Karl Rove: I See Four Key Battleground States

[Chris]

Karl Rove: I See Four Key Battleground States

Based on visits this past week with party leaders and old pros, it's clear that Barack Obama will focus on Colorado and Virginia. Both have large concentrations of white, college-educated voters with whom Mr. Obama is popular. And both have seen Democrats surge recently.

Of the two, Mr. Obama is best positioned to pick up Colorado's nine electoral votes. Denver hosts the Democratic convention at the end of this month. And a quartet of local millionaires (mini-George Soroses) have spent lavishly to boost Democrats. They have succeeded at shrinking the Republican advantage among registered voters. The GOP now has just 68,507 more voters on the rolls in Colorado than Democrats, down from a 176,572 edge four years ago.

Democrats win the state when they hold down GOP margins in rural districts, and appeal to swing women voters in Larimer County and the Denver suburbs. Mr. Obama lacks rural credentials, but he might make inroads in the suburbs.

Sen. McCain's independence will help him in Colorado. Also, there will be two anti-union initiatives on the ballot this fall that could energize conservatives. But he needs to run up votes in the GOP strongholds of El Paso (Colorado Springs), Douglas (south of Denver), Weld (Eastern Plains) and Mesa (Western Slope) counties, while appealing to Democratic and independent Hispanics and Catholics.

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[franksolich]

Link doesn't work, Chris, sir.

I wanted to see what the other two states are.

[Chris]

Hm.  Let me try again.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121867218820238903.html

Here's the link to the WSJ Opinion page. Below the Obama article, in the center: http://online.wsj.com/public/page/opinion.html?mod=1_0045

[franksolich]

Thanks, sir.  I read the article at the link.

I'm not pessimistic about Colorado.

Not overly optimistic, but not anywhere near as pessimistic as Karl Rove.

[Jim]

A sound review as one would expect from Rove.

[NHSparky]

Thanks, sir.  I read the article at the link.

I'm not pessimistic about Colorado.

Not overly optimistic, but not anywhere near as pessimistic as Karl Rove.

You haven't been to Boulder lately, I take it.

However, to be fair, my lifelong Democrat mother (also a Denver resident) is growing weary of the Barackstar! and may actually vote for McCain in November.

[Chris_]

Thanks, sir.  I read the article at the link.

I'm not pessimistic about Colorado.

Not overly optimistic, but not anywhere near as pessimistic as Karl Rove.

There's no reason to be pessimistic about Colorado.  Bill Ritter and his hand-picked legislature are busily souring Colorado on ever pulling the "D" lever again.

I've mentioned elseswhere, during our caucus back in March, I went and got myself elected committee chairperson for my pricinct - in the Rove mentioned hot-spot of Weld County.  My neighbor is a town Councilman and a -CONSERVATIVE- radio talk-show host, and the classical liberal, constitutional conservative leanings of two of us are nowhere near uncommon.  (I don't call our little town "Galt's Gultch" for nothing)

Outside of the on-campus community in Fort Collins and Boulder specifically - who are so far gone socialist, that teh BarrackStar! is too conservative for them - 'Democrat' is a bad word 'round here lately.