Electoral strategy: Dems. already lost 7 electoral votes!

[uconnyc]

If you look at the new Electoral college after the 2000 census the states that Gore won lost 7 electoral votes, while the states Bush won gained 7 votes.

We've got our work cut out for us!

What states do you think the Democrat nominee will have to really screw-up badly to lose?

I think: DC, Hawaii, New York, California and Vermont are the only ones.

For Bush: Texas, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Utah, ND, SD, Nebraska, Kansas, Indiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia, Alaska are pretty much locks.

[xray s]

1. Illinois is a 'D' lock

Bet the farm on that one.

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. I think: DC, HI, NY, CA and VT are the only ones....

Add Maine, Mass, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, for starters.

Iowa, Michigan, too. Manufacturing unemployment has already cost the GOP those states...

[uconnyc]

12. so you're saying Bush can't win those states unless....

the Democratic candidate really screws up?

I think you give Bush and his band of merry men too little credit.

[coralrf]

30. Band implies more than one...

and Bush has Rove. Bush has nothing to run on but his past. Not so good. In 2000 he ran on promises and it took the SCOTUS to slide him an ace. This time it will be his promises but what promises he broke.

Bush has been in self destruct mode since Jan 21, 2001.

[ixion]

3. Don't be suprised if some of those 'red' states go blue...

while you're probably right, I wouldn't be suprised if Alaska, Utah and perhaps a couple others went blue this time around... but I could just be overly optimistic. ;-)

[liberalmuse]

11. If Utah goes blue...

I will run nekidd through the streets, screaming for joy. I think Nevada will go blue this time, but Utah? Bush would have to be exposed of all his crimes in the major headlines, including allowing 9-11 to happen, and even then, the stepford Mormons may not turn. There are a lot of liberals in SLC, but the rest of the state drowns us out.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

20. Bookmarking!

:evilgrin:

[coralrf]

27. Nevada...

Nuke waste. Done deal!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

23. Yep! We're winning NH, AZ, and OH. eom

[trotsky]

4. Nitpick... the DEMOCRATIC nominee

Please don't reinforce the use of "Democrat" when the proper term is "Democratic". The right wing and their media cohorts are doing their best, let's not help them.

[coralrf]

28. Amen Trotsky.....

It is a DEMOCRATIC candidate and it is the DEMOCRATIC party. Delay is the chief proponent of the ‘Democrat’ party misnomer. Remember that the not so wise pukes ridiculed with great success the word Democrat but forgot the word DEMOCRATIC. In moron America, YES it makes a difference. The pugs will never use DEMOCRATIC as it still carries its original definition.

DEMOCRATIC:
1 : of, relating to, or favoring democracy.
2 often capitalized : of or relating to one of the two major political parties in the U.S. evolving in the early 19th century from the anti-federalists and the Democratic-Republican party and associated in modern times with policies of broad social reform and internationalism
3 : relating to, appealing to, or available to the broad masses of the people <democratic art>
4 : favoring social equality : not snobbish

[sham]

5. Pardon my ignorance on this

I'm really not familiar with Alaskan politics, but I had always assumed it was a blue state, for environmental reasons. I guess that was a stupid assumption?

[xray s]

7. It's split

Developers/miners/oil vs environmentalists.

[Guirigui]

13. No, not stupid at all . . .

Unfortunately for Alaska, due to its weather, population and remote location, a much greater percentage of its population tends to depend on jobs and industry that make use of (or, IOW, exploit) its natural resources. A large portion of that states population therefore tends to be more sympathetic to mining, timber and oil industry concerns.

Compare that to, say, Oregon or Washington, states that have a more diversified economy, especially around the major metropolitan areas. Such diversity has resulted in a smaller portion of its population dependent on, and therefore sympathetic to, such industries.

[coralrf]

29. No not at all..

It is a Blue state on that basis and I think that, ANWR, a huge issue there. AK may be conservative but my impression of the Alaskan is one of a determined and solid person.

