What is McCain's obsession with Iowa? he's coming back this weekend!

[WI_DEM]

(he lost the caucus and he's behind by double digits. He's pulled out of Michigan but he's still making a play for Iowa!!??)

October 8, 2008--Republican presidential hopeful Senator John McCain could be back in Iowa this weekend. Chairman of the Scott County Republican Party, Bryan Sievers, says McCain could make a stop in Davenport on Saturday.

Sievers says the trip isn't confirmed, however all indications are that he'll be there. If McMain returns to Iowa this weekend, it would be his third visit since winning the nomination.

http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9144497

[truthisfreedom]

1. They've got Rove all over the vote-rigging in Iowa, and they're looking for cover.

Otherwise, why bother sending the Erratic Maverick back there for another clown hall?

[BrklynLiberal]

6. That is the most likely reason. If they can get Obama's lead down to 5%, they can rig it.

[CoffeeCat]

16. McCain is now down by 12 in Iowa...

...according to the latest poll on electoral-vote.com

McCain was down by 6-7 three weeks ago, so I'm failing to understand
what he is doing.

We have a very Progressive Gov and SOS, who fought against voter fraud.

I'm thinking this wouldn't be an easy state to steal. Plus, we're
only 8 electoral votes.

[BrklynLiberal]

21. I don't trust any of the Rovian people. They are so evil.

[CoffeeCat]

27. I hear ya...

...and I have wondered if they'll hit us from the right--as we're looking left.

If I remember correctly, after Florida was rigged in 2000, we were all focused on
Florida in 2004. How many lawyers were in Florida on election day 2004...a gazillion?

Then, they totally hit Ohio.

Maybe this year, it won't be one, big state that is stolen. Maybe it will be a series
of smaller states.

I'm just wondering how he would do it in Iowa. We have a Dem Gov and SOS. This isn't
Ohio. We don't have a Ken Blackwell, who would happily rig the vote.

Maybe it's the machines. We have optical scanners. However, if there is EVER a problem
with the outcome--the recount is done on the paper ballots.

So...this wouldn't be the easiest state to steal. Just thinking out loud and trying to
understand.

[BrklynLiberal]

36. Maybe you are right inthat they are making us look at Iowa, while they are quietly

working in one of the other states....

[youthere]

26. I know and what's more...

even if he did somehow manage to take Iowa, he still wouldn't have enough to upset an Obama win. (We're only seven EV) :hi:

[Drunken Irishman]

41. IT'S A TRAP!

[ecstatic]

10. yep nt

[goclark]

2. May be trying to validate a steal nt

[iceman66]

8. That would be my guess.

[godai]

3. I believe that the electoral votes in Iowa are proportional.

I watched a story on this a few days ago and a repub said it's the 269/269 strategy. If there is a tie, one vote from Iowa could make the difference.

[WI_DEM]

5. Not Iowa but Nebraska and Maine are.

[godai]

11. Thanks...I guess it was Nebraska being discussed, not Iowa. n/t

[ccharles000]

13. It is only Maine and Nebraska

[Oceansaway]

4. there's alot of idiot reagan dems. in the

quad cities...davenport/bettendorf...iowa

he's desperate....jmo...

[Khaotic]

30. You're so right

Actually I can't believe how many fucking McSame/MILF signs there are around in Davenport and Bettendorf.

Bettendorf will vote strongly for McSame. They always vote blindly for whatever Rethug is running. They think they're wealthy enough to vote Rethug. I hate to pigeon hole, but there's a lot of idiots in Bettendorf.

The Obama Scott County Obama Headquarters office says that absentee ballots are WAAAAAAAAYYYY down compared to '04.

Actually I don't think that's a bad thing.

Absentee ballots are a lot easier to be affected by caging efforts and the voter has NO IDEA that their vote was shit canned.

Plus ... I don't trust the postal service to get my ballot to where it needs to go.

Iowa might be DARK blue when it comes to national polling, but on the ground I see way too many McSame signs here in Northeast Iowa.

