This has got to be one of the most stunning political stories of the post-Labor Day presidential campaign season: Republican nominee Sen. John McCain is reportedly pulling out of Michigan:
John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.
McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. Wisconsin went for Kerry in 2004, Ohio and Florida for Bush.
McCain’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Republicans had been bullish on Michigan, hopeful that McCain’s past success in the state in the 2000 primary combined with voter dissatisfaction with Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and skepticism among blue-collar voters about Barack Obama could make it competitive.
The Politico reports that McCain and Veep candidate Gov. Sarah Palin have been to Michigan now several times:
But recent polls there have shown Obama extending what had been a small lead, with the economic crisis damaging an already sagging GOP brand in a state whose economy is in tatters.
A McCain event planned for next week in Plymouth, Michigan, has been canceled.
It’s always possible the McCain campaign will deny it, but The Politico is turning out to be one of the web’s most reliable sources for original political reporting. This is shocking coming at this late date. This means McCain’s camp has decided to refocus its resources elsewhere. Democrats shouldn’t get too giddy over this however. If anything, Campaign 2008 has been marked by stark and sudden poll reversals.
If Palin puts in a convincing debate performance, or if Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden puts his foot in his mouth with a gaffe or gives Palin a chance to use a most-assuredly-prepared zinger about him patronizing her, the Personality Rules principle of American politics will kick in and the narrative will be about Palin’s success and Biden’s verbal flub or perceived sexist bungle. The result: some of Palin’s negatives will melt away, and Biden could become an anchor to the Obama ticket.
But McCain writing off Michigan isn’t a sign of a campaign on the ascent, or of a confident campaign. Perhaps that explains McCain’s anger management problems.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.