feehery)
Take me home, country roads, to the place, I belong, West Virginia, blah blah blah.
I doubt Barack Obama is singing that song today.
After barely going to the state, Obama won’t even acknowledge his primary loss there today. He is going to Missouri — a battleground state, as the media likes to helpfully point out — in order to make the case that what happens in West Virginia stays in West Virginia.
But can Obama afford to ignore West Virginia, and other states like it, for his match-up this coming fall with John McCain? By figuratively throwing in the towel early, he risks sending the message that West Virginia is McCain territory, saving McCain resources as he plots his course to an electoral map victory.
Will Obama do the same thing when he gets blown out in Kentucky? What message does that send to Tennessee? How about Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania?
Where else will Obama throw in the towel? Texas? Can he really compete in Florida? The Solid South still looks pretty solid for McCain. The Rust Belt is looking pretty good for McCain, too.
Obama plans on visiting Michigan this week, which is smart. His speech to the auto makers, where he gave his version of tough love, wasn’t exactly well-received by many auto-workers. He might want to follow that up with a more conciliatory plan, but even that might not be enough.
Most Republicans I talk to believe that Hillary is peaking at the right time to show just how weak Obama will be in the general election. Where they once salivated over running against Clinton, now they welcome an Obama-McCain match-up.
George Bush barely won in West Virgnia in 2000. He had to spend considerable resources, but he was able to overcome the state’s long history as a Democratic state. McCain should be able to win it in a cakewalk.
Permalink TrackBack EMail This Post
Share this post
What's This 22 Comments
»
The Hill welcomes comment from anyone and will almost always post it whether it is favorable or critical, as long as it is substantive and advances debate.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
John, in case you haven't realized it, this is the primary season. And furthermore, WV plays right in to the hands of the GOP strategy of playing on voter's ignorance and fears. Obama has the nomination, period.
ABC has a poll out today showing Obama with a widening 51-44 lead over McSame. This erodes your crazy neocon thesis about Obama.
I hear Obama had an affair with Anna Nicole Smith, John. You best get on the beat.
Comment by Lester — May 13, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
Most of the GOP hopes we have a McCain-Obama matchup. As much as the Democrats want to block their ears and ignore it, the U.S. isn't ready for a Black President … especially one with no experience. Why do you think Obama can't wrap this up already? Why is he still short of the 2025 needed delegates? Why did he lose CA, NY, NJ, PA, IN and will lose in WVA today? All for the same reasons … he can't unite the party, he's too far left and, most importantly, many democrats don't want to vote for a black man. But then again, Obama is just as much white as he is black. That's why people would vote for Obama, but never for Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson.
Comment by John Simmons — May 13, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
lester-
the voters of WV are corrupted by their own ignorance, so they'll vote for the GOP? this eleitist attitude is why the GOP will roll over the Dems in november.
the obama robots would like to believe that these "clinging/hick" states don't matter, but they do.
also, obama doesn't have the nomination yet. not even mathematically. only the Liberals on "Error America" have invalidly declared him the winner.
How come Obama only wins towns w/ a college and/or blacks?
answer:
because that's the beginning and end of his base of support.
obama robots act like he's crushed hillary in the delegate count. but the opposite is true. nearly HALF of ALL Dem primary/caucus voters chose HRC. HALF.
your party has been divided the entire year, lester. the media can skew polling data with lies all they want, but it doesn't change the fact that there are millions of americans out there preparing to cast a vote for the GOP.
the race-bating Libs are hoping to scare undecideds into voting for the marxist with white guilt, but it ain't gonna work. its not about race, its about politics, and the Dems are gonna lose that battle every time.