Totally off topic but did you know that the 2 largest populations of Bald Eagles, the symbol of the USA are in Alaska and my state Florida? Not Texas. I predict the Eagle has landed and its test flight with the right is over.

[ButterflyBlood]

33. not even close

most of the economy there is bent on raping the environment (ANWR for example) so it's about as solidly Republican as you can get. Although we have a good shot at picking up a Senate seat there next year.

[ewagner]

6. Expect Wisconsin to go Dem

not necessarily a lock but pretty damned close!

[Edmundo]

8. We're working on Michigan...

Decision 2004

Half of Michigan voters don't want Bush re-elected


By George Weeks / The Detroit News

More Michigan voters want a new face in the White House than want President Bush re-elected, a new voter survey shows.

A Detroit News/Local4/ Mitchell Poll of 600 likely voters found that 49 percent want someone other than Bush elected next year, compared to 44 percent who favor a second term.

Link:
http://www.detnews.com/2003/politics/0309/22/a01-276741.htm

[LightTheMatch]

9. New Mexico

NM will probably be close to a lock for us this time. The Democratic Party in NM is coming back strong.

Arizona will be a possibility, but Nevada is more likely.

[HawkerHurricane]

10. Don't worry

I expect those states which gained electoral votes also gained Democrats. The population didn't go up just because Replutocans were having babies, it went up because people were moving.

[rads]

14. A few more blues

Maryland and New Jersey are absolute locks, and I'd say Delaware is close to being one.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

16. Gore won NJ by 14 points, but it is not an absolute given

Supposedly it looked competitive 2 weeks before the election last time. I am not sure why that is but I would not take it for granted...it started voting Democratic for president in 1992 but it went GOP in the previous 6 presidential elections.

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1090&px=1318480">September to Remember

[ButterflyBlood]

25. so did California

NJ's a bigger lock than California, which went to Gore by "only" 12 points, not bad at all, but less than other states. It's far from the most liberal or most Democratic state.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

15. Add Rhode Island and Massachusetts to the list of completely safe states

Gore won both of those states by almost 30 points. And Maryland, too, for that matter, and maybe Connecticut. Certainly if NY is on that list than these states should be on it.

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1090&px=1318480">Help make this a September to Remember

[jiacinto]

17. disagree on KY

That state can be one.

[sandnsea]

18. Oregon D

I don't see this state going Republican. It may depend on the health plan presented. If they see it as a duplicate of the Oregon Health Plan, people here will cringe. But it depends on whether they believe it's the same thing and whether they blame OHP problems on Bush underfunding or state mismanagement. And whether they think the plan presented will help fix it. Generally, I think people are pretty well horrified by Bush. I would suspect you could add Washington to your D list as well. You said screw up badly to lose.

On Rep, depending on the Democratic VP, I only see TX, WY, ID, KS, OK, AL, MS, and AK as pretty much locks. The rest could easily be in play with Edwards as VP and a shitty economy. Edwards can talk to rural people anywhere.

[ButterflyBlood]

31. The Dakotas and Nebraska

it doesn't matter who the VP is, those are lost. And why the hell is Utah not on there? There is NO ONE who can bring the Mormons in.

[goobergunch]

34. Matheson?

;-) :evilgrin:

[diamondsoul]

19. I wouldn't bet on Indiana being a Bush lock

either. Manufacturing and other job losses around here have people mightily pissed. Add to that we had a Dem Governor who was adored even by most of the local Repubs, and we may just swing this time out.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

21. NO WAY is Montana a lock for Bush

the political climate here is looking worse and worse for the Republicans. They've been in total control here for years and their mismanagement is starting to come home to roost. The Republican governor is the most unpopular in history (she is not running for reelection) and we've got a great Gov. candidate in Schwietzer. The Bush economy has been a disaster here - we were already last in wages before the Bush recession and things have only gotten worse. Even the wildfire rhetoric is starting to wear thin as the fires this summer have proven it all to be lies.

And the population is changing as well. We have been experiencing an influx of people moving here from out of state for years. This is not your father's Montana.... Western Montana has traditionally been more Democratic and Eastern Montana Republican... and all the population growth is in the west.

