http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/us/politics/03michigan.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin
This article was very interesting to me because it shows how important the economy is to the presidential election and the candidate’s campaigning strategies. For instance, previously, McCain said how important Michigan was to the election, but now he is not campaigning there at all. The article mentions “Mr. McCain’s somewhat unsteady response to” the financial crisis. If this is how the general public views his response, it could seriously affect his chance at the presidency.
I’m curious if the McCain campaign will really stop all advertising in Michigan. I wonder what effect this strategy will have on the Republicans in Michigan. Will Obama win the state? How much of Obama’s funds will be redirected away from Michigan?
5 comments:
I really think that McCain won't leave Michigan completely. If he does, it will be so much more important to secure Bush's other states that he had. Obama's campaign was right to say that they "will believe it when they see it." McCain said himself how crutial Michigan is, so I really don't see either candidates backing out, unless the Democratic majority is overwhelming. Then maybe McCain may completely withdraw. The McCain campaign already also invested 8 million in Michigan, making it even less likely McCain will back out.
It is hard to believe that McCain would avoid campaigning in Michigan completely. It doesn't really make sense to relieve all efforts to get the voters of Michigan. He'll have to work extra hard in the other states to gain their votes. A lot of money has already been invested in this campaign and would be a waste not to at least do a little there. Obama doesn't seem too worried about McCain's decision and doesn't seem to believe that it will happen any way.
I differ from the other posts so far, in that I honestly believe that the McCain campaign has truly abandoned its hopes of winning Michigan this November. Michigan is a traditionally "blue" state, and has voted for a Democrat in every election since 1988. A major argument made by others posting is that the fact that McCain has already invested $8 million towards winning Michigan makes it unlikely that McCain would simply give up. I, however, think the fact that McCain has invested this much money, yet still trails Obama by a considerable margin, has probably shown the McCain committee that is simply not possible for a Republican to win Michigan at this time. McCain has wisely chosen, for lack of better words, to "cut and run", and concentrate his resources on more attainable goals.
Personally, i do not understand why McCain ever thought he could win Michigan in the first place. His anti-union policies, combined with his remarks that Michigan must accept that it will never regain its firm hold on the automotive industry, assured his defeat in a state where the United Auto Workers Union holds such political clout. His decision to give up on Michigan came about six months too late.
As of today, Obama has a 13 point lead based on CNN polling. That to me seems like a big enough defecit to call it quits. The McCain campaign is really falling behind and after viewing a few more polls I have realized that Obama is leading Florida. McCain needs to win all the major toss up states to win the presidency. A state like New Hampshire that had previously been considered a toss up has turned blue, while North Carolina which had been red for weeks is becoming a toss up. McCain needs to not only win the toss ups, but keep whats already red, red. As for Michigan, McCain is making the right call to leave. There are better states to use your money on than to fight a 13 point uphill battle.
It looks like McCain really has left Michigan, but I am sure his campaign is confident that Republicans in Michigan will continue their own efforts. In response to Mike, I think McCain would have had a better chance in Michigan without the current financial crisis. He may have thought that a lot of publicity in the state could change his image in voter’s minds. I think McCain may have only told Michigan that they were influential for the election to get them motivated to vote for him. I agree with Doug that McCain will have to work extra hard in other states; and like Matt said, he needs to keep the states he already has.
The Republican Party did not do well this past week and there is some concern about the party’s message to voters and whether it is connecting with them. This could be a really important point in the campaign season.
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