Posted on 05/07/2008 8:07:10 PM PDT by Red Steel
His lead strategist says if McCain were to get 20 percent of these voters he will win.
WASHINGTON - With the other party still waist-deep in its presidential nomination fight, John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, has been quietly courting the white working-class Democrats who have proved elusive for Barack Obama, his most likely rival in the fall.
In the two weeks since Senator Obama's loss in Pennsylvania, Senator McCain has visited the struggling steel town of Youngstown, Ohio, to promote programs to retrain workers. He has gone to Allentown, Pa., to push a gas-tax holiday and argue that the Democrats' healthcare plans gave too much power to the government. And in Appalachian Kentucky, he has pledged to bring new jobs and technology to rural America.
All are the sort of places where Democrats have favored Obama's rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton. If she loses the Democratic nomination, McCain has every intention of poaching some of her supporters for what is shaping up as a difficult fight against Obama in November.
Obama "may lose some of the traditional Democratic coalition if we run a good campaign and make a good case to some of those folks," says Charlie Black, McCain's chief campaign strategist. "If McCain were to get 20 percent nationally of blue-collar Democrats, he wins."
Some analysts dispute that figure, noting that Obama would probably offset any such deficit with high turnout among young voters and African-Americans. But many agree that a potentially significant number of Senator Clinton's working-class supporters could stay home or vote for McCain if Obama is the nominee.
Ronald Reagan rode the support of blue-collar Democrats to the White House in 1980, playing to social values and national security concerns and arguing that their own party had been hijacked by elites and special interests. Mr. Black
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
I really think McCain will pick up a lot of these votes, rather than Obama. He may not be my first, second, or even third choice, but I’ll take him over any dem that was ever in the race.
“McCain courts blue-collar Democrats”
Well someone has to vote for him.
Hillary has given McCain a unique tool to beat Obama.
McCain now knows which counties went for Hillary, and that is where he needs to spend his time and limited funds.
Especially in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin and Florida.
Assuming that anyone in his former base will vote for him.
While I'm sure that he is going to pick up some votes here and there, they are not going to win him Pa or NJ.
Now talk Ohio and maybe Missouri, and thats a good strategy.
Pa will vote Obama. - Take it to the bank.
Things could change and its early days yet, but thats my take on it now.
He would do a lot better if he weren’t screwing the same with affirmative action, his open borders crusade, and globalism.
McCain now knows which counties went for Hillary, and that is where he needs to spend his time and limited funds.
Especially in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin and Florida.
Good observation.
What's your 4th or 5th choice for next election? The Hildabeast, who I despise, will look welcome to the way we are going. My vote is in the Constitution Party this time - the 6th time out of 7 elections. Not since RR have we had a TRUE American nominee.
Still sore about being left out in the cold I see.
“Still sore about being left out in the cold I see.”
LOL, naw. I am just going to enjoy watching this fossil go down in a beating reminiscent of Carter or Mondale. I can think of no politician of any party that deserves it more.
Then you will throw your vote away as the CP has zero chance of winning.
Fine McCain going after the other parties voters is your job, but go after the Republican/conservative base primarily.
If he could get the conservative base solidly behind him, and then pick up some of the Reagan democrats he can win.
The problem is so much of what he has done and said over the years has made much of the conservative base distrust (or loath) him.
He has created his problems on his own. But finding the votes in the democrats will be unlikely as he is not R.R.
Rendell live in PA so the POLLS will vote dem even if it totals more votes than the registered voters in the state.
Bank on that.
They just have, my friend. They just have.
And O will have mountains of cash, support and MSM spin.
McCain would be fortunate to win by one or two states, and I am not putting money down on that with Intrade, either.
The white peasantry in the upper midwest and PA will vote for Hillary, but will NOT vote for Obama. You can take that to the bank.
Only one or two states, huh? So tell me, Einstein, which state(s) will that be?
yadda yadda yadda
I'm writing in Fred. WIth McCain the nominee, my vote just as well be thrown away.If he's the best the Republican Party can field, I'm leaving the party the day he's nominated.
Period. Case Closed. End of Story.
And I don't care how many of you people keep whining about throwing my vote away. Ive been hearing that since after RWR And I'm sick of it. If the Party don't want us to throw our votes away, then they need to put decent people up there for us to vote for.
McCain's been begging Dems to vote for him at LEAST since 2000 since that's the only hope he ever had to get into the WH.
I aint voting for him.
This is what I don’t get about Fredheads: if you have so much respect for the man that you would write in his name, why not follow his example and support John McCain? It just makes no sense.
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