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Obama Says He's 'in the Hunt' for a Blue North Carolina

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October 04, 2008 10:22 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: Sen. Barack Obama –- settling in for an anticipated two days of debate prep in North Carolina -- told the N.C. Democratic State Party dinner that he has high hopes for flipping the state blue.

"Despite the pundits, despite the prognosticators, despite the cynicism, turns out 30 days left we are right here in the hunt in North Carolina," Obama said to a crowd of more than 700 who came out for the annual Vance-Aycock Dinner and were surprised by Obama's last minute appearance.

Polls indicate the race is neck-and-neck between Obama and Sen. John McCain in North Carolina. President Bush won in the state in 2004 by 13 percent, yet the Obama campaign believes it is one of the key states that they can compete in and turn blue this election.

"When we started this campaign we said that we were going to change the political map," Obama told the audience and then referenced his large primary victory over Sen. Hillary Clinton in the state as an indicator of his support. "We had a few bumps in the road during the primary season -- turns out that people in North Carolina decided they were going to lift up the Obama campaign. So I said to myself, maybe we should just keep on coming to North Carolina and see what happens."

With 15 electoral votes, North Carolina has become an important goal for Obama. The Illinois senator has spent seven days in the state since the start of the general election.

Obama will hold a rally in Asheville on Sunday afternoon and then spend two straight days working at a resort in the strategically chosen mountains of North Carolina, preparing for Tuesday's debate with McCain in Nashville.

October 4, 2008 in Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (141)

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Barack Obama has ties to people who hate America because he lives down the street from Bob Ayers and has met him? Served on a board with him?

So if your neighbor who also attends your save the lord mega church turns out to be a pedophile, then you have ties to people who hurt children? Should we prosecute you too?

Or better yet, maybe McCain should get rid of Palin as she has ties to people who hate America- she sleeps with them. Her husband Todd was a member of the Alaska secessionist party-- that seems like a much stronger tie. Not even counting the heebie-jeebies most people get watching the witch doctor you tube tape blessing her that is on the internet.

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones and what about instead of empty rhetoric about who loves America more, we try to have candidates focus on solutions to the tanking economy and growing unemployment?

Tell me christie, what it is about you Republicans that make you the cheapest dates around when it comes to gathering votes?

Especially with a philandering candidate whose wife had drug problems and serious lobbyist "ties" and a running mate who only wants to support abstinence in public schools with a pregnant teenage daughter? Plenty to play with there as McCain's campaign goes into smear mode.

Seriously? Is there anyone you wouldn't support if you put an R by their name?

Posted by: Christie-- are you for real? Get a clue | Oct 4, 2008 11:23:50 PM

I am a Hillary supporter voting for McCain/Palin 2008! Go PUMA!

Posted by: tom | Oct 4, 2008 11:29:41 PM

Re: I'M AN EX-DEMOCRAT VOTING REPUBLICAN..McCAIN/PALIN '08

Posted by: Nicholas

Same here.

Posted by: tom | Oct 4, 2008 11:31:32 PM

The Piedmont (Research Triangle), Ashville & Charlotte (of Wachovia fame) have 'Obama/Biden' written all over them. As a North Carolinian, I hope the rest of the state will too!

Sincere wishes to all my friends and friends of friends who staff Wachovia. I hope this uncertain time will end in a positive light for you.

Posted by: N. Carolina 4 Obama/Biden | Oct 4, 2008 11:32:49 PM

We must address McCain's unAmerican and dangerous comments. I don’t know if there is a line you can’t cross in American politics. But this is it. McCain is betraying his own country. I never liked his policies much. But I know that is the foundation of democracy - not agreeing. Right now I am starting to despise the man and everything he stands for. He is a greedy bastard. With no honor. No decency. He is an unAmerican unpatriotic pig. And no matter how much lipstick he wears. You can’t hide your true self for ever. We can see who he is. Unpatriotic and UnAmerican.

