Over at Politico they're reporting that the Republicans in VA are, at this late hour, running scared and it's finally dawning on them that they're losing the state.
But first, follow me over for some fun with flashbacks!
One of my earliest memories - I think I was in first grade - was that we occasionally got to ride a Trailways bus to school -- if the regular bus had broken down or was in the shop. We always thought this was Super Cool because it had big, cushy seats and a bathroom!! (Whew!)
Well, one morning a Trailways bus showed up and we were ecstatic. There were political ads on the busses that day though and I remember a much older student tearing one down. It was an LBJ ad that was placed above the windows. He got caught - as though the driver wouldn't see him in his big-@$$ mirror. (Like most Republicans, this kid wasn't very bright) I heard he got in quite a bit of trouble.
I mentioned that because I'm almost 50 years old now and that was the last time a Democrat running for President won the popular vote in the state of Virginia. It's awful to throw away your presidential vote every time because the electoral college over-rules you. Anyway...
Pardon me, but I must quote a little Led Zeppelin here:
It's been a long time since I rock-and-rolled
It's been a long time since I did the Stroll
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back, let me get it back
mm-baby, where I come from
It's been a long time, been a long time
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time
Yes, it has
Thank you. I'm much better now! See, when I hear Politico say stuff like:
Virginia Republicans are warning that John McCain's prospects for winning a state that has been in the GOP column in every presidential election since 1964 could be in jeopardy...
Since wrapping up the Democratic nomination in June, Obama, his wife, Michelle, and his running mate Joe Biden have visited the commonwealth a combined 12 times...
I seriously consider doing a "Happy Dance"!!
And the McCain campaign has all but run up the white flag in the heavily populated, northern VA (or "NOVA") area. I think this is significant!
Together, McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, have held just one campaign event in Virginia. And the campaign has taken its ads off the pricey Washington, D.C. network affiliates that reach into the entire swath of the Northern Virginia, the commonwealth’s most populous region.
They have every reason to worry because we've out-hustled the bastards this time! This is from Centerforpolitics.org:
But one important factor has remained constant: the Democrats' clear-cut advantage in the ongoing voter registration wars. Since President George W. Bush's reelection in 2004, the Democrats have registered nearly 1.3 million additional voters while the Republicans have lost nearly 800,000. This, as states prepare to close their registration rolls in advance of the general election.
Sorry, I got distracted... Back to Politico for a moment, if I may, because when I hear Republican weasels like Virginia Rep. Tom Davis say:
“I think [McCain] needs to get here,” said Rep. Tom Davis, a longtime member of Congress who represents a Northern Virginia district. “I think they’ve got to pay more attention.”
It warms the cockles of my heart! Would you like a little cheese with that whine, Tom?
Then an old "blast from the past" comes back - bless his pointed little head - It's George Allen and he's whining like a baby!
“It’s very, very tight,” agreed former governor and Senator George Allen. “Obviously Democrats have spent a lot of time here.”
“We are a true battleground state,” Allen said twice.
Keep telling yourself that, George. It's understandable that you'd be a little bummed after you lost in 2006 and it's looking like, for the first time in almost half a century, the one-time capital of the Confederacy could elect a Democrat for the President of the United States.
After all, Virginia elected the first black Governor a long time ago, George. I know that makes you feel... well, blue.
But me? It just makes me want to quote more Led Zeppelin!
Yeah, hey, yay, hey, yeah, hey, yeah, hey
Ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah, ooh-ooh, yeah
It's been a long time, been a long time
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time
But it won't be long now!