[Schulzz]

7. His campaign says they are only down by single-digits.

Mike DuHaime, McCain's political director, said internal campaign polling does not make the electoral map look as bad as some public polls suggest. For example: Asked why, if he has given up on Michigan, McCain has not given up on Iowa, a state that looks strong for Obama in public polls, DuHaime said because the campaign's polling has Obama's lead in the low single digits.


Not that I believe them.

[Overseas]

9. He sees white people. //nt

[SoonerPride]

12. He lost his dentures there back in April and keeps hoping he'll find them.

[pdxmom]

14. Supposedly, their internal polling says they are only down by single

digits and they think they have a shot at it. Interesting how that works. Not only would that mean the big pollsters have it totally wrong, but it means that the campaign is suddenly sharing the results of their internal polling, which they don't normally do.

Something is up.

[CoffeeCat]

15. This is a total mystery to me...

I'm in Iowa, and I don't get it.

Before McCain came to Iowa--he was behind by 6 points. It's understandable that he
thought Iowa was in reach, and he wanted to try and close the gap.

Since then, he's been here twice. One visit was a speech with Palin in Cedar Rapids. The
second visit was a 2-day stay in Iowa, with several events, including that wretched interview
with the Des Moines Register editorial board.

Now, McCain is behind 12 points, according to the latest Iowa poll on electoral-vote.com

So, why he's coming back here for a third visit is beyond me.

Obama has an unparalleled ground game firmly established here in Iowa. McCain came in third
in the Iowa caucuses, garnering only 13 percent of the vote.

What he's doing here is a mystery.

I wondered if he might try to steal the vote, but we've got a Progressive Gov and SOS.

So...who knows. :shrug:

[iceman66]

23. How do you vote in Iowa?

Diebold machines?

[Khaotic]

28. Actually ... yes

It's sad, but true.

They're not electronic voting machines, but they are Diebold.

Scantron type Diebold machines here in Scott County.

[CoffeeCat]

29. Optical scanners....

...reading paper ballots.

However, if a recount is needed--it is done on the paper ballots.

[rvablue]

34. Obviously this is shady because it makes no electoral sense at all

and at the same time he is going to Iowa, Palin is going back to Philly again???

[AllentownJake]

37. They made plans two weeks ago and aren't adjusting to new

realities.

[CoffeeCat]

40. See, I'm wondering if they aren't planning....

...an election theft in select smaller states.

Many are focused on Florida, Ohio--as far as election theft is concerned.

Maybe McCain has 6 or 7 states that he thinks he can screw with. No one
will be ready for a massive scam in smaller states, like Iowa. It
would be unexpected and therefore, they would be less likely to be caught.

I think we should start paying more attention to where McCain is campaigning
and why.

It's good to have this discourse, because now I feel that it's important to take
my phone with me and video me voting--in case anything goes wrong.

I tell ya...if my vote switches on screen--EVERYONE will see it. I'll immediately
dial 911 and call my friends in the media. I worked in PR for 15 years, and I'll
be calling all of my contacts.

[Cha]

44. Thanks Two Sparkles! So many know rovian tricks by

now so mccain's stupid trips to Iowa are glaring.

[rvablue]

45. Good for you and a message that should be shared with all

While any vote eff-ups need to be reported to election boards, anyone who has trouble needs to contact both the national and local media immediately. They are going to be ready for this story this year and if we don't call with problems, they won't know.

I think a lot of people who haven't worked in or with the media understand the utmost importance of this.

[Barack_America]

42. It's about base and margins.

They want to see where this "terrorism" and not-so veiled racism will stick.

They want to make sure their base turns out and see if they can pick up some Obama-leaning, but closet racist voters as well.

In other words, it's a hail mary pass and a pretty despicable one at that.

[rvablue]

46. But what is bizarre about this is where they are trying to do it.

How about going where the margins are much slimmer, if that is their strategy?

At this point, with the election 3 weeks away, I find it very difficult to believe that Rove's minions are making these choices and after what we've experienced the past 8 years, the ineptness and incompetency arguments just don't fly with me anymore.

[Barack_America]

48. Well, you could argue that where the margins are larger, the strategy will take more time to work.

So start there and then work on the other states.

