Race will get tight, Obama says; "We do not let up."

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: CNN

(CNN) — He may hold a 6-8 point lead nationally with only two weeks until Election Day, but Barack Obama said he expects the race to tighten in its dwindling days.

In an interview airing on NBC Monday morning, the Democratic presidential candidate noted presidential races have historically tended to narrow in the days immediately before voters weigh in at the polls, and said it’s absolutely necessary he continue to play "ball control offense."

"We think that the race will tighten, just because that's what happens at the end of campaigns. They always have — even when there are substantial leads," Obama said. "And in each of these battleground states, you've got a lot of close races. One of the messages that I've had to my team is that we don't let up. We do not let up."

The latest CNN national poll of polls shows Obama holds a 6 point lead over McCain — an October advantage that has rarely been surpassed in past elections. Recent state polls out of key battleground states also show the Illinois senator appears to be firmly in control in every state won by the Democratic ticket in 2004, as well as a handful of states won by President Bush.

A clear lead in a race's final days for a politician can be a double-edged sword: supporters may decide to stay home, thinking their vote is not needed if the outcome is already a foregone conclusion. And candidate who appears overly confident of victory may also turn off the majority of voters who still have not made up their mind....

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/20/race-wi... /

[Alter Ego]

1. At least he's preempting the media's story.

[santamargarita]

2. What he's really saying is don't slow down now

Never turn your back on a Republican - never!

[qwlauren35]

3. There's still a lot of smear material left.

His cocaine use, his association with Reverend Wright, his wife's militant background while she was in college, to name a few cans of worms.

McCain has refused to touch these areas, but he's going to be pushed to, hard, by his party.

I don't know whether he will cave.

And if he does, I don't know what Obama will do, either.