New Details On Obama's General Election Plans

[sniffa]

The New York Times has a lot of new info on what to expect from Obama's general election campaign.

-- He could compete in up to 25 states including some very red areas like Georgia, Alaska, and Montana. If Obama does run a 25 state campaign, it is going to present a huge financial problem to McCain who will either have to thin out his resources to compete or risk upsets in several states. It will also make him much weaker in Ohio since he will already be a huge financial underdog and every dollar he has to spend in, say, Georgia, is one less dollar he can spend in Ohio.

-- Obama has hired Aaron Pickrell, the chief political strategist of Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio and the man who helped steer Hillary Clinton to victory in that state's primary against Obama, to head up his Ohio operations.

-- Obama has hired Dan Carroll, the ruthless opposition researcher who gained fame digging up information on opponents' records for Bill Clinton in 1992, to head up his opposition research. This is clearly a sign that Obama plans to be ready with dirt on McCain if he needs it.

-- Obama is planning to hire Patti Solis Doyle, a longtime associate of Hillary Clinton who was her campaign manager until a shake-up in February.

-- Obama is planning on bringing in senior operatives from past Democratic Presidential campaigns to work with Michelle Obama, knowing that the Republicans plan to make her a target during the campaign.

-- Obama plans to begin biographical ads in many states to counter some of the rumors that have gone around the internet about him.

http://www.411mania.com/politics/columns/77422/New-Details-On-Obama%5C%5Cs-General-Election-Plans.htm

I like it. :bounce:

[anonymous171]

1. I knew Obama had a plan! K&R

[BlooInBloo]

2. Game on!

[PretzelWarrior]

3. this is terrific

now OPrah needs to get back on the TV and tell them independents Ozarkdem is yammering on about that they need to vote for Obama.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. Did I ever mention that Obama is SMART?

He is smart. I like that.

[Shakespeare]

5. Excellent!! Time to make another donation.

We've got a lot of work to do.

[sniffa]

22. I'll do another maybe later in the week

Not much as usual, but that enables me to donate again. :D

[graywarrior]

6. This is exactly why I voted for him

He plans for the future.

[sniffa]

7. Yes, he does

And I'm constantly impressed by instinct he has as well.

[graywarrior]

18. Yes, instinct and intuition.

[blonndee]

8. All aboard!

Okay, Obama supporters! Let's get involved. It's time to go to work.

[sniffa]

11. Yes we do

Voter registration drives need to get moving ASAP. Georgia is the place to be, for starters, but every state should be targeted by us.

[Schema Thing]

9. Don't tell anyone, but... I think Obama plans

....to win.

[Cha]

13. Yes, as his pep talk to his campaign workers at Chicago

headquarters demonstrated..they have no choice but to win now.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6318457

[blue neen]

10. This is exactly why he impresses me so much.

Obama ran an excellent primary campaign, and it looks like he is really prepared to battle for the general election. IMHO, these are indicators of how he will run our government, and that bodes well for the USA and the world.

[FlyingSquirrel]

12. 25 states, not 50?

I think we should stick with the Dean plan, personally. Obama has the money for it.

If he's going to mount a campaign in all 50 states, but put more resources into 25 -

Well, I think it should be more than 25.

Unless he is assuming certain states will go blue -

DC (of course), New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, Illinois, Hawaii - pretty safe bets.

Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey, California - pretty safe.

No, looking at the electoral map I only see maybe 6 states he shouldn't even bother with if he were to go with fewer than 50:

Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma.

And if he went with fewer than 44, I'd have to add:

Alaska, Kansas, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Kentucky.

But I really don't think he should concede any of those states (with the possible exception of MS).

[Hippo_Tron]

21. He might compete in Montana, North Dakota, Alaska, and one of