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Is Virginia in the bag for Obama?
hotair.com ^ | November 2, 2008 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 11/02/2008 11:12:01 AM PST by Free ThinkerNY

Meryl Yourish says no — and in fact one of the state’s largest newspapers agrees. The Richmond Times-Dispatch did its own polling in Virginia and got much different numbers than CNN and ABC over the last two weeks. They call the race a dead heat, and winnable for McCain:

The presidential contest in Virginia is heading toward a photo finish.

The final Richmond Times-Dispatch Poll of the campaign shows Sen. Barack Obama at 47 percent and Sen. John McCain at 44 percent. Nine percent are undecided — an unusually large slice of the electorate. The profile of undecided voters suggests that some are potentially opposed to Obama.

Because Obama’s advantage over McCain is within the poll’s margin of error — plus or minus 4 percentage points — the contest in Virginia can be considered about even.

Meryl says she heard an even smaller figure:

And this is what I was told yesterday at the Cantor rally: McCain is within one and a half percent. Undecideds trend against the frontrunner. Virginia carried Bush in 2004 and in 2000. Virginia is still a red state. Don’t believe the hype.

If Obama has not yet gotten a majority, he may never get it. Normally, undecideds break against the incumbent, but this race has no real incumbent. Obama tried to make McCain the incumbent, but the election has really become a referendum on Obama, and he knows it. Anyone still undecided at this point has not been able to convince themselves that Obama is ready for the presidency.

The percentage of undecideds has remained high right to the end — in some state polls, as high as 14%. Obama hasn’t made the sale, and I suspect most of them will wind up breaking towards McCain as a result. Virginia and Pennylvania will provide an especially interesting test of this theory.


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: mccain; obama; swingstates; va2008
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1 posted on 11/02/2008 11:12:01 AM PST by Free ThinkerNY
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To: Free ThinkerNY

No one can trust ABC and CNN.


2 posted on 11/02/2008 11:13:23 AM PST by johniegrad
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Like in any state, it’s all dependnet on the crack market. If the crack be flowing, Obama be going.


3 posted on 11/02/2008 11:15:10 AM PST by nhwingut (,)
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To: nhwingut

Obama can’t close the sale - if he holds at less than 48% of the vote on Tuesday A.M., he won’t win POTUS...


4 posted on 11/02/2008 11:16:10 AM PST by DocT111
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To: Free ThinkerNY

There’s been so many victory dances on the Sunday chat shows and in the mainstream media that people are being turned off by the arrogant smugness of the Obama campaign and this will be evident on Tuesday. They aren’t called swing states for nothing.


5 posted on 11/02/2008 11:17:48 AM PST by purplelobster
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To: Free ThinkerNY

I have two young black men in my high school age Sunday school class (here in Northern Virginia)—who were adopted by a white couple. These boys have been bigtime Bush bashers. But they were Hillary fans too. And maybe there is a factor here in the sense that their adoptive parents take in all sorts of kids of various backgrounds— including special needs kids.
Last month, the more talkative youth was all pumped up for the Sarah Palin rally down in Richmond (Columbus Day). Obviously, something had impacted them.

Today, the boys asked me who I was voting for. I balked because I try to keep partisanship out of my class. (And we have some pretty liberal folks in our church.) But I finally said, “well, I have problems with McCain... but I have a lot more problems with Obama. So I will be voting for McCain.”

The lads were ecstatic. Young Nick was excited about being close enough to touch Sen. McCain at a recent rally and worked the phone banks for 5 hours yesterday.

Something is going on here in Virginia that the MSM has completely and almost predictably has missed.


6 posted on 11/02/2008 11:18:20 AM PST by Lysandru
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To: Free ThinkerNY

I live in Southeast Virginia (Virginia Beach area), and I think this race is very close. I’ve seen exponentially more enthusiasm in this region for McCain/Palin than I ever saw for Bush/Cheney (in either 2000 or 2004). Sure, there are more Obama/Biden supporters, too. But Virginia is traditionally a conservative state (forget about NoVA). It’ll be closer than it was in 2004, but I still think McCain has got a great shot in this state. Maybe, just MAYBE, Obama wins VA. But, if after spending hundreds of millions in advertising, putting on his own prime-time variety show, and visiting southeast VA twice in the past two weeks, he STILL can’t get over 50%, his chance of winning this state are small. For God’s sake, people know him by now. His ads are EVERYWHERE. Yet, it seems a majority in this state still don’t trust him. I don’t see why they would change their minds now.


7 posted on 11/02/2008 11:20:15 AM PST by LangdonAlger
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To: Lysandru

They didn’t miss it. Don’t give them a benefit of the doubt. They have perniciously buried the truth in order to serve their Marxist squirrel. The fourth estate has transformed itself gladly into the fifth column enemy of We The People ... and that is what it takes for a bastard like Obama to take over America.


8 posted on 11/02/2008 11:21:08 AM PST by MHGinTN (Believing they cannot be deceived, they cannot be convinced when they are deceived.)
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To: purplelobster
I am SO praying that the voters do what they did in 1994, and have a "tantrum" (who was it that said that?) and teach a lesson to not only the dems but to the media.