McCain, what you said is not American. What you said is not patriotic. What you said is not in the interest of America. What you said is a lie sold to all Americans. What you said is about your own greed. What you said is fearmongering. What is said was unethical. What you said is without honor. What you said is the type of thing the enemies of this great country and real terrorists will say.
http://angryafrican.net/2008/10/04/mccain-is-unethical-unpatriotic-and-unamerican-and-without-honor/

Posted by: Angry African | Oct 4, 2008 11:33:41 PM

The political tide is turning in favor of Obama. Bets are on a slideslide and a 60 plus Dem. U.S. Senate. Believe GOP is on the last page of their soon to be outdated playbook of Gotcha tricks. Biden, a gentleman that truly respects women's views. Plus, he does not need to winky to push his point across.

Posted by: Breezy | Oct 4, 2008 11:37:38 PM

Well Tom and Nicholas, I'm an ex-Republican now voting for Obama. And I live in NC. So there!

Posted by: MJO | Oct 4, 2008 11:40:54 PM

Re: Ashville & Charlotte.

The guns nascar and religion folks.

Posted by: tom | Oct 4, 2008 11:41:37 PM

Push to put more felons on voter rolls could help Obama in historic presidential race (Durham, NC mentioned)

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-felons-voting,0,5210009.story

Posted by: LightSeeker | Oct 4, 2008 11:53:34 PM

Hey folks, OBAMA is going to win NC!!! Then you can all cry me a republican river, face it NC is now a BLUE STATE and will be for the forseeable future. The rednecks and hillbillies are all done, look at the registration of the democratic party and the numbers in the primaries. You all better move further south if you want your red vote to be counted because in NC, all that matters is getting rid of republicans and VOTING OBAMA!!!

Posted by: KevGuy | Oct 5, 2008 12:07:45 AM

Dear rachel, why must you consider any reference to Hillary Clinton as "needling", when its clear all he did was make refernce to the competition between them?

Posted by: JJ | Oct 5, 2008 12:10:57 AM

After 2 years of Dem-wits in control of House and Senate..we are just about to have a fincial collapse caused by the laws Clinton and the Dems put in place to make loans for people who couldn't afford them. Especially minorities!. If Obama is elected..these same liberals will be wishing Bush was back. I think it is funny...the only ratings lower than Bush right now is Congress! Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Dodd , Obama...what a ship of fools!

Posted by: Independent | Oct 5, 2008 12:11:56 AM

Troll Alert!! Notice Christie. Notice Christie.

Posted by: JJ | Oct 5, 2008 12:13:41 AM

I have noticed that the Repugs are seriously scared now. They are saying anything to scare us. It worked so well for Bush and his puppet master Cheney the last time that they figure its worth a try now. OOOOoooo the evil Ayers lives down the street from Obama, and I think they are conspiring in the basement laundryroom of the local highrise, so they can attack America! What a bunch of losers repugnantcans are. They are truly the America haters. They hate freedom and all that America is supposed to stand for. Obama scares them because he is about peace and love, and we cant have that. Obama/Biden Time 08! Peace peeps!

Posted by: mitch | Oct 5, 2008 12:23:10 AM

Economist Thomas Sowell: Do Facts Matter?

Fact Number One: It was liberal Democrats, led by Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, who for years-- including the present year-- denied that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taking big risks that could lead to a financial crisis.

It was Senator Dodd, Congressman Frank and other liberal Democrats who for years refused requests from the Bush administration to set up an agency to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

It was liberal Democrats, again led by Dodd and Frank, who for years pushed for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to go even further in promoting subprime mortgage loans, which are at the heart of today's financial crisis.

Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush's Secretary of the Treasury, five years ago.

Yet, today, what are we hearing? That it was the Bush administration "right-wing ideology" of "de-regulation" that set the stage for the financial crisis. Do facts matter?

We also hear that it is the free market that is to blame. But the facts show that it was the government that pressured financial institutions in general to lend to subprime borrowers, with such things as the Community Reinvestment Act and, later, threats of legal action by then Attorney General Janet Reno if the feds did not like the statistics on who was getting loans and who wasn't.

Is that the free market? Or do facts not matter?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/do_facts_matter.html

Posted by: LightSeeker | Oct 5, 2008 12:24:58 AM

Being from NC, I will do EVERYTHING in my power to help elect OBAMA president. We need something new and mccain is NOT it!!