But maybe I'm completely wrong. After all, I'm assuming that his campaign actually has a "strategy", something they've shown no evidence of to this point.

[No Elephants]

52. Is Iowa using voting machines?

[oviedodem]

17. Maybe his interal polling is saying something different

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. But Obama's doesn't?

Come on.

[oviedodem]

25. It depends on what they want to believe, m aybe McCain thinks there is still an outside shot

[hogwyld]

31. I'm thinking the same

He wouldn't go there unless there was some reason. Maybe his internals are showing him very close indeed.

[Rambis]

18. He's coming back to pick up the keys

he closed all his offices here and forgot them.

[The Revolution]

19. Good

Let him waste his time and money.

http://www.pollster.com/polls/ia/08-ia-pres-ge-mvo.php?xml=/flashcharts/content/xml/08IAPresGEMvO.xml&choices=Obama,McCain&phone=&ivr=&internet=&mail=&smoothing=&from_date=&to_date=&min_pct=&max_pct=&grid=&points=&trends=&lines=

[Khaotic]

22. IF YOU CAN GET TO DAVENPORT

Or if you're in Davenport, ask McSame a question for me.

I'll be out of town this weekend, so I can't go ... wish I could because I'd love to make him eat a question.

Ask him why all Veterans don't get Veterans Preference when it comes to federal service????

McSame has been in Congress for 26+ years, but as far as I know he has never done anything about the fact that not all Vets get Veterans Preference!

I'd love to hear him wiggle around that one.

The fact is that for a Veteran who gets a job in the Federal Government, you don't automatically get Veterans Preference. It depends on the timeframe you served, where you served, and/or what campaign medals you have.

There are many veterans who served in the Armed Forces during times of peace who do not qualify for Veterans Preference.

If a veteran doesn't go 20 years and retire from the military, then the veteran only gets veterans preference based qualifying criteria.

The fact is that there are thousands of veterans who are serving in the civil service who look at their SF-50 and see a big "NO" in the Veterans Preference block ... that's just wrong!!!! ALL VETERANS WHO FULFILL THEIR COMMITTMENT AND EARN AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE SHOULD QUALIFY FOR VETERANS PREFERENCE!!!!!! It's pretty much serving our country, being a veteran, and then having your country turn about and tell you that you're not a REAL veteran.

Gee, I wonder if mister 'every veteran's friend' McSame would enjoy being asked how a veteran who received an honorable discharge is somehow not eligible for Veterans Preference when it comes to serving our country in the civil service?????

NOTE ON DAVENPORT: McSame will indeed be here in Davenport this weekend, as WOC AM 1470 confirmed and announced this afternoon.

McSame needs to hear that regardless of his own service while he was on active duty, that while serving in the Congress he has failed Veterans.

[CoffeeCat]

32. Davenport is close to Iowa City--about an hour away...

...and Iowa City is an amazing, progressive college town. They had a large contingent of
protesters from Iowa City, who attended and disrupted the McPalin rally in Cedar Rapids.
That was three weeks ago.

I imagine that Iowa City will have a large contingent of people who infiltrate the McCain
rally in Davenport.

I hope so.

I really think that more of us should start going to the McCain rallies and demanding
that they start running a clean, honest campaign that doesn't incite violence and death threats.
It's getting ridiculous out there.

[Khaotic]

38. Too true

I hope there can be some DU'rs at the McSame rally.

If it's in town hall style, then jump up and ask him a question.

Don't be a critic, just ask him a question like the one I lined out.

He won't be able to answer it.

If ANYONE here can go, be aware that you might have to obtain a ticket and pretend to be a rethug for a day.

Tickets are available through the Scott County Republican Headquarters, where ever that hell that's located.

My guess ... just drive around Davenport until you find the building with 30+ Ford, Chevy, and Dodge trucks lining the street in front of it, with back window stickers of their favorite NASCAR driver's number, and the Calvin peeing on something decal.

Oh yeah, don't forget that their truck will more than likely have Truck Nutz dangling from the rear end. You know those social conservatives ... they roll like that.

