Chuck Todd: McCain's Got No Ground Game (VIDEO)

Chuck Todd had nothing but bad news for John McCain on "Morning Joe" today. "Lets get realistic," he said, before adding Colorado, Virginia, and Florida to Barack Obama's column. Other battleground states Todd rated as "pure tossups," but then he added, "So what? If Obama is up in these three, and you're hearing very negative comments come out of the McCain campaign about Colorado, Virginia ... and then there's Florida, which has really slipped away from McCain."

"There is no ground game," Joe Scarborough responded. Todd agreed, adding that Democrats were already doing better in early voting, based on ballot requests. "The ground game, it is just absent from the McCain campaign ... At this point, the only state that I feel good about for McCain is Ohio." He posited that McCain could win that state but lose the election, which would be "very frustrating to Republicans."

Read more about McCain's failures in Florida here, and about the campaign's pessimistic outlook on Colorado here.

Comments

[Arcantos]

Based on his wartime flying exploits, he doesn't have much of an air game either.

[bartonfink]

ouch. snap of the day, arcantos

[BannedInBoston]

He was 0 for 5, I think....

[Rictracee]

all of McCains support is just support against Obama.. you need to have people support you.. Mccain has no dire support, he just have a room full of racist whites.. LOL.. glad they are becoming extinct.

[Chi runner]

I think without a doubt the David Duke wing is the majority of the GOP. However, there are good decent and thoughtful people who will only vote Republican because they believe in the conservative principles of small limited government, personal responsibility ----even if the particular candidates (Bush, McCain) don't. I don't mind an honest vote along these lines. It's just too bad the politicians that should believe in these principles virtually became extinct under Bush/Rove.

[franklin opt]

It's time to GET THE GROUND GAME ON for Obama, more than ever. This is what matters now -- the rest is just "air."

[Rondo]

Yes, McCain/Palin, the Hot Air Express

[anopenmind]

NEW - NBC/Wall Street Journal Polls are out!!

Palin is a "Bigger Drag" on McCain than George "Bush"
Boy, you've got to work hard to be More of a Drag than Bush!!!!

I'll post more results later!

[springsm]

You can depend on OHIO to stay in the backwardness and racism or who they are.. Jennifer Brunner is a decent attny general and she is fighting a losing battle. There is something inherently "different" about Ohio and it doesn't seem to be something to be proud of.

[bartonfink]

I'm ohio born and raised. though my experience is limited to the northeast, mainly the cleveland area, I can attest to the backwards attitudes that prevail there, but also a deep sense of disgust and frustration with the bush presidency, and, believe it or not, a grassroots level openmindedness and egalitarianism that informs a significant percentage of the population.

it's like anywhere, U.S.A.; painted hundreds of years ago by our ancestors and their prejudices, but with each successive generation, a new coat is applied. and soon, soon...

OBAMA/BIDEN 'o8

[Viper]

This is way too close. ..look at Ohio and Florida... 2 states with their economies gone to H3LL and still they cant bear to vote for some one with a suntan even in Florida. Obama should have a 10 point lead.

Regards

[UpstateNY]

Doesn't need a 10 point lead - just needs to win.

AND as you so sweetly put it, with his suntan AND his newness to national politics (McCain's been around forever) AND the fact that McCain ran before - why isn't McCain winning these states?

Obama's going GREAT!

[ralph10]

I said the exact same thing the other night. That is the absolute bottom line why he doesn't have a bigger lead.

[americanideal]

Do we remember that this is 21st century American politics? Where everything from media, to demographics, to a doctrine of "fairness" is designed to keep us evenly divided? In this day and age, a FOUR POINT WIN is a blowout, and an eight point lead a landslide.

Ohio and Florida aren't meant to be blowouts - you can simply refer to the total registration numbers for evidence of that. And despite our utter disdain for all things GOP right now, some people don't view the world from the same lens - they are lifelong GOP, raised to be wary of the Democrats and bringing "big city problems" into small towns, and they are afraid. Afraid of having to face the challenges of various ethicities, racism, poverty, crime, hunger and what not. I live in a midwestern small town - it is as if you can feel every new Hispanic when they move in, and you can hear the sigh of relief every time a low income housing project is denied by the city council. These folks just want to be left alone - they have enough money (or they feel like they do), they have their suburban home with a lawn and two cars, and they go to church. They feel like this is the way America should be; why should they care about those for whom it isn't?