Comment by insider — May 13, 2008 @ 12:55 pm
Those polls won't carry the election. They are the same polls Gore and Kerry rode to their political deaths.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — May 13, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
I'll tell you why, Simmons. The dems are running 2 very strong and capable candidates, unlike the GOP. In the GOP you had a bunch of loser candidates that couldn't even knock off Grandpa McSame, a corrupted, lobbyist-driven 25 year Senator
Comment by Lester — May 13, 2008 @ 1:09 pm
John Simmons, the bigger question is, why hasn't she closed the deal yet since she has been in washington forever? It's because the Democrats were hoping and praying that someone else would run so they wouldn't have to vote for her. As of this post he has picked up four more supers.
Comment by Yvonne — May 13, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
Insider you are missing a few elements.
I.People are voting for him
2. People are voting for him
3. People are voting for him
and last but not least
4. People are voting for him.
The republicans are even voting for him. Republicans are going to lose because they lost the war. They are going to lose and they know it. When the best you have is a man that talks about bombing Iran at the tune of the beach boys, forgetting comments that he previously made, and not knowing which day it is, you can see the writing on the wall. Well in this case, the writing on the clouds.
Comment by Yvonne — May 13, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
That's all well and good, Lester. But it has nothing to do with Obama's failure to unite the party, even at this late stage. It has nothing to do with the fact that Obama lacks experience in every category that matters. It has nothing to do with the fact that older, white voters (the majority of voters in this country) won't vote for a young black guy (even if he really is half white).
Comment by John Simmons — May 13, 2008 @ 1:47 pm
Lester, you're right, McCain is a week candidate as his speech on Global Warming and his La Raza plans have demonstrated. And yes, he is old and has a bad temper. At the same time, Amercia isn't ready for a terrorist sympathizer in the White House whose solution to everything is to raise taxes. If you think when push comes to shove the bitter clingers will come to believe that Barack Hussein Obama will do anything useful to protect them from foreign threats or to stop the economy from sliding into a socialist hell of high taxes and high unemployment, with even higher gas prices than today, you are wrong.
Comment by Igor R. — May 13, 2008 @ 1:50 pm
If you are looking for a real conservative candidate, try Bob Barr, the libertarian candidate.
McCain is coddling up to the global warming lies. Now is the time to get behind the real conservative in this 2008 election; Bob Barr. McCain is more liberal than Obama and the GOP is in real danger because of it. It is time to cleanse the GOP of the closeted liberals like John McCain.
Bob Barr in 2008 makes sense.
Comment by Genuine Conservative — May 13, 2008 @ 1:50 pm
Lester, you're right, McCain is a week candidate as his speech on Global Warming and his La Raza plans have demonstrated. And yes, he is old and has a bad temper. At the same time, America isn't ready for a terrorist sympathizer in the White House whose solution to everything is to raise taxes. If you think when push comes to shove the bitter clingers will come to believe that Barack Hussein Obama will do anything useful to protect them from foreign threats or to stop the economy from sliding into a socialist hell of high taxes and high unemployment, with even higher gas prices than today, you are wrong.
Comment by Igor R. — May 13, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
Yvonne, Republicans lost the war? It's the damned Democrats that were screaming it was lost before the surge, it was they who fought to cement the defeat, it was Obama who wanted to withdraw the troops ahead of ANYBODY else besides Barbara Lee and the like. They are still lying about the final assault on the Shia militias. Brent told tall tales about how Maliki left Basrah with his tail between his legs, yet yesterday a front-page story in NYT described how the Basrah campaign is a total success. Obama will not address the consequences of leaving other than some nonspecific "it's OK" kind of thing.
Did "the Republicans" fight the war the way it should be fought, by annihilating the enemy? No, because they have been turned into patsies like everyone else. But the leaders of the defeatist thinking are the Democrats, may hell be upon them.
Comment by Igor R. — May 13, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
Genuine, this ACLU member weak on the war on terror, a supporter of amnesty is no better than McCain, yet he is guaranteed to turn the situation in Iraq into an even bigger mess.