Posted by: nc=blue | Oct 5, 2008 12:25:54 AM

Yo Independent, you arent independent, you are neo-con, so you should use that name. You actually think ANY democrat would ever wish Reichsmarshall Bush would be back into power? Your high as a kite.

Posted by: grumpybumpy | Oct 5, 2008 12:28:04 AM

I hate the McCain supporters.

Posted by: JJ | Oct 5, 2008 12:34:58 AM

It is unfortunate that McCain supporters are completely unable to defend his stance on the positions, and are only able to attack out at their opponents. And most base that attack on completely irrational issues that have no bearing on the future of this country and where each candidates proposals will lead us.

All one has to do is open their eyes and it becomes clear as day. Even this redneck working American can see that McCain only wants to make the rich richer, even though he keeps beating the 'I am all for main street not wall street' drum. Does he think us poor working slobs are that stupid? Does he think we are so uneducated that we have no idea what is going on. Well, he is dead wrong. We heard that crap from the nut case currently in office, and look where we are now. No thanks.

Posted by: RedNeckBob | Oct 5, 2008 12:56:35 AM

Obama Acting over confident.

Hoping for the votes to come rolling in.

It still is evident that the majority of Democrats did not want Obama in the primaries, and they still do not want him now.

He knows that, One of the reasons for the spinning of his marketing and PR Team to try to gather another vote.

From a man who came from no where, with nothing, who stands for nothing.

Who's campaign was based on Hating bush and the Government.

Who's goal is to Change Governments of this Country.

Who wants to redistribute the wealth and power.

Who wants to nationalize and Socialize this country.

Who Sounds more like Rev Wright every day.

Who's Campaign style resembles Hitlers, and who is obsessed with Germany. Who's economy plan is like the miracle economy plan post war Germany.

Who has promised to give everyone something, The rich and the poor, Big buisness and industry, The blacks their reparations, Health Care for all.

Who wants to lower taxes and increase spending, who want to lower defense spending and increase Payments to global hunger and reducing the worlds poverty with money.

Who refuses to say where this money is coming from. How these plans will work or give any specfics or details. Of such large plans and a new system for all of America.

Who has gone behind the countries back to foreign Governments and has made Promises to them, when he had no power to do so.

A man who has sold out the small town americans to the wealthy and laughed. Who has sold out the whites to the blacks and has laughed. Who has sold out Fellow Congressmen and Senators to others and laughs.

A man who has played on peoples basic needs, fears and beleifs and exploited them to get votes.

A man who knows he can not deliver on all his empty promises and does not plan to, Will blame someone for it or put it off as Political Rhetoric.

A man who is doing what he was trained to do, with out a concious and care.

His prime care is to make history and what he was trained to do by his mentors.

A man who has brainwashed so many Americans Does not deserve the Presidency of the United States and Should never ever be elected.

It is time Americans Stood up for themselves and their Country and Said No Obama.

They have a responsibility to themselves and thier families and to their Country to break the Chains that bind them. To get out from under the Control that has taken them over.

We Love our Country, We love our Freedoms, We can not let anyone take them away away from us.

Mr Obama's Change the Government and his speech and chant, Change the Government, You need to say NO you can't.

If you think that in the past year the economy and the state of the nation was a coincidence with obama's plan, you are sadly mistaken. It took planning and assistance to pull it off. The bail outs were pay backs for the help and assistance received. Yes he can and he did.

The DNC said they would win this election at all cost. Well they stood true to their words. It cost the American people plenty.

The Democrats were not overly upset with the economy crashing, because they knew the reason and how to fix it.

The bail out they were concerned about, so they could pay back friends and get to own the banks for future use.

All along using their favorite excuse and one to blame, bush and the government. when it was all in thier hands.

So When the Rest of the nationalization process takes place and the Socialization is started, you can remember where it started and who was behind it, and why they wanted it so bad. All in the Democratic handbook.

Say not to Obama and keep your country free.

Posted by: seah | Oct 5, 2008 1:20:53 AM

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