Slog - Comments on Obama Ahead in... Montana?!? http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana That's what a new Rasmussen poll says. And it's well-timed, as far as the Obama camp is concerned, since Obama will be spending his Fourth of July in beautiful Butte (hometown of our very own Adrian Ryan). What's going on in Montana? Obama's relative success there is actually part of a larger trend of Mountain West states turning purple (and maybe even blue this year), something I wrote about for The Stranger back in 2006 when I profiled a rugged Montana Democrat named John Tester—who ended up unseating three-term Republican Senator Conrad Burns and is now the junior senator from... Copyright 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:20:11 -0800 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:14:43 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by w7ngman Fnarf called it.

]]> w7ngman http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065481 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065481 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:46:33 -0800 Comment by w7ngman The Dakotas are next.

]]> w7ngman http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065486 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065486 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:49:02 -0800 Comment by Just Sayin' Which states will McCain manage to pull off winning, if any?

]]> Just Sayin' http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065493 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065493 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:54:59 -0800 Comment by w7ngman The Dakotas haven't been polled in months, just like Montana before today.

]]> w7ngman http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065495 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065495 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:55:46 -0800 Comment by w7ngman Short comments are tasty.

#3, Idaho?

]]> w7ngman http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065502 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065502 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:58:23 -0800 Comment by Cato the Younger Younger Obama needs to become versed in water rights: If he does that every rancher in the West will vote for him. Don't know what water rights are about: Google it.

]]> Cato the Younger Younger http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065520 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065520 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:07:48 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Some of us told you this a while back - especially those of us with relatives and friends from Montana.

Most of the West has had it with the America-hating Incompetent Republicants.

Obama should stay the f... out of water rights - only n00bz like McSame would jump into that one this year. Leave it to the states for now.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065546 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065546 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:17:25 -0800 Comment by James I still think McCain will end up winning most/all of the inland-west states (except for Colorado and New Mexico, I hope!). But, I find it so reassuring that Obama is polling so well in some of these... it just means McCain has to spend more time there, rather than Ohio, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. So, if Obama can make trips to places like Montana and North Dakota to keep the McCain camp playing catch-up, go for it!

]]> James http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065552 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065552 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:19:39 -0800 Comment by Vince "Urbane liberal in a barn jacket" Oh, that's right, Obama doesn't wear a barn jacket. Hubris loses elections, I'm pleased to say.

]]> Vince http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065556 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065556 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:21:29 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Obama's not going to win Idaho, though he'll surprise a few people there. Idaho's probably 10 years away from voting D for anything. Unless McCain completely falls in the toilet, which is always possible. There's a reasonable chance that of highly visible "senior moments" in public forums, like maybe a debate or two where he just loses his grip; THEN Idaho might go.

But Montana? Dem governor, two Dem senators -- what's red about that?

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065581 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065581 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:37:13 -0800 Comment by Andy Niable More importantly, Eli, did Montanans march for Obama in a Pride Parade?

]]> Andy Niable http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065593 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065593 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:43:36 -0800 Comment by unred Montana's Republicans are really libertarian and libertarians have no tolerance for the religious right. Any one from Montana knows that abortion will always be safe there, that the legalization of medicinal marijauna was no surprise and that the environment became a huge issue for Montanans once they realized the policy of the Bush administration was taking away their beloved areas of hunting and fishing.

]]> unred http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065666 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065666 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:39:32 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Will, seriously, stop using "n00bz" and its variants until you learn what it means.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065772 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065772 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:24:01 -0800 Comment by PC NYT:

"Senator Barack Obama said Thursday that he might “refine” his plans for a phased withdrawal from Iraq after meeting with military commanders there later this summer. But later, he hastily held a second news conference: to emphasize his commitment to withdrawing all combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office."

But he gave a speech so you see he's actually very different on foreign policy um hmmmmmm

]]> PC http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065883 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065883 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:47:03 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Right, PC.

I suspect what the military commanders told him is that you can't just pack up and haul out of there in two days; you need to coordinate very carefully even for the simplest troop and material movement, let alone for moving 100,000 people and a trillion dollars worth of equipment out of a war zone. It ain't like moving house. I think the fact that Obama is paying visible attention to reality is a positive sign, not wolf peeping out of sheepskin.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065943 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065943 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:51:57 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have New Mexico in the Obama win column.

Idaho .. probably not, but you never know.

And Fnarf is correct on what happened re the military - Dana Priest was talking about it today in chat and there's been quite a bit of back-channel chatter about the logistics of getting out of Iraq and removing the Red Bushies in the pipeline.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065952 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_ahead_in_montana#c1065952 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:14:43 -0800