Will this be a big deal in Northern Virginia (a.k.a. what the McCain campaign calls "Not real Virginia")? Polling expert Nate Silver:
Powell has approval ratings as high as just about any public figure in America. His endorsement was eloquent, unequivocal, and because of his role in the Bush Administration, genuinely newsworthy. Powell's endorsement might play especially well among the defense and military communities in Northern Virginia, which just so happens to be perhaps the most important swing region in the election.
For those who are undecided in the defense industry and needed just a little more convincing about Obama, Powell's endorsement gives him the high level cred that could tip the scales. I'll add that the same could be true at the end of I-64: the undecideds among the military community in Hampton Roads could also be affected by this endorsement as well in favor of Obama.
"I believe Barack Obama's going to be the next president of the United States."
Also, great line by Luntz at 3:56:
"John McCain cannot communicate. Stevie Wonder reads a teleprompter better than John McCain."
Ethel Kennedy to Hold Community Gatherings for Obama in Southwest VirginiaKennedy will speak with Virginia families about the economic challenges they face in the Bush economy
RICHMOND, Va. - Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, will hold a series of community gatherings throughout Southwest Virginia Tuesday and Wednesday to speak with voters about U.S. Senator Barack Obama's plans to create good-paying jobs and revitalize the economy in a region that has seen first-hand the impacts of the failed economic policies of the Bush Administration, including job losses and home foreclosures.
Over the two-day tour, Kennedy, joined by her son Max, will speak with voters about the differences between Obama's plans to lead this country in a new direction by cutting taxes for 95 percent of Virginians, ending tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas and providing immediate relief to homeowners facing foreclosure, and John McCain's plans, which offer Virginians four more years of the same failed policies of the last eight.
Ethel Kennedy is the widow of the late senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and has been campaigning for Obama, comparing him to her husband Bobby as a leader with the courage and compassion to lead this country in a new direction.
Max Kennedy is the ninth child of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy. He is an attorney and author and has been campaigning for Obama across the country for the past year.
The events are open to the public.
TUES, OCT. 21, 2008
Marion Community Gathering
When: 10 a.m.
Where: The Graham Residence
223 North Street
Marion, VAWytheville Community Gathering
When: 12:30 p.m.
Where: Edith Bolling Wilson Museum
145 E. Main Street
Wytheville, VARadford Community Gathering
When: 4:30 p.m.
Where: The Shankman Residence
110 Haven Drive
Radford, VAWED, OCT. 22, 2008
Blacksburg Community Gathering
When: 9 a.m.
Where: TBDRoanoke Community Meeting
When: 10:30 a.m.
Where: Residence of Hon. Richard Cranwell, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia1911 Mount View Rd
Vinton, VA
Isaac Sarver
Deputy Political Director for Southwest Virginia
Democratic Party of Virginia