McCain Claims He Can Turn California Red

While the entire rest of the world was in Denver yesterday, John McCain was hanging out in Sacramento, California, checking out the sights and repeatedly mentioning that his wife Cindy was in the Republic of Georgia, doing something vaguely humanitarian.

He was also trying to convince people that he would be competitive in California this November, despite the fact that the state has been reliably Democratic for decades.

[McCain] wanted to talk about this fall. “I also want to look you in the eye — and I appreciate your generosity — but I also want to tell you we will compete in the state of California," McCain said, as reported by the pool reporter Kevin Yamamura of the Sacramento Bee. "We will compete and win in the state of California. We will not take your money and leave.”

Democrats hold a registration edge in California, 43.75% to 32.53%. Barack Obama almost certainly will win California, just as Democratic presidential nominees have done every election since Bill Clinton carried the state in 1992.

McCain certainly hasn’t had a lot of luck in California, though. The last time he was in Sacramento, his SUV broke down and he was forced to ride around in a cab. And furthermore, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been pretty critical of McCain’s off-shore drilling proposals.

Well, at least he got Sylvester Stallone’s endorsement. That should be worth something in Hollywood, right?