This is at least the third story I've seen where Barr has attacked McCain's campaign. He senses weakness, and is moving in. Personally, I think it's a great idea; there are people who are not going to vote for Obama no matter what (for ideological differences or otherwise), and Barr is offering an alternative to voting for a campaign that has gone out of its way to alienate people.

Barr recognizes that if the Republican Party is ever going to be replaced as one of the two main parties, the Libertarians have to move in NOW. They may not get another chance.

/Waits for Weaver95 to arrive in the thread.

It could happen - each additional poll shows GA a bit more blue.

I can't believe GA goes blue unless Obama just has overwhelming momentum in the next 10 days and McCain just disintegrates.

And I don't think Barr will be the difference. Barr hasn't been able to get any traction, even in GA.

Good times.

Edsel: And I don't think Barr will be the difference. Barr hasn't been able to get any traction, even in GA.

I find it somewhat amusing that Barr hasn't affected the election as much as RON PAUL, who isn't even actively campaigning anymore! Obama might win Montana due to Paul splitting the conservative vote.

Edsel: I can't believe GA goes blue

Believe it, Crimson Boy. Well, assuming college students aren't to drunk to show up to vote. That's a lot of ASSuming.

The black vote is huge in the South, but they do not go out to vote. I've seen it in Louisiana. This time might be different. We're going to see why they had that whole Jim Crow thing.

Bob Barr predicts Obama will win Georgia

And I predict that Drew Barrymore is going to come to my house tonight and give me a BJ.

/hey, it's just as likely to happen.

If Florida is America's wang, then Georgia must be its bladder.

oldebayer: If Florida is America's wang, then Georgia must be its bladder.

Being from Savannah, I tend to think of it at the nation's beer gut.

I don't see it happening, but you never know. Considering that North Carolina is polling Obama's way, and North Dakota and Montana are somehow in play, I guess I can't rule it out. Still pretty far fetched, though.

NewportBarGuy: The black vote is huge in the South, but they do not go out to vote. I've seen it in Louisiana. This time might be different. We're going to see why they had that whole Jim Crow thing.

Blacks historically DO go out to vote, but are more concerned with local elections. There is a sense of disenfranchisement with national politics on both sides, so there is a tendency to just not care.

This election will be different.

Just an FYI as well, Georgia went for Clinton in 1992, not too damn long ago. Louisiana and (obviously) Arkansas too in 1992 and 1996.

You know who endorsed Bob Barr? RON PAUL!

downstairs: This election will be different.

I'm waiting to see the results. But, I agree with your assessment and I'm hoping it works out like the last time this proved true.

He has a shot, but I don't think he'll take it.

I sure hope so.
There's a lot of "I hate all taxes!" types in Georgia, and hopefully some of them will realize that there's more at stake than that.
Of course, in MY part of Georgia Sarah Palin would win all by herself...

There are a lot of blacks in Atl and other cities in GA, newsflash. If enough whites support him (they do) and a lot of the blacks who were never registered in the first place do vote for barry Sotero, he can win.

This was basically a formula Tony Brown came up with 8-9 years ago. Get a moderate viable black candidate. Obama is no way moderate, but he is intelligent, likeable, and energizing guy. Get a Viable AA candidate, (there are a lot of blacks in the south adn white who would vote for him...win!

This was basically the formula in place for Colin Powell to win.

Wait, isn't that what we're here for up in New Jersey? To cancel out Georgia's redneck 15 electoral votes? If they go blue, what the fark is the point is us even voting anymore? Goddamn it Georgia, pay attention.

Miracle Max: Have fun stormin' da castle.
Valerie: Think it'll work?
Miracle Max: It would take a miracle.

Georgians struggling with their 3rd party,'throw-away' vote:

Voting your conscience is a great thing to do when your electoral thingie is already in the bag for one candidate or the other. HOWEVER, IN CRUCIAL STATES, YOU MUST VOTE FOR THE LEAST-DOUCHEY OF THE TWO. Yeah, the look on your face at the poll will be priceless - like an awkward freeze frame of a porn star while getting off - but YOUR VOTE WILL ACTUALLY MEAN SOMETHING.

Yes, I understand that this perpetuates the two party system. But what do you want...the smug satisfaction of having stuck with your principles, or the douche you DON'T want to be POTUS?

/deftly avoids mentioning either candidate

Bob Barr predicts Bob Barr will Ron Paul Ron Paul

eddyatwork: You know who endorsed Bob Barr? RON PAUL!

No he didn't. He endorsed Chuck Baldwin. Wait...

CHUCK BALDWIN!

NewportBarGuy: The black vote is huge in the South, but they do not go out to vote. I've seen it in Louisiana. This time might be different. We're going to see why they had that whole Jim Crow thing.

This year will be different. Here are the turnout demographics for early voters in Georgia as of today:

Black 342,802 35.4 %
White 587,230 60.7%

That is greater than the overall % black population in the state (29.9 %). Expect a lot more early voters in Georgia next week when even more polls open.



