Posted on 10/02/2008 6:25:08 PM PDT by jerry557
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.
By pulling out of vote-rich Michigan, McCain conceded a large part of the electoral map in the heart of the industrial Midwest.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Why isn’t it considered a major retreat when Obama shifts his resources to another state?
Just give Michigan to Canada. They’ll fit in better there.
I don’t wanna be Canadian. Give them Detroit and you’ll change the whole state.
If I was John McCain I would fight for every state..
Guess the press will win the election for Obama by convincing the American Public that McCain is loosing.
A senior adviser to Sen. John McCain confirms to CNN that the campaign is “shifting resources” from Michigan to Ohio and Pennsylvania, and “opening up an offensive front” in Maine.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
That’s okay, John, we’ll still vote for Sarah.
Those moron sheep in Detroit would gladly secede and join Canada if you just told them they could get "free" healthcare and drugs if they did so.
I'd call them retarded sheep, but that would be unfair to real retarded barnyard animals.
They re-elected Kwame.
Not good.
Sure, we haven’t carried the state in recent years, but Michigan was a state I believe we could have picked up this year.
Nope, no bias here.
We’re actually a pretty conservative state aside from a few areas of infection. In 04 Kerry only took 9 or 10 of our 83 counties. We also banned affirmative action, gay marriage and have CCW laws in place.
No whining. No whining about if only McCain did.... Volunteer and contribute. Do it now.
We need to get to work. I volunteered in Bush 2000 and 2004. I did not want to do it again but I will be at it this weekend. We kicked Kerry’s arse in Florida in 2004 because we worked very hard. We had hundreds of MoveOn.com thugs in Florida for over a month or two before the election in vans pulling signs up and causing trouble plus intimidation in early voting.
If you are in a Blue state or slam dunk Red state you can still help. They can hook you up to call battleground states. Go to McCain’s web site. We had people from around the country fly in to Florida (2004) on their dime to help. It was incredible but you have to work but it is fun and the people you volunteer with are wonderful. Avoid the dumb polls, MSM lies etc. Stay off RealClearPolitics. The polls are a joke. No way Obama is up +10 in FL. McCain is at least +5.
My neighborhood has at least double the McCain 2008 signs versus Bush 2000 and Bush 2004. The silent majority knows what is at stake. My neighbors are pretty well off, I am middle class, but they know Obama will take everything they have. No nonsense “I will show McCain or the GOP and we will get a real conservative next time.” Your America in 4 years may be totally different if Obama wins. Contribute and volunteer now.
I don’t know why he waited so long! I guess with the McCain/Palin surge in early September, they thought they could win there, but they should have concentrated more on Florida and other traditional “Red” States. No big deal though. It’s not like we’re losing in a State that we SHOULD win!
Michigan has several downsides for McCain and Republicans in general: The majority of blacks vote Democrat + Obama is passing himself as black … therefore … the black vote goes to Obama. The Muslim population in MI are being assured that Obama is a Muslim … therefore … the Muslim vote goes to Obama. McCain, rightly, needs to spend his campaign money elsewhere.
Then you would go broke quickly and lose in short order.
I think that it is a great decision. He was never ever going to win in Mich. Use the money and people elsewhere.
I think that it is a great decision. He was never ever going to win in Mich. Use the money and people elsewhere.
Michigan is a union/minority redistribution controled state. The results are self evident. The bailout supporters are not going to support McCain so no need to waste money. Good move! Give Michigan to Cuba after the election!
What the MSM isn’t telling everyone is that more states that are Democrat are in play then Republican states. If Bambi wins New Mexico what is it, 4 votes? If McCain wins PA it is quite a few more.
With everything being equal, Bambi has to steal Ohio.
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