Virginia and Pennsylvania

Poll after poll that I have seen in the last week has given Obama a solid lead in Virginia. If those polls are accurate, I am not sure what McCain can do at this point to change that tide. Heck, even Georgia is supposedly moving to "tossup" category. One week before the election and McCain is struggling to hold onto states that he should have to be worrying about. Not a good sign for the GOP.

Interesting takes, JNS. I was born in the area where Barletta is mayor and was there for my HS reunion in September. I saw Barletta signs everywhere. Someone was taking a picture of a few of us and said it didn't turn out well, going to take another. I said probably my red eye. I seem to be the Anti-Christ. One of my best friends growing up said without missing a beat, oh no, Obama is the A-C and she wasn't kidding. Some others in the group immediately began a discussion of what causes red-eye in photos, but I got a feeling for what it is like around there. I'm certain Barletta will win, but I think he will be out of his league.
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Also Carney was a disappointment because he is so conservative. Fire Dog Lake took after him early on. He won that seat in part because the Repub who held it was caught up in a personal scandal right before the election. It's been doubtful that he could retain it because contrary to his feeling he was doing well by being criticized by both sides, I think he isn't doing well because he can't please the ones who elected him in the first place.

I grew up in the Williamsburg area of VA ("real" Virginia) and taught in Newport News. I just went home to visit family this last weekend, and I can tell you, there is a battle royale brewing there. I've never seen anything like it in VA. There were signs everywhere, huge ones on lawns and little ones on fences. There were lots of bumper stickers on cars. And I would estimate that over half were for Obama.
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I told my mom how jealous I was that her vote was so important this year. For years, I voted Dem in VA, knowing that there was no way my candidate would win the state. And now I'm gone for the first election where VA is in play! Arrrrgh! (That's for demwoman.)
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One last thing: My 60-something Mom is a committed Dem, but one who hates to be confrontational in any way. She just put an Obama sign on her lawn--the first time she's ever displayed a political sign--even though none of the neighbors on her street have put up their own signs. When I told her how surprised and pleased I was, she had one sentence for me: "I hate Sarah Palin."

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(hoping the change in nickname will help to avoid getting caught in moderation)
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Slightly OT: Voter suppression in Virginia...A flier circulating in heavily African-American districts reads:

Due to the larger than expected voter turnout in this years [sic] electoral process, An [sic] emergency session of the General Assembly has adopted the following emergency regulations to ease the load on local electorial [sic] precincts and ensure a fair electorial [sic] process.

All Democratic party supporters and independent voters supporting Democratic candidates shall vote on November 5th as adopted by emergency regulation of the Virginia General Assembly.

All Republican party supporters and independent voters supporting Republican candidates shall vote on November 4th as precribed [sic] by law.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause but felt this was the only way to ensure fairness to the complete electorial [sic] process.

The only spot of humor I can take from this is all of the spelling mistakes. What's up with right-whingers' inability to use spell check?

When I told her how surprised and pleased I was, she had one sentence for me: "I hate Sarah Palin."

Women who lived through the battles for less unequal rights must really despise her, by and large.

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Nope. Caught in the moderation filter. Must be the hyperlink.

A sickle "c"?? I really thought we let got of red-baiting 20 years ago. It just shows how stuck McCain is in the 60's. And Palin thinks it all sounds so horrible without of course remembering anything.

I live in Fairfax County, Virginia, and I can say with some conviction that the Republicans' mortal stupidity in call us "Communists" (Joe McCain) and "Not Real Virginians" (Nancy Pfotenhauer, top McCain advisor), has really resonated here in an anti-McCain way.

Add to that Powell's well-annunciated distancing from McCain a couple of weeks ago, which impacts the many military and intelligence forces here, and I would foresee an unprecedented landslide for Obama from the near-DC districts out thru Loudoun and Fauquier Counties to the northwest.

Whether that affects enough of Prince William and Warren Counties to the west/southwest to sew up Virginia for Obama is unclear to me. For sure, the neoconservative attack on immigrants in Prince William has generated some second thoughts after two years.

Plus, Tim Kaine is a popular and charismatic Democratic governor, and Mark Warner a beloved former Democratic governor who is blowing away (by 30+ points) neoconservative Jim Gilmore in the race to replace the super-respected moderate Republican John Warner.

All this is a wall of pressure that seems to be keeping McCain from gaining any ground on Obama's double-digit lead.