Tea Bird

Is There A Hidden McCain Vote?

Will undecideds break largely for McCain?
It’s what Republican pollsters have been saying the last few weeks, and seems to be what Chuck Todd at NBC thinks as well. The net effect would be that Obama’s share of the vote is what current polling pegs it at, while McCain would scoop up the [...]

McCain, Palin To Flood PA With Appearances Next Week

From Ambinder:

Pennsylvania will see a lot of Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin next week.
The scheduling reflects McCain’s tough electoral math. With some — though by no means all — advisers all but conceding Colorado, McCain would be forced to win a blue state in order to recoup the electoral votes. New Hampshire [...]

The Associated Press: McCain might skip his own election-night party

From the Dept. of Confidence Boosting:

John McCain’s election night watch party might be missing John McCain. Instead of appearing before a throng of supporters at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix on the evening of Nov. 4, the Republican presidential nominee plans to deliver postelection remarks to a small group of reporters and guests on [...]

McCain needs to win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or Minnesota

Politico spoke with McCain staffers to see where they see their chance to get to 270 electoral votes with Michigan now off the map.

McCain now must win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or Minnesota in order to get enough electoral votes to win the presidency, his campaign says. 
Those were considered swing states in 2000 and 2004, but George [...]

Out of Michigan

This is absolutely huge news. How does McCain get to 270 now? Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are his last bets to pick up a sizable (sorry NH) Kerry state. Unfortunately for McCain, neither of those are at all trending in his direction. In fact, he’ll have a lot of trouble holding Florida, Ohio, [...]

Quote of the Day 9/24/2008

“You don’t suspend your campaign. This doesn’t smell right. This isn’t the way a tested hero behaves… “hat are you going to do if you’re elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We’ve got a guy like that now!
– David Letterman, criticizing Senator John McCain

Why McCain called a TO

Ambinder has this detail:

A GOP consultant close to the campaign says that McCain realized that
he must to support a bailout package, that Republicans will be blamed if
one fails, and that he — McCain — has to OWN the solution and put his
leadership brand out front.

Ambinder on McCain’s Time Out

From Marc Ambinder:

Suspending your campaign basically says: all that over the past sixteen months? It wasn’t important. Ignore what I said or did.
Too late.
The tough thing here for McCain is that nobody in Washington asked him to come back; nobody seems to need him to come back; and that Democrats simply do not [...]

Claiming Credit for a Done Deal

According to Talking Points Memo, this is nearly a done deal.

The deal on the “bail out” is 98% done. Treasury has capitulated on almost every point. A draft is circulating on the Hill now. No one needs McCain to help do the remaining 2%….except the White House who has no standing [...]

Obama and McCain Were Discussing Bailout Bipartisanship Yesterday

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell is reporting that

Obama campaign strategist Robert Gibbs said, Obama initiated contact at 8:30 this morning after discussing it on the flight to Tampa yesterday afternoon and again last night. They discussed a joint statement of shared principles on the bailout package — to help move it along toward consensus on the [...]