Kerry's Tennessee?

I submit to you now: New Hampshire is a must-win for Kerry. If he can't win in his backyard, it's going to be tough going in other battlegrounds. And NH is a bellwether: it has backed the eventual president in every election since 1980. A couple of polls show a snapshot of a close race in the Granite State: Zogby: 48.1 Kerry, 44.5 Bush, 1.6 Other ARG: 45 Kerry, 47 Bush, 1 Nader, 7 Undecided (Both leads within the margin of error.) Yeah, New Hampshire is not Massachussetts (lots of independents, backed Bush last time out) but it is basically in the Boston media market and Kerry has to be considered the home team. The 2000 debacle in Gore's home state of Tennessee comes to mind -- a devastating loss that cost him the White House. Losing NH would be less singularly devastating to Kerry, but come on, if he can't convince his neighbours to vote for him, it's going to be an uphill battle in the West Virginias and Wisconsins. Where have you gone, Josiah Bartlet?