Burnt Orange Report

Now isn't NC Edwards' home state? lol

Maybe he would take NC in November, but there's no guarantee he would sweep the South. What do similar polls reveal about GA, SC, VA, or TN?

In 1992, Bill Clinton carried the AR, LA, GA, and TN in the South, as well as the "border states" of KY and MO. Without those six states he still would have won with 312 electoral votes.

Except for FL, the Democratic national ticket should forget about the South and concentrate on the Gore 2000 states plus AZ, NV, NH, and maybe OH.

Tim,

You are correct in that we will likley lose most of the South and will (I think) still win the Presidency.

HOWEVER, we cannot "write off" the South. Apart from the "moral" implications of telling a part of the country to go to hell, it will alienate voters there and will hurt our Senate and House candidates in the South who have fighting chances, and whose victories we need to take back or at least have a substantial voice in Congress.

I've got a friend in NC who is an Edwards supporter --- apparently a great deal of the major media outlets are owned by Republican interest/media monopolies. NC Edwards supporters have a hard time getting fair/accurate local news about him or any other non-Republican in the paper or on TV

Edwards is planning to visit Texas at least twice, schedule permitting, between now and the March 9 primary.

The first trip would include Dallas and San Antonio, and the second would include East Texas and Austin.

Presidential campaigns being what they are, this could all change. But for now, that's the plan.

I am very much attracted to Edwards. In part because he's so damned cute, but he speaks in that good ol' Texas populist style that I find comforting. I live in California, and quite frankly, I've been disappointed in the lack of campaign by Edwards and Kerry out here. I guess it's the lack of money, but it doesn't take money to walk down Market Street in San Francisco and talk to about 100,000 people in the process. I'm fairly in tune with what's happening out here, and I have not been alerted to nor invited to a single activity whereby I might meet one of the Democrat candidates. While I think the loss is mine, I can't help but hold the candidates and their campaigns a little responsible for this loss. I may be a captive audience without another candidate for whom I can vote, but my degree of participation is going to depend on how well the candidates connect with me. So far, I haven't given a single sou, not a dollar, to any of the candidates. Come on boys, make me hot. Get me excited. I'm yours, take me. Make me write checks.

I'm sure we're all very familiar with the electral college system after 2000. The point is, most states are quite clearly red or blue, and it takes them out of the running somewhat. The swing states that remain become disproportionately important as a result. If Edwards can deliver his home state of NC, that's huge. But since Massachusetts is going to vote Democrat no matter what, the home state advantage is moot for Kerry.

I continue to marvel at Kerry's aura of electability. I'm afraid Democrats are not going to realize that the emperor has no cloths until it is too late.