And don't forget Clinton carried Montana in '92...

[sandnsea]

22. And Mike Mansfield

And Ted Schwinden and Metcalf and other strong Montana Democrats. If Montana rejects this new wave of Republican politics, it'll be a great signal that the tide is really turning.

And Montana should never forget Jeanette Rankin, even though she was a Republican. At 88, she was protesting the Vietnam War. What a heroic figure for peace.

[ButterflyBlood]

24. You missed arguably the two biggest locks

Rhode Island and Massachussetts. Gore beat Bush in RI than any other state in the country. Those as well as Connecticut, New Jersey and Maryland are bigger locks than California.

[coralrf]

26. Florida....

will go Dem. Go ahead and flame on but I am sitting in it and I am in Duval county...GOP thru and thru. Bush is toast in Florida as his brother would have been if the Democratic party put up half an effort. In 2002 there was no reason for a Dems to go to the polls and a huge amount of them did not. Fuck them. 2004 will bring them out.

This is a Southern State and a blue collar state. In other words there are lots of boys and girls in Iraq that are not having a problem with the heat( it was 92 here today). You can fool a guy into buying a Yugo but once he drives it he will know what you did.

Bush will not get Florida in 2004 and it is unlikely that the GOP will have much going on in Tallahassee after that election.

[ButterflyBlood]

32. The Democrat may get the most votes in Florida

but whether Jeb lets all the votes be counted remains to be seen.

[Brush_Hill]

35. Twisted Election in 2004

I am a pessimist and a sometime conspiracy addict. That being said, I have my own theory as to the 2004 General Election. And it involves Senator Hillary Clinton.
My thinking is the the Repukes will purposely lose this election and let a Democrat WIN. Why? Well, if Bush wins, then he will have to be RESPONSIBLE and finish the mission in Iraq and rebuild the American economy. This will be impossible. This being impossible, the Repukes decide to engineer a Democratic victory and let the Iraq mess become his/her problem. The added bonus is that Hillary will not take on a sitting Democratic president in 2008. Conversely, my thinking is that if * wins in 2004 (God help us all), then the 2008 election will be Hillary's and we all know that keeping her out of the White House is their top mission in life. (Ok, well in the top 5 missions)
I see no way for * to get out of the mess that he and his handlers have created. Some have suggested that there will be an "orchestrated terrorist attack." Talk about wagging the dog.

[zekeson]

36. Specualtion that Minnesota could go Red

and that is a sorry state of affairs. The DFL hasn't the message out here as well as they could'v ein the recent past - the loss of Wellstone was a huge vacuumn and the Repugglies made inroads with the inbred twins, Pawlenty (gov) and Coleman (the sen woefully inadequate in Paul Welstone's job). They are co-chairing Bush's* MN campaign. I think the rumours of the DFL's demise is greatly exaggerated and we'll see Blue in MN in 2004.

[ButterflyBlood]

37. I agree

especially since Pawlenty isn't too popular and Coleman hasn't won anyone over as all he's done is kiss Bush's ass. Bush won't gain any points being seen with those two. Also keep in mind if you add in the Nader vote Bush lost by 7 points in 2000.

[RevelerRevenant]

38. South Should Know Better

It seems apparent to me that the Southern states are biting the hand
that feeds them. Democratic administrations have always provided
the people of the South with money to live on, Food Stamps, cheap
electricity, huge grants of federal tax money to support them,
which comes from the large rich states such as NY, CA, PA, etc.
Why they continue to vote for Republicans who keep cutting and cutting
the programs that help them is beyond me.
It took the South about 120 years to recoup a decent standard of
living after the Civil War, because such great Democrats such as FDR
saw fit to extend a helping hand. Then LBJ continued the tradition and
LBJ is second only to FDR for the good he did for the South.
It is like country music singers. They wail and moan about patriotism,
war, country, etc. but not one of them had the guts to enlist and
fight for their country. They are armchair warriors.