Comment by Igor R. — May 13, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
What the beholden Democrats to the far left liberal reaches of the party fail to realize is exactly as Mr. Simmons says, "the U.S. isn't ready for a Black President". But political correction (their mantra) makes it impossible for their blind eye to see through the polling results they get. As history will come to reflect in less the six months, Obama, whether strong and capable as maintained by many of his followers, neither of which he is, he is and is becoming even more so, totally unelectable for a series of reasons:
* Race - Black
* Name - Barrack Hussein Obama
* Associations - Reverend Wright, past Weathermen, contributions from unsavory individuals,etc
* Elitist Leftist - Very liberal voting record
* Wife - Attractive, privileged, but no First Lady
* History - He didn't come from us and hence has very little appreciation
* Commander-In-Chief - I don't think so
As you will note, none of these are topics about which we can speak, so we won't. But we will vote and through their fight to run either of two unelectable candidates (I won't go into Hillary), the Democratic Party has totally blown it. It boils down to their negative feelings about our great country and their incessant desire to always fix what doesn't need fixed. Thank God for small favors.
Comment by JEdgarSwoop — May 13, 2008 @ 3:03 pm
Igor, what do you suggest, if not Barr? McCain? You must be a Hillary supporter too. If you think Barr is weak on terror, you are very uninformed. McCain will continue with the borrow and spend liberal crap we've had for 20+ years. You are easily fooled Igor.
Bob Barr is the only conservative in the race. He may win.
Comment by Genuine Conservative — May 13, 2008 @ 3:45 pm
Genuine, I'm not a Hillary supporter. There has never been such a terrible situation in terms of available candidates. After McCain's Global Warming speech yesterday and his promise to be the keynote speaker at the La Raza convention, I can only shake my head because the world has gone mad. Yet regardless of Barr's merits he can't win, and it would be ridiculous to suggest that no matter how much you like him.
Barack Hussein Obama is such a danger to the United States that I will vote for McCain who is marginally less destructive. I am also convinced that Iran will become a nuclear power and Israel will be destroyed under Obama, and I'm not willing to help that eventuality.
Comment by Igor R. — May 13, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
Palestinians phonebanking for Obama: they know what the 60% of American Jews can't figure out:
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZmU2YThkOWQyMjg4MDZmYTExYWFmYWEyNzI1ZDA5M2Q=
Comment by Igor R. — May 13, 2008 @ 7:44 pm
To Mr. Obama and Mr. Feehery, and all of you out there. There are 50 states in this country. Each state carries the same importance as the other.
To forget, exempt, disenfranchise, or belittle ANY STATE due to it population, or the make up of that population, is to forget, exempt, disenfranchise, or belittle ALL STATES. Remember that in November
Comment by Larry — May 13, 2008 @ 10:39 pm
It's telling what kind of President Obama would be by his treatment of voters in W.Virginia. They believe he shares Rev.Wright's values, they don't think he's qualified for Presidency so he ignores them completely, does not care about their concerns and problems, etc. Instead Obama plans to spend time in Michigan where he feels right at home with large black and muslim population. We don't need this targeted Presidency, do we?
Comment by Misha — May 14, 2008 @ 12:17 am
When Obama said "we are the change we've been waiting for" that "we" did not include West Virginia, or for that matter anybody who has half-a-brain and isn't black.
Comment by Igor R. — May 14, 2008 @ 2:08 pm
I have half a brain and I am not black. I can't support McCain because I think he is too close to the neocons. They have done great damage to the United States. They are accessories and facilitators of murder.
You keep really great company Igor.
Comment by Gary Anderson — May 14, 2008 @ 7:12 pm
Larry,
You are correct if you are talking about the Senate, where each state has two Senators. But you are incorrect if you are talking about the House or the electoral college, where population determines the number of votes you have. Since I was talking about the Presidential race (which will be determined by the electoral college, ultimately) you are incorrect. Not all states are equal.
Comment by John feehery — May 14, 2008 @ 8:41 pm