[Barack_America]

24. He's coming to Iowa to plant seeds of bigotry and racism.

He's been looking for a place where they'll sprout. And, while he hasn't paid much attention to Iowa in the past, it might just be the place!

:puke:

[Khaotic]

33. Seeds of bigotry and racism

Well miss Philly, I think you have a different idea about Iowa than the reality.

Iowa cemented Obama.

If our state were full of bigots and racists then Obama wouldn't have even come in as much as 3rd in the caucus.

I can't say quite as much about the entire state of PA, which has a good chunk of population in the Appalachians.



We know the kind of attitudes that exist in Appalachia toward African-Americans, which is sad to say the least.

So if your little puking icon is in any way geared toward what you think is a state filled w/ backward thinking people, let me tell you that you're wrong.




Unless election fraud, caging efforts, and such are afoot, I think Obama will win Iowa.

[Barack_America]

39. Wow. You didn't get my post at all.

McCain is traveling from state-to-state WITH his seeds of bigotry and racism, looking for a place where they'll grow.

Today he tried out Wisconsin, later this week he'll try Iowa.

I happen to believe that his message won't take in either state. But, like it or not, this is what he's trying to do.

And the smilie was geared towards the McCain campaign and what they're attempting to do.

[Khaotic]

43. Oh ...

Sorry.

I'm a Show Me State Native who transplanted to Iowa back in '99, and I've heard way too many people diss Iowa in my life time.

I thought your post might be pointing out that Iowa could be nice fertile ground for McSame bigotry and racism.

Again ... sorry.

Glad you're living in the Philly, a great city and one that almost gave the PA primary to Obama.

With Philly and Pitt, I think Obama will keep PA blue.

For the record ... I hope the Phillies take the Dodgers. Nothing against L.A., I'm just going with Philly to go to the big dance to represent the NL. Then, of course, I'll be rooting for the National League representative. :-)

[Barack_America]

47. I understand being a transplant...

I'm actually from Detroit. And we Michiganders get our own share of assumptions that we're all "country" and "backwards" Midwesterners.

It makes me sick that McCain actually thinks his bullshit will take hold in the Midwest. The Midwest I know is largely full of pragmatic, tolerant and patriotic Americans. McCain is betting against all those things by bringing his bile there. And it makes no sense; Iowa and Wisconsin delivered two of Obama's largest victories in the primaries.

I have no bias whatsoever against Iowa. Now Ohio, that's a bit of a different story. I have a bad feeling about Ohio. But, being a Michigander, I always have, lol.

This election just cannot end soon enough, IMO. This shit that McCain is pulling is not only hateful and ultimately futile, but damaging to our country.

[Tatiana]

35. Great. Let him waste time and money there.

While we're busy with Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and Indiana.

[serrano2008]

49. the corn vote

I don't understand why it helps him either, to focus on Iowa. Maybe he thinks Iowa is a city in Missouri?

I heard awhile back that McCain won't be getting all of the rural votes they expect because he's never been a supporter of ethanol or something? Or he voted to cut a bunch of funding to corn growers or something? I definitely expect Obama to win Missouri.

[Khaotic]

50. Missouri

I wouldn't count on Missouri. Used to live there ... not just one place either. Lived in Hannibal, Warrensburg, K.C., Springfield, and St. Louis. I've visited all over MO.

Let me tell you, there are plenty of hicks down there who who will not be voting for a Democratic president anytime soon.

They might elect Jay Nixon governor this year, but I would not be surprised at all to see Jay get the governor's mansion, but for the state to stay red when it comes to the presidential election.

Just a lot of people there who buy into the whole christian reich abortion bullshit.

It's sad.

[lolamio]

51. Reverse psychology?

Maybe his internal polling numbers there really do show him losing, but he wants to make it seem otherwise. If he goes there, it makes it looks like he thinks he has a chance at winning it, even if he knows he doesn't. In the meantime, he could hope to get the Obama camp to spend more resources there.

Otherwise, the only logical solution is that he is narcissistic and enjoys going places where he knows he has no chance. Read: Pennsylvania yesterday.