We should be extremely impressed at how far Obama has moved the needle. A one point would be big enough.

[forthepeople1]

Oh now Palin will be interviewed by Brian Williams on NBC tomorrow. Can't wait to see that! Wonder how she will say is pro Americana

[anopenmind]

That was part of the deal for letting her go on SNL!!!

[smoo]

She's going to endorse herself.

[BannedInBoston]

She already did that, I think, lol

[forthepeople1]

That is a wonderful dream that will be reality-- No more Iraq, No more Bush, No more Bushonomics, No more Red States versus Blue States. Healing and United States, not Divided States, No more losses of 401K retirement plans, Insured Health Care, and Influx of Technology and JOBS--he will be the glue the economy needs.

[huffy2001]

He'll do that for 8 years and then the other side will give the credit to Bush. You wait and see.

[lejman]

chuck todd on msnbc now telling david gregory what he doesn't want to hear...that there is little mccain can do to change the dynamics.

todd cites hispanic voters overwhelmingly for obama. aren't these the hillary voters who wouldn't gravitate to obama, especially given obama's abortion position and hispanics' catholicism?? just asking.

[305Rider]

LOL, I remember that. I think however that the Hillary & McCain campaign's main reason to hope that my fellow Latinos would have a supposed 'reluctance' to Obama would be racial politics especially in urban areas.

[jinjinpinti]

Funny that, how Obama's plans to help
'lift all boats" eases the fears, rivalry and tensions between hardworking poor people of all ethnic groups and unites us all together to rebuild our democracy. The neoCON divide and conquer "strategery" will soon be over.

[johnu1974]

david gregory is such a ridiculous, out-of-touch-with-reality tool! face it david, the race is over, even your boy chuck is saying this. i so hoped chuck todd would've mentioned the "L" word, landslide. the expression on gregory's face would have been priceless!

[cyndeewi]

Hispanics are not playing. They are awesome!

[UpstateNY]

They kept saying that Hispanics wouldn't vote for a Black man. So glad that wasn't true and they vote with their heads and hearts and not their fears!

I live in a small town in upstate NY (It's much nicer than Wasilla and our Mayor actually does stuff); it;s Republican up here, but people are saying that they are going to vote Democrat for the first time in their lives. I guess that means we're not the 'real' America. I think that Palin will have trouble trying to find her 'real' America.

Out here in our America, we know that 9/11 happened in NYC and thousands of people died there. People stood in line for hours there to give blood hoping it would be needed for the survivors; people worked long, hard, dangerous hours in the wreckage trying to find survivors. Guiliani doesn't remember - but when he was called America's Mayor, he was really Mayor of NYC.

It's shameful that we don't count in Palin's America!

[MANK]

If Obama wins, I think he should appoint McCain as president for just Ohio. After putting Bush over the top for the White House in 2004, suffering under his "reign" and then leaning to McCain at this point, then they deserve a Bush/McCain/Limbaugh/Hannity presidency.

[lejman]

interesting how fast michigan figured out why it was out of work...amazing how well the repubs can snooker the buckeyes. tressel goes down to joe pa this weekend.

[Pegi]

i agree with you. what's the matter with those people?????

[HeIsTheOne]

Ignorance is bliss, so the buckeyes think.

[oldvet]

I think he should appoint him Ambassador to Iraq or North Korea. Take your pick.

[Barackaroo]

Ambastardor to Gitmo.

[BannedInBoston]

Obama should let Alaska secede, and then appoint McCain ambassador to Alaska....

[kwa7154]

Here's something interesting about Palin charging the state of AK for travel expenses for events not approved.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081021/ap_on_el_pr/palin_family_travel

[forthepeople1]

Georgia is a state that is BUBBA, and GOOBER. It would take a miracle to win Georgia. Ohio may be stuck on stupid as well, still stuck on Obama's race rather than evaluation on his reason to be elected. The Gov of Georgia is a true Good Ol'e Boy. But I think Obama has all the other states, and the electoral count is the only count that matters in the final results. But when these guys realize that GREEN is the Color the only Color of this race, there may be a new term that happens, the "OBAMA EFFECT" they may talk McCain, say McCain, but when they vote they may be forced to push the right button for Obama. All it would take is one thought: Can I vote for McCain and see Sarah Palin as President. The answer: NO! LOLOL!