Voters stand in a line that stretched out to South McDonough Street at the Elections and Registration office in Jonesboro to vote early. Elissa Eubanks ajc.com

Edsel: I can't believe GA goes blue unless Obama just has overwhelming momentum in the next 10 days and McCain just disintegrates.

And I don't think Barr will be the difference. Barr hasn't been able to get any traction, even in GA.

Its actually not that surprising if you look at the numbers.

If Black voters come out in full force, they could make up 30% of the vote. Then lets say Obama gets 3% more of the vote from Hispanics (2% to McCain).

That leaves 65% for white vote. Obama would need 12% to McCains 53%.... and even LESS if say 5% goes to Barr.

organizm: Wait, isn't that what we're here for up in New Jersey? To cancel out Georgia's redneck 15 electoral votes? If they go blue, what the fark is the point is us even voting anymore? Goddamn it Georgia, pay attention.

We also need you folks there to balance out the happy. Us folks from CA are pretty happy people, and if you guys didn't do your part, we wouldn't have the equilibrium.

I already predicted a blue Georgia, too!

On another subject, we need a link up about voter turnouts to yap in. Round these parts, absentee ballots are shattering records. Michigan's not an early-voting state, yet there are stories on the local news nearly every night about people wandering into their township halls thinking there's early voting. Lines for requesting absentee ballots snake through hallways and outside buildings. In 2004, Flint had 5000 absentee ballots turned in. As of 3 weeks before this election, Flint already had 7500 absentee ballots turned in...and remember, that's with 3 weeks to go yet.

Also remember, I said this is Michigan. The state that McCain vociferously abandoned and these days consistently polls for Obama with a 10- to 14-point lead.

If people are this jazzed about voting in a state that appears to be in the bag as far as presidential voting (we have a couple interesting propositions and House races on the ballot though) how on earth is it elsewhere?

organizm: Wait, isn't that what we're here for up in New Jersey? To cancel out Georgia's redneck 15 electoral votes? If they go blue, what the fark is the point is us even voting anymore? Goddamn it Georgia, pay attention.

If a "conservative"'s candidacy is bad enough to turn off a majority of Georgian rednecks, I believe that is a sign that you have exceeded levels of fail in excess even of New Jersey.

nekom: North Carolina is polling Obama's way

North Carolina. We're polling Obama's way!

/that sounds vaguely suggestive
//Voted for Obama on the 16th
///just like my folks did
////and they WERE lifelong republicans
//suck it, neocons

BillCo: Bob Barr predicts Obama will win Georgia

And I predict that Drew Barrymore is going to come to my house tonight and give me a BJ.

/hey, it's just as likely to happen.

Give my your address, I will send her over after she finishes me.

Bob Barf

Zagloba: If a "conservative"'s candidacy is bad enough to turn off a majority of Georgian rednecks, I believe that is a sign that you have exceeded levels of fail in excess even of New Jersey.

Never underestimate what an overcrowded, overly angry state full of Southern Italians, Hispanics, Jews, and Eastern Europeans can do for you!

Kevin72: Bob Barf

Penis

Elections people were hoping for 20% turnout in early voting to ease access on 11/4/08. They had 75,000 voters Thursday alone, and it's climbing daily. Assuming it stays flat, that's still 1.4m early votes against 1.1-1.2m expected.

Also, they registered 125,000 people in the last week registration was open. That's a pretty ridiculous number, and I'm guessing they were mostly ATL-area.

It's pretty simple math:

30% of the vote is black. Obama gets 90% = 27% of total (and that's a tad conservative on the 30% and 90%, IMO).

Nab a third of the rest of the 70% and Obama's over 50%.

Dawg47: Elections people were hoping for 20% turnout in early voting to ease access on 11/4/08. They had 75,000 voters Thursday alone, and it's climbing daily. Assuming it stays flat, that's still 1.4m early votes against 1.1-1.2m expected.

Also, they registered 125,000 people in the last week registration was open. That's a pretty ridiculous number, and I'm guessing they were mostly ATL-area.

It's pretty simple math:

30% of the vote is black. Obama gets 90% = 27% of total (and that's a tad conservative on the 30% and 90%, IMO).

Nab a third of the rest of the 70% and Obama's over 50%.

We need to remember that the breakdowns of early voters is not representative. If black voters are really excited about the election, that might just mean they will vote early, but not necessarily more. So they show up overrepresented in the early voting and underrepresented on election day.

organizm: Wait, isn't that what we're here for up in New Jersey? To cancel out Georgia's redneck 15 electoral votes? If they go blue, what the fark is the point is us even voting anymore? Goddamn it Georgia, pay attention.

Canceling out Alabama and Mississippi's combined 15 Electoral Votes.

Georgia: backwards, racist and stupid... but still not Alabama or Mississippi.

