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McCain Spending Big In Play For Michigan
John McCain is making a major play for Michigan, a must-win swing state for Barack Obama, with ad buys estimated at $500,000 per week.
Obama was hurt somewhat by the controversies surrounding Michigan's rogue primaries, mainly due to his inability to actively organize and campaign here as he did in almost all of the other states.
A recent poll gave Obama a narrow lead here, as he plays catch-up in campaign appearances. But make no mistake -- given Michigan's historically close results in the presidential race, both nominees will be spending a lot of time and money here.
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Have you asked the Obama campaign why they haven't put up any television ads yet?
June 12, 2008 9:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
I hope they're about to unleash a barrage. But yes, I'm getting impatient.
June 12, 2008 9:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's a LOT of dough spent by McCain on TV ads. Barack is probably just taking his time. He probably doesn't even need his own TV ads. He has been #1 for weeks on this weekly election poll, and they include Hillary Clinton in their Vice President poll, so see if America thinks that she should back Barack. You can see the results at:
http://www.votenic.com
And, by the way, this poll is honest and non-biased.
June 12, 2008 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
It beats me why someone who knows he isn't wanted and has gotten banned under multiple user IDs would keep pimping his stupid web site. How pathetic can one get?
June 12, 2008 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
At least I'm not yellow.
June 12, 2008 11:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
The only thing I am sure of is that I trust him and his campaign to do what it take s to win. What ever their reason I am sure it is correct. (or at least close enough to correct to win the election)
June 12, 2008 10:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is actually pretty good news. Once the black, youth, and union turnout is mobilized in Michigan, it won't even be that close.
Glad to see McCain spending his precious resources on a fool's errand.
June 12, 2008 9:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
"These jobs aren't coming back!" McCain said in a Michigan town hall event before he was crushed by Romney in the primary.
June 12, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with that. The only way McCain can make a serious play at MI is to put Romney on the ticket. That would make it interesting, but I have to think $5/gal gas will still make it a tough state for even a McRomney ticket. And that would be a real prob for the Christian Right.
June 12, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Spend mcbush, spend. You have no cash, so piss it all away where you can't win, like michigan. Mcbush has as much chance to win in michigan as he does in ny or cali this election cycle. How many uber rich that need more tax breaks and credits live in michigan for pete's sake, not too many I would suspect. Also, mcbush doesn't care about or know about the economy. Too funny. Spend away chump.
June 12, 2008 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'll respectfully submit that Michigan isn't so much a must win for Obama as a must win for McCain if he's going to keep Obama below 270. While the conventional wisdom is a Democrat needs to win Michigan in order to win the electoral map, it's clear that Obama has numerous routes to get to 270 this year. However if the McCain camp can't steal a state like Michigan where they have the advantage of having campaigned and introduced themselves to voters in a way that Obama hasn't yet, then I don't any real shot for them to hold Obama below 270 EV's.
The amount of the ad buy is interesting as it shows they're probably a bit bullish on their financing potential.
June 12, 2008 9:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ha! Maybe McCain will whip out his classic "jobs won't be coming back" line. That'll line 'em up.
June 12, 2008 9:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is another major reason why I'm now favoring Kathleen Sebelius for Veep. She a has a summer home in Michigan near Traverse City. If she gets picked in say early July (I think the 4th of July is an excellent opportunity to introduce a VP - lots of parades and public events to attend) she could resign as KS Governor (her Lieutenant Gov. is a Democrat) and spend the summer based out of her summer home as well as her parent's home near Cincinatti (her father is former OH governor John Gilligan) campaigning in these two crucial states. I'd also suggest having Gilligan officially put his daughter's name into nomination at the DNC - how moving would that be to have an 87 year-old former Governor nominating his daughter for VP? I think that alone would make a big impact on the senior citizen vote.
June 12, 2008 9:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
She will be seen as complicit in Obama's fucking the voters in the primary.
June 12, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain has been on the air big time in Ohio for weeks now also. I have never seen anything like it this early in a Presidential campaign.
I would be interested in the answer to this also, but I suspect the reason McCain is running the ads is to artificially keep his poll numbers high so as to keep people interested in funding his campaign so it does not look like an entirely lost cause by mid-summer (in effect this is variation of Josh's article from a few years ago in, I think, the Washington Monthy called The Confidence Game). Obama I assume is taking the long view and may think its a waste of money right now. It is not like he doesn't have the money, so I presume they think its a waste to spend it now on broadcast ads.
June 12, 2008 10:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yep, I think it is a waste of money right now for obama as well. He gets tons of free press on the news now anyway, he really doesn't need to run any adds. Also, I think they are working on the obama roll out strategy for the general election campaign. Give them some time, they are behind the 8 ball thanks to the clintons.
June 12, 2008 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
There could be another reason McCain is on the air now, which is to goat Obama into going on the air in a big way and blowing a ton of money in the process.
June 12, 2008 10:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
If Clinton could not knock him off his game, how likely is it that McCain will be able to?
June 12, 2008 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Clinton kicked Obama's ass in Michigan.
June 12, 2008 11:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
clinton beat 'uncommitted' and kucinich in the primary, not obama.
June 12, 2008 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good luck pushing that rope.
June 12, 2008 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Blow a ton of money with the hope of causing your opponent to do the same?
June 12, 2008 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Every night during the local (Kalamazoo, Mich.), news we get McCain's ad about how he really, really, really hates war, because he was in one, you know.
Every time I think about the dipstick singing "bomb, bomb, bomb/bomb, bomb Iran..."
June 12, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
not once. not twice. we are subjected to/terrorized by his ads repeatedly. incessantly.
June 12, 2008 12:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain is going to go speak to Canada to talk about his Pro-Nafta stand. I'm sure after than he will win Michigan in a landslide.
June 12, 2008 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama fucked Michigan in the primary and they shouldn't and won't forget that.
June 12, 2008 11:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
hahahahahahaha
June 12, 2008 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Take it from a Michigander, Obama will win MI without breaking a sweat. It is not in play. Period.
Hope McCain dumps lots of money there, though, like some dope at a blackjack table who doesn't know all the big cards have already been dealt.
June 12, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
What money is being spent now? Still primary money since it's prior to the conventions? Obama should have a ton of money left over - maybe he is spending that on district offices and get out the vote drives and such. I don't think anybody is really paying attention to political ads right now.
The current ad being run in Michigan is the "I Hate War" ad which could be debunked with one little jingle...
June 12, 2008 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
BUT: it isn't being debunked.
these ads should have significant influence in misleading low-info/passive-info voters to push mccain's positives up in the absence of any reality checking to counter them.
June 12, 2008 1:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
and Clinton had it all sewed up untill people started voting.
June 12, 2008 4:27 PM | Reply | Permalink