Please, God, let it be so!

9 posted on 11/02/2008 11:22:18 AM PST by greyfoxx39 (Obama, an empty suit, empty words, shiny shoes and a smile but no core beliefs.!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Call. Call. Call.
Just do it for 20 minutes. I reached a woman in Colorado and she told me a McCain volunteer just called her husband a few minutes earlier. Wow! Plus she said they’re gonna vote for John and Sarah! Double wow! Call.

https://secure.johnmccain.com//Secure/Signup.aspx?smode=phonebank


10 posted on 11/02/2008 11:28:36 AM PST by Krankor (Are you claiming you eat toucans or)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Virginia is not in the bag because BHO let his true feelings about Appalachia out of the bag:

Notice how much is in Virginia, Ohio & Pennsylvania?

If JSM nets the 54 Electoral College votes he will have it in the bag.

11 posted on 11/02/2008 11:30:22 AM PST by TeleStraightShooter (Barack Marx Obama: It's a "tragedy" "Radical Redistributive Change"was not achived via the courts)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
According to Mason Dixon, all the undecideds are south of NOVA and 93% of them are white. Not many liberals live in southern VA and the Shenandoah Valley to the west.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

12 posted on 11/02/2008 11:34:29 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: TeleStraightShooter

Appalachia=coal country and Obama wants to shut down the coal industry.

He is INSANE.


13 posted on 11/02/2008 11:37:26 AM PST by madison10 (In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication...)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
I am certain that if the GOP base turns out on Tuesday, John McCain will be elected the next president of the USA. In 2004, the Democrats had a record turnout for John Kerry. Additionally, their retention (% of Dems who voted for Kerry) in 2004 was high. Barack Obama will be unable to match Kerry's turnout nor his retention. Nonetheless, we must turnout heavily and vote for McCain on Tuesday. The MSM is going to spend the next 36 to 48 hours in a masive blitz to convince voters that the issue is decided. They must do this because they know Obama can't meet Kerry's turnout/retention. The media blitz will be aimed at demoralizing Republicans. Don't fall for it!!! Vote on Tuesday as if the welfare of your children is at stake...because it is at stake. We will prevail!!!
14 posted on 11/02/2008 11:38:24 AM PST by NRG1973
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To: Free ThinkerNY; VigilantAmerican

Ping to you, Vigilant, and thanks for all your hard work in your precinct. When I read a report like this, I immediately think of how many long hours you have put in, missing sleep, since you work the graveyard shift.

You must be propping your eyelids open with toothpicks by now. I hear you are going to be working on Tuesday as well, at the polls?


15 posted on 11/02/2008 11:44:05 AM PST by jacquej
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To: Free ThinkerNY

No. He has a decent shot at it but it is not in the bag for anyone.


16 posted on 11/02/2008 11:44:40 AM PST by DemonDeac
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Less than 48 hours!!! One final push to save the U.S.A.!

The challenge:

Between NOW and election day, convince at least two Obama/Undecided voters to vote for McCain. (family, neighbors, friends, people waiting in the check-out line) Further, convince these two people (or two others) to take up the same challenge. (Like a chain letter)

So you have converted people in the past? Good, but we need more!

Many Obama supporters are mindlessly supporting him, with no real reason, this means it is VERY easy to get them to switch over. Even if you fail, other Obama/undecideds may be in the room and hear valid arguments and question their faith in the One.

Don’t kick yourself a week from now saying “I could’ve done more....”

Do your part...your country depends on it!


17 posted on 11/02/2008 11:55:30 AM PST by tj21807
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John Fund was making a similar point, that this is a referendum on Obama and that he is the de facto incumbent because of the nature of the race. If they haven’t gone for Obama by now, what is happening to convince them? It really is far more likely they’ll look at all the radical connections and think it risky than to suddenly say “aaaaw he’s okay”. And it is true that there are more undecideds than usual, even though George snuffaloughagus can’t admit it.


18 posted on 11/02/2008 12:37:28 PM PST by Crimson Elephant
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Nope. Still could go either way on Tuesday.


19 posted on 11/02/2008 12:40:33 PM PST by Non-Sequitur
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To: jacquej

Gonna work at my polling place, then drop dead from exhaustion on Tuesday night. Was out putting up McCain/Palin signs earlier this evening along Rte. 7 in Tyson’s Corner, one of the most heavily-traveled thoroughfares in the entire country...we are hammering the phone banks and neighborhoods HARD, but the Obammunists are, too.

This is an all-out WAR.

As we were putting up signs, Obammunists honking and flipping us off then pulled over and started putting up signs near us. We just kept going and basically chased them off, and eventually our signs so completely and overwhelmingly swamped theirs that I actually felt a sense of victory.

Hopefully my wife and son will live in a country where free speech and private property rights are intact after I’m gone!


20 posted on 11/02/2008 5:41:23 PM PST by VigilantAmerican (We will not waver, we will not tire; we will not falter, we will not fail)
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