Wohoo! Obama pulls to within 5 points of McGrumpy in West Virginia!

[Blondiegrrl]

(snippet)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The gap between John McCain and Barack Obama among West Virginia voters is slimmer than most political pundits had imagined, according to a new poll conducted by Charleston-based Mark Blankenship Enterprises.

The Republican ticket of Sen. McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin holds just a 5 percent lead over Democratic nominees Sens. Obama and Joe Biden, concludes the telephone survey of 432 registered voters in the state. The firm said its poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

Forty-four percent said they were likely to vote for McCain/Palin in the November election compared to 39 percent who chose Obama/Biden. One in five voters said they were undecided.

http://www.dailymail.com/News/200809100187

[NYC_SKP]

1. Whoa.... now there's some surprising and very good news. K&R

Nice catch!

[RiverStone]

2. Wow, considering it is one of the 'most white' states --- thats damn good!

[quantass]

10. More accurately: one of the 'most racist' states"... damn good indeed!

Iowa is extremely white and have no problems voting for the best president who happens to not be white! Gawdbless Iowans!

[monomach]

3. Holy shit?

Well, that's a welcome surprise. I wouldn't count on them, though. That video of that lady being all "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF HOOOOOOSEIN" still sticks with me as a shining example of mountain people.

[Blondiegrrl]

16. Yeah, I've lived in the state all my life.

I had written W.Va. off as a lost cause, but now I'm thinking there is a slim chance that Obama could pull it off. It couldn't be done without actually physically campaigning here, though. Obama needs to come back here, as well as send Joe Biden and either Bill or Hillary. The Clintons especially would be a big help.

It is true that there is a lot of racism in the state. But the racism is canceled out by the utter lack of enthusiasm for McCain. Seriously, I have yet to meet a single person who LIKES McCain. The concensus seems to be that he's the lesser of two evils. Palin might change that, however, with her ultra-fundie views.

[DCBob]

4. This is amazing. I wonder what is going on there?

It goes against current conventional thinking but I will take it. Perhaps Obama should send Bill and Hillary there and push it more. WV has been blue in the past and maybe could go blue again!

[Blondiegrrl]

13. Obama has some very dedicated ground support here in W.Va.

Here is the e-mail I received this evening from my West Virginians for Obama e-mail group. Note the reference to "our polls" -- I'm pretty sure he's talking about internal polls! Also, Obama has outraised McCain by a huge margin here -- like 2-to-1 or 3-to-1.

See, I told you so...

Today's Charleston Daily Mail refers to a poll showing Obama-Biden
within 5 points in WV...that's what our polls were showing a few weeks
ago, before any new campaign effort.

UPDATE - THIS EVENING: The national campaign has pumped a little more
money into the WV race. We're getting additional phone lines here in
Charleston and around the state. They think we can do it.

EVERY OFFICE NEEDS HELP! I just left the Charleston office about 45
mins ago and the phones were full tonight. Help is needed here during
the day and evenings. The same is true at each office. PLEASE, if you
have any time, stop in and see what needs to be done.\

(The guy who sent this e-mail is Scott King, a member of Kanawha Stonewall Democrats, if anyone cares.)

[DCBob]

21. Yes. I care alot! That is interesting news!

It does seem possible. Thanks!

[Samantha]

19. West Virginia gave JFK his small margin of victory

Perhaps it will do the same for Obama. But everyone here who remarks how amazing this is is on the money. I have a small bungalow place in the panhandle of West Virginia. When I first started going there, I asked someone where were all the African-Americans. The response was they all lived together near Piedmont. The small town in which I bought my place had not one African-American. It took me a long time to learn to live with the culture shock.

I soon became friends with an African-American woman. Best friends. I invited her and her daughter to visit me at my place. This they did. Their visit coincided with the visit of some neighbors of mine, the child of whom was good friends with my young daughter. That young friend of my daughter's came up and told her she had to leave because her mother insisted she do so since we had black people in our house. I truly could not believe this as my daughter approached me and told me. I think the assumption was that I would ask my African-American friend to leave so the friend of my four-year old daughter would stay. I simply responded if that was what they felt they had to do, I was sorry they had those feelings. I then turned around and sat down by my friend and started a conversation.

A number of things of this nature subsequently happened over the years in this small town. It is today very difficult, but extremely pleasantly surprising, to think Obama is within striking range of McCain there.