[stepintothelight]

And then we can welcome them to a new day in America ...

Yes we can!!!

[Obinna]

I have been thinking about something for sometime...

As it looks right now, Obama is headed for CERTAIN victory( and he may just win by over 30 electoral college votes). Has anyone ever wondered what would happen if after the votes are counted John McCain turns out to be the winner? I mean, has anyone ever given this any thought? Is it possible for Obama to lose? And if there are cries of massive fraud, is there anything that democrats can do to stop the declared winner (McCain in this scenario) from becoming the next president?

[305Rider]

We are all thinking about a scenario like the one you are describing. That's why we shouldn't take anything for granted in this election. There is no limit to what the neocons will do to stay in power.

[forthepeople1]

My understanding is this and someone can correct me, but if and it looks like Obama will win by electoral votes, and that is the best way, not popular vote, but by electoral vote, and if elected by Electoral vote they can not be tampered with the way single popular votes can. The main thing is this: If Obama wins by a landslide, gets in double digits, IT's A DONE DEAL!!! And the Insane McCain camp knows that!

[jsomerville5]

He's gonna win in the popular vote too.

[spambrando]

Are you kidding??!! That's ALL we're thinking about. Scared the ReThugs might steal AGAIN?! You betcha! So, as many, many others have said on HuffPost, I will reiterate.....
Don't be complacent, DON'T take anything for granted, and most of all, make very sure before you walk out of that voting booth that who you voted for is what it's reading. West Virginians have been seeing their electronic votes get switched from Obama to McCain right in front of their eyes.
I don't trust these Republicans at ALL. Make sure you don't either.

[lejman]

your concerns are well founded. the only way obama/biden loses is the ol' voting machine trick - - built by real americans for real americans. we can only hope the tsunami is large enough to flood a trickle of "glitches".

[HeIsTheOne]

Five thousand attorneys volunteering in Florida on 11/4, will make sure there is not a repeat of 2004.

Yes We Will.

[DieHardObamaSupporter]

I just returned from casting my absentee vote today, and it felt sooooooooooo good. YEAH BABY!

Here's a GREAT way to support Senator Obama while he visits his grandmother.....

PLEASE start posting on at least 3 blogs, per day reminders to VOTE EARLY and

ABSENTEE VOTE. Refer them to Senator Obama's website for their states

guidelines regarding VOTE EARLY/ABSENTEE VOTE in their state. This is one of

the best ways we can support Senator Obama THIS WEEK by maintaining his momentum.

If we hit big numbers THIS WEEK it will keep him in the news in a POSITIVE WAY.

http://www.barackobama.com/voters/

Let's knock these EARLY/ABSENTEE VOTES out the park this week.

As the song goes, let's give them something to talk about.

[HeIsTheOne]

Is there an advantage to casting an absentee ballot, vs. my pulling the lever?

Should I have done that?

[jinjinpinti]

Here in the Pac. NW, especially Washington, I believe most people, in both primary and general elections, vote by mail-in (absentee) ballot. For the last 10+ years or so, our family has received our ballots early and we vote in the privacy of our homes and either mail in or deliver our ballots to drop off posts. It saves time, money, traffic and is a safer way to vote. It's probably too late to change now, but do it ASAP for future elections.

[cyndeewi]

Gratz to you Diehard!

[haval2]

Mc Cain can't even run water...he surely can't run the country. Sarah doesn't even understand the VP job...she's just out for a power grab...she needs to go home and make snowballs with Todd and his core values of hunting and fishing...(again another disconnect with understanding)

[clausenheimer]

haval2......

"she needs to go home and make snowballs with Todd and his core values of hunting and fishing...(again another disconnect with understanding)"

Hunting and fishing are things that, when done for the right reasons (food) are more honorable than the mass slaughter of animals who live (suffer) on factory farms. Todd Palin's "core values" that disturb me are that he is a SECESSIONIST and seems to be rather nosy when it comes to his wife's job as governor (e.g. getting official e-mails etc)!!!!

It amazes me that the MSM will spend hours on Ayers and Wright and nary a word is heard about the husband of the VP candidate being a (former) member of the AIP. It's outrageous.

As for Sarah Palin? Vindictive, arrogant, incurious, back-stabbing, annoying.