Huffy Plouffe

Obama strategist David Plouffe is getting a bit ... edgy when Democrats start wondering why St. Hopey is still dead-even with Maverick:

"Democrats should take a deep breath and realize that there are a group of voters who won't make up their mind about a candidate until deep in the fall," said David Plouffe, Mr. Obama's campaign manager. "And there are 18 states that are battlegrounds for a reason, and they'll be decided by 2 to 4 points. I don't care about national polls."

Yeah, you wanna bet 18 states are within the 52-48% range on Nov. 5? I mean, seriously, Georgia?

"The polls will change, but we know we need 200,000 new voters to be competitive in Georgia, and now is when we have to get them."

OK, I was born in Atlanta, lived there until 1997, still have lots of friends and family down home, and I will guaran-damn-tee you Obama won't win Georgia. Let's look at the facts, shall we?

• Fact: In 2004, George W. Bush got 1.9 million votes and beat John Kerry by 17 points (a margin of more than 500,000 votes) in Georgia.
• Fact: In 2006, a miserable mid-term year for Republicans nationwide, Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue got 1.2 million votes and defeated Democrat Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor by 20 points (a margin of over 400,000 votes) in Georgia.
• Fact: In the 2008 Georgia Democratic primary Feb. 5, Obama and Hillary combined got 1.03 million votes.
• Fact: Not a single poll this year has shown Obama leading in Georgia, and Rasmussen has consistently shown McCain ahead in the 9%-10% range.

I have talked to Georgia Democrats who voted for Hillary -- including hard-core yellow dogs I've known for decades, who wouldn't cross the street to piss on a Republican if he was on fire -- who express very deep reservations about voting for Obama. Trust me, there will be a certain number of "Hillary Democrats For Barr" votes on Nov. 4.

At this point, Georgia is one of the strongest Republican states in the country -- rivaled perhaps only by Oklahoma or Texas -- and every dime Team Obama spends there is a dime wasted. I'd bet if national Democratic officials were to talk to Democratic officials in Georgia -- e.g., Reps. John Barrow and Jim Marshall -- those Georgia Democrats would tell them the same thing.

For Plouffe to talk about "18 states that are battlegrounds ... decided by 2 to 4 points" when that list includes Georgia is evidence that Obama's Chicago HQ has lost touch with on-the-ground political reality.