HipsterHolocaust: /deftly avoids mentioning either candidate

I'd rather stick with my principles than willingly vote for someone I despise because I despise the other person a little bit more.

Kevin72: Bob Barf

Barrgarbl

Personally, if I was on either side and had any interest in voting third party, an election like this, where it's looking like an overwhelming victory for one candidate, would be the election where I would "throw my vote away" and vote third party.

Pollster: Georgia

I've been watching Georgia, Montana and North Dakota with a lot of interest. McCain's had huge drops in the polls in all three states, although more dramatically in Montana and ND. (Compare North Dakota to South Dakota and Montana to Wyoming at Pollster. It's incredible.)

In Georgia, Obama is up +1 (48-47, Likely Voters) in the most recent, InsiderAdvantage poll, but I haven't seen its internals.

This is a year that is almost certainly going to have very good African-American turnout, which could edge Obama to a narrow victory. I'm assuming McCain's ground game in Georgia is much weaker than Obama's.

A good post on Huffington Post that breaks down the voter numbers in GA

I don't know if I'm going to try and vote next week. It seems as though the early voting stations have been swamped. I don't wanna stand in line...but I guess I'm going to have to now. Stupid Obama being too popular.

As for Barr, he hasn't gotten traction in Georgia because everybody remembers his election from a few years ago when the Libertarians smashed him when the districts were redrawn.

He was ousted, in no small part, by their ads against him. Then, he magically flipped or shifted his position on half a dozen issues and said "Vote for me, I changed." I don't think anybody believes him. If he had been re-elected, what's to stop him from being your standard GOP congress guy now? Nothing would've forced him to change.

So, his new stances seem hollow.

organizm: Wait, isn't that what we're here for up in New Jersey? To cancel out Georgia's redneck 15 electoral votes? If they go blue, what the fark is the point is us even voting anymore? Goddamn it Georgia, pay attention.

You can cancel out Alabama (9 votes) and Mississippi (6 votes.) TWO states!

miscreant: Personally, if I was on either side and had any interest in voting third party, an election like this, where it's looking like an overwhelming victory for one candidate, would be the election where I would "throw my vote away" and vote third party.

The thing is, this is also the kind of election where voting third party isn't "throwing your vote away." If enough people do it, the third party can gain funding for the next election. Again, this is the best chance the Libertarian Party has to get a foot in the door of the two-party system.

organizm: Wait, isn't that what we're here for up in New Jersey? To cancel out Georgia's redneck 15 electoral votes? If they go blue, what the fark is the point is us even voting anymore? Goddamn it Georgia, pay attention.

I'm feeling the same way about Montana and North Dakota. Our 7 votes here in the Nutmeg State are meant to take out their 6. It's our penance for Lieberman.

DamnYankees:
We need to remember that the breakdowns of early voters is not representative. If black voters are really excited about the election, that might just mean they will vote early, but not necessarily more. So they show up overrepresented in the early voting and underrepresented on election day.

Yes, but black voters were 30% of voter rolls, and that may creep slightly higher with registration efforts around Atlanta. They've been 35.5% of early voting, so even if they -are- just voting early, between Obama and an uninspiring Republican, I'd expect them to at least meet that 30% number.

I would love to see moderate republicans (Bloomberg, Ridge, Schwarzenegger, Powell, Hagel) switch over to the Libertarian party after this election. Send Republicans a message. And that message will be "We are now Libertarians".

I is smart.

McCain is currently up by no more than two points in GA according to most polls. You take into account "likely voter" models "likely" getting thrown out the window this time around and that's generous. Anyone who thinks black voters won't come out this year is a fool. Living in Atlanta, I've seen black voters come out in droves for local elections and referendums. Obama's campaign has been registering blacks for three years now. I think he really does have a shot at this state.

organizm: I would love to see moderate republicans (Bloomberg, Ridge, Schwarzenegger, Powell, Hagel) switch over to the Libertarian party after this election. Send Republicans a message. And that message will be "We are now Libertarians".

I is smart.

Wow those are some big name Real America^TM hating traitors.

Aarontology: organizm: Wait, isn't that what we're here for up in New Jersey? To cancel out Georgia's redneck 15 electoral votes? If they go blue, what the fark is the point is us even voting anymore? Goddamn it Georgia, pay attention.

I'm feeling the same way about Montana and North Dakota. Our 7 votes here in the Nutmeg State are meant to take out their 6. It's our penance for Lieberman.

Oklahoma has 7 votes.

And it will not go blue this election. You can be confident in that, if nothing else in the world.

organizm: I would love to see moderate republicans (Bloomberg, Ridge, Schwarzenegger, Powell, Hagel) switch over to the Libertarian party after this election. Send Republicans a message. And that message will be "We are now Libertarians".

I is smart.

Except the Libertarian party is full of idiots and nutjobs, even more nutty than the current GOP.

some abstract idea of a Libertarian party with Hagel and Powell sounds good, but the current actually LP is the pits.