McCain-Palin Schedules Show Worry About Southern States - CNN Ticker

[WillyT]

<snip>

(CNN) — John McCain and Sarah Palin are campaigning Monday in two states that haven't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in more than four decades, a clear indication the GOP ticket is scrambling to defend longtime Republican strongholds with only three weeks until Election Day.

But at a time when the McCain campaign had hoped to have shored up its support in the traditional red states, a string of new surveys show Obama has made significant gains there as voters become increasingly worried about the nation's financial woes.

McCain and Palin held a joint rally in Virginia Beach Monday morning before the two candidates split up, as the Republican nominee heads down to North Carolina as his running mate stays behind for more events in Virginia. It’s the first time McCain has made visits to either state in more than four months, and comes as a series of battleground surveys suggest his playing field is increasingly shrinking.

But while McCain has largely been absent from both states all summer, the Obama campaign has aggressively built up on the ground organizations there, outspent their GOP rival considerably on staff and television commercials, and worked to register tens of thousands of new voters. The Arizona senator has also been badly out-campaigned in the two states. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the Democratic ticket has made nine visits to Virginia and seven stops in North Carolina. That compares to just one visit in Virginia and two in North Carolina on the Republican side.

And in a sign of just how seriously the McCain campaign is worried about both states, the Arizona senator unveiled a re-vamped stump speech there that an aide says will offer a "frank assessment" of where the race for the White House stands.

"We have 22 days to go. We're 6 points down," he said. "The national media has written us off…. But they forgot to let you decide. My friends, we've got them just where we want them."

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Link: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/13/mccain-palin-schedules-show-gop-playing-defense/

Republicans having to defend the South... my head is spinning.

:crazy:

:wow:

[skooooo]

1. we've got them just where we want them

And we're glad to be "there," my friends!

:bounce:

[janx]

2. LOL !

:rofl: Perfect!

[yellowcanine]

4. So they would not trade their poll position for Obama's? Is it like golf now? Low score wins?

[BumRushDaShow]

3. What hail Mary is left now?

:rofl:

[elkston]

5. The beauty of all this is that while they play defense ...

we just swoop in and move the other formerly "red" states further away. You wanna go to NC or VA? Fine. We'll just send Biden to CO, Obama to Florida, Hillary to Indiana & OH, Michelle to MO.

So let the slow-talk express waddle along with their desperate efforts.

Oh yeah, and now it looks like you need to go back to WV too.

Its curtains for these guys.

[WI_DEM]

6. My guess is that they will be adding Georgia to there schedule soon, too.

[OmahaBlueDog]

7. It's no longer just about McSame and Failin'

They have to make appearances in places like North Carolina (and you're right -- Georgia's coming soon) because they have close Senate races in these states. If the McSame supporters don't show, Dole and Chambliss are toast as well.

[WillyT]

8. Yep... It's About Defending The Down-Ticketers Now...

:shrug:

[Arkana]

9. We're gonna win Virginia.

North Carolina might come with a blowout win, but I wouldn't put much hope in it.

[1Hippiechick]

10. I'm still waiting to see her in a barrage of hockey pucks--not that I wish her any harm. n/t

[Drunken Irishman]

11. Wow, that last quote about being written off sounds exactly like what Mondale said in 1984.

I mean down to the whole "but they forgot to let you decide..."

McCain will be the Walter Mondale of the Republican Party when this is all said and done.