Why Did McCain Leave Michigan?

The Washington Independent:

For the past several months, the Republican and Democratic nominees for president have targeted this fading center of the Rust Belt, with its 17 electoral votes, as a winnable state -- part of each party's electoral strategy to take the White House.

Now, that plan for one ticket, that of Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin, lies in smoldering ruins. As early as yesterday afternoon, reports began to filter out that the McCain campaign had suspended its efforts here and would be cutting staff as well as advertising.

McCain was essentially giving the state that George W. Bush had carried by five percentage points or less in 2000 and 2004 to Sen. Barack Obama.

Read the whole story: The Washington Independent

Comments

[ItsaPalindrome]

McCain left Michigan, because his campaign is a sinking ship, and it's of his own doing, as illustrated in this Disney cartoon throwback, Swiftboat Willie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjomYMe6t_U

Enjoy!

[rabidrobot]

McCain didn't "leave Michigan".

He Waved the White Flag of Surrender on the Battleground of Michigan

[anopenmind]

Don’t believe it Michigan! This is like John McCain "suspending his campaign - a bunch of bull!
The RNC is still in Michigan working!! Get the vote out Michigan take nothing for granted!

[Actionmac]

yes, work like we are 20 points behind.

[pjean]

That guys looks like death. He reminds me of a puppet or something from the muppet show. With that said, I'm glad he is finally coming around. Now the question is what will he say on Fox news since that's the only place I've seen him so far.

[Ping]

I guess they will spend every penny they have in Ohio and Florida.

[blueshield]

They're not giving Michigan to Sen O at all.

They've calculated the coming flurry of racially charged smears against Sen O will be all it takes to put Michigan over, and so they're saving money.

As this article clearly confirms, In Michigan, it's going to come down to whether folks vote their wallets over race, or not.

[mymomma2]

WATCH OUT PEOPLE, I HEAR THAT THIS IS A STRATEGY. THEY WILL PULL OUT PUBLICLY AND GO BACK IN SILENTLY AND TRY TO WORK UNDER THE RADAR.

THE RACE IS NOT OVER WE CAN NOT REST UNTIL OBAMA IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

BEWARE----THESE ARE REPUBLICANS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT---- DO NOT LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!

[Rictracee]

Republicans have never been and never will be for the middle class.

[ohmetoo]

An as a Swedish/Ge­rman/Chero­kee/ Scottish American, I will NEVER be WHITE enough to be a republican.

[marytny]

As a Sicilian/S­lavic/Russ­ian.... me either.

Actually was told once by a GOPer that I wasn't white.....

Hazel eyes...not blue!

[GuyFawkes]

Bush carried Michigan in 2000 and 2004? That last paragraph doesn't make sense.

[PioneerKing]

WHITE FLAG OF DEFEAT!!

McCain/Palin can not stand up to the unemployed workers who have been displaced by job losses due to NAFTA.

McCain has cut and run on hard working middle class Americans.

If McCain/Palin can not stand up for some of the most economically devastated Americans but suspends his campaign to run bail out Wall Street. That's not a maverick that's a politician who will say anything and do anythng to get elected.

[drzoon]

mc cain is a nutcase now days. he has such a short fuse that it takes nothing to set him off! i can't believe i ever liked the guy.

but now that i think of it, if i remember correctly, Maverick was a con man wasn't he?

[noneIn2008]

Michigan does not matter to McCain. It is a Dem given. The deals have already been cut. Also if you live in NY, CA, IL, TX the deals have been cut, and your electoral college vote already assigned to the Dems or Reps. Swing voters in 8 states will determine the President. All others are window dressing to try to make the vote look legitimate. But your state has already given the electoral votes to one of them

Outside those 8 states, the only way to have your vote heard or counted is to vote 3rd party. Send a message to Washington that you are dissatisfied with the back room deals of both parties. You are no longer their pawn.

[piper1233]

Instead of people like you asking voters to join you in protest, why not find, groom and run a viable alternative to the Dems and Repubs. Every year alternate partys run the same lame old faces that seem to only pop up as spoilers. These substitute leaders are never around during the regular year to fight for what they believe the other Partys are not doing for the American People. This is a ploy to garner a percentage of votes from dissatisfied people in order to trade them to the Dems or Repubs for influence in their administration. I would love for the process to be open to more alternative voices, but I refuse to waste (yes waste) my vote on a childish temper tantrum. join one of the two partys, mail and phone in your desenting positions to them and lobby for your community and interest. This will yield more results then allowing these usurpers to gain favor with the entities you dislike by flaunting your name in front of them.

[noamjunior]

that message brought to you by McCain/Palin 08

[GoBarryGo]

He left because it's a lost cause. Oh, that and two other words: Barack Obama.

[NCarolina]

Probably ... also because he's a quitter - not a fighter.

McCain/Failin in '08. You Betcha.

[marymansour]

John McCain is not fit to run as the next president. He's old and failing, most probabaly, in health. He has insulted the nation presenting this Alaskan six-pack hillbilly as his running mate. No wonder he's losing in the polls. Go home and take that rag bag of a woman with you, Johns.

[Heavy]

Now if he and Palin could just leave the country, and take the rest of the republicans with them. Plenty of real estate left on Mars.