Sam

[Blondiegrrl]

22. Wow. That's so sad to hear about your experience with your racist neighbors.

It's stunning to hear that in this day and age there are still people like that. I think it's fading more with each passing generation, though.

[Hippo_Tron]

5. If other polls reflect this I will eat my words about the trend of West Virginia

[Blondiegrrl]

12. Obama was down by only 9 back in June, according to a different poll.

(I can't remember which poll it was, though.)

[progressiveforever]

6. That's good

LEt's do it

[TheKentuckian]

7. Those people are getting slaughtered and have been forever

with the right push or two, they can be turned.

You talk to them about the economy and you may as well be preaching to the choir.

[bigdarryl]

8. BUT BUT!!!!! all the media pundits are saying he's off his game

this Kelly Ann was on Larry King tonight talking about he's dropping in the polls. WEST VA!!!!! within five points DAMN!!!!

[bushisanidiot]

9. Sounds good, but I don't trust telephone polls

It would be pretty awesome to see a repeat of the 1996 race when President Clinton picked off W. Virginia and a bunch of other "red states".

[quantass]

11. Have to agree with you...we will see in other polls but not holding breath

[Blondiegrrl]

14. Obama's internals are showing the same thing.

See my other post:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7022444&mesg_id=7022847

:bounce:

[pkz]

15. I live in WV

Honestly, the primary was hard. I was an Obama candidate to the convention and we had the majority, but egads! the women for Hillary were nutsy sometimes.

Lots of Dems in this state, do not forget WV was Blue since Kennedy.
Rove himself came here one week before the election in '00
Told several city, and small town leaders in closed door meetings: "Gore is gonna take your guns and Bibles and let the gays marry"
Fear/anger won the state for Bush, and I would venture to say it was Fear/patriotism in '04
loads of hawks in this state.

Not many in this state Bushfans and most do think McC is the same, the Dem women resent his getting a woman running mate, they think it was a slap in the face to them. He did not win over any Dem women in this state with his choice.
Now, there are lots of comments about O...but those will just plain not vote either way.

Dems will come out for Obama, just because they are good loyal Democrats.

[Blondiegrrl]

17. I live in W.Va., too. In the Charleston area. Where are you?

I didn't realize (or perhaps I'd blacked it out) that Rove came here back in 2000. Yuck. Satan's Spawn tainted our lovely mountains. Or at least, what mountains there are left, once Rove's buddies strip-mined them all.

[pkz]

18. I am up in Fairmont

Clarksburg had an office and we didn't, so a couple of us went together and opened our own Obama office.
Then they sent us a staff person.
It was great and all the Dem Club Women in this county (Marion) are now hardily backing him.
Don't know if we will get a staff person here for the GE.

[Blondiegrrl]

20. That's great. Thanks for the update! n/t

[doc03]

23. Here's something the Obama campaign may want to

consider just heard on WTRF-TV in Wheeling WV that Obama supporters are trying to get Obama to make an appearance at the Stadium in Wheeling on September 27th. The significance of September 27th is the anniversary of JFK's visit there in 1960. Back in 1960 WV played an important part in JFK's election.

[Blondiegrrl]

24. Ooh, that would be an excellent idea! I didn't realize that about the anniversary

of JFK's appearance.

On a related note, chances are good that either Obama or Biden will be the guest speaker for the Dems' annual Jackson-Jefferson Day dinner in Charleston the previous week:

http://wvgazette.com/News/200808260735

My guess is it would be Biden, for his working-class appeal. But I'd love to see Obama make a Wheeling appearance!

[doc03]

26. Wheeling would be a good place to try for WV also

Wheeling would be a the place to campaign for eastern Ohio votes. Another important place to appear in Ohio is in Steubenville. You know Wheeling WV was the first place Kerry went after the 2004 convention and he drew about 10,000 people, he also came to Steubenville and drew a huge crowd. I think Eastern Ohio will be the key to carrying Ohio.

[Awsi Dooger]

25. Hard to see Obama getting over the top

West Virginia can be won by a moderate Democrat but I'm extremely skeptical Obama will come close.

It's an interesting state with heavy Party ID advantage toward Democrats, but most of them are moderates and you only get about 17% self-identified liberals. That changes the state dynamic in presidential races as opposed to gov race and otherwise.

This is a state where Hillary had a good opportunity but Obama needs a decisive national margin to yank West Virginia along. It's almost exclusively a white state and there's very little gender gap. The women vote side by side with the male partisanship.