Polls suggest slim hopes for McCain
John Kramer '12
Issue date: 10/29/08 Section: Commentary
With less than one week to go in the General Election campaign, the intensity has grown to a new level. Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, is still ahead of the polls across the board in many key states: Ohio, Missouri, Nevada, Colorado and Florida. McCain's campaign staff is still not giving up. It is well known that Senator McCain has pulled out of many states, surrendering them to Obama: both Nevada and Colorado. He has given up on 14 electoral votes.
The position Obama is in gives him considerably more winning combinations to reach the magical number of 270 electoral votes, the amount needed to secure the Presidency. As of today (Oct. 23) according to CNN, Obama has 192 safe electoral votes coming from the states Kerry won in 2004 while McCain has slightly less "safe" votes totaling 122. Obama continues to outspend McCain by a 4:1 margin in all of the Kerry states and in many Bush states; turning once safe Republican strongholds into political battlegrounds.
Many political science experts believe that through the number of winning combinations Obama has, it is almost an impossible chance that he could loose the Electoral College (he has eight possible combinations, McCain only has one). There is still some doubt, even with the campaign season coming to a close.
The only combination that McCain has to win every single remaining state including: Florida, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Colorado, Nevada and West Virginia. However if Virginia goes to Obama (which at the time of publication is leaning 52% Obama, 45% McCain), the election is automatically Obama's because McCain will be unable to obtain 270 electoral votes with Virginia's 13 votes.
Obama on the other hand has eight winning combinations, which involve many states that were once safe, Republican havens. If they switch from Red to blue this election cycle, they will remain that way for many cycles to come.
McCain, although down in the polls and has lost considerable ground to the Democratic campaign, he still has some aces he could play in the last week or two; namely, instigate the poor White residents of Appalachia, whom Governor Sarah Palin has described as "the Real America." She has also thrown out many negative attacks on Senator Obama including 'terrorist,' 'socialist' and 'Anti-American.' The people who live in this part of the country have generally voted Democratic, especially the State of West Virginia but anything can happen.
The position Obama is in gives him considerably more winning combinations to reach the magical number of 270 electoral votes, the amount needed to secure the Presidency. As of today (Oct. 23) according to CNN, Obama has 192 safe electoral votes coming from the states Kerry won in 2004 while McCain has slightly less "safe" votes totaling 122. Obama continues to outspend McCain by a 4:1 margin in all of the Kerry states and in many Bush states; turning once safe Republican strongholds into political battlegrounds.
Many political science experts believe that through the number of winning combinations Obama has, it is almost an impossible chance that he could loose the Electoral College (he has eight possible combinations, McCain only has one). There is still some doubt, even with the campaign season coming to a close.
The only combination that McCain has to win every single remaining state including: Florida, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Colorado, Nevada and West Virginia. However if Virginia goes to Obama (which at the time of publication is leaning 52% Obama, 45% McCain), the election is automatically Obama's because McCain will be unable to obtain 270 electoral votes with Virginia's 13 votes.
Obama on the other hand has eight winning combinations, which involve many states that were once safe, Republican havens. If they switch from Red to blue this election cycle, they will remain that way for many cycles to come.
McCain, although down in the polls and has lost considerable ground to the Democratic campaign, he still has some aces he could play in the last week or two; namely, instigate the poor White residents of Appalachia, whom Governor Sarah Palin has described as "the Real America." She has also thrown out many negative attacks on Senator Obama including 'terrorist,' 'socialist' and 'Anti-American.' The people who live in this part of the country have generally voted Democratic, especially the State of West Virginia but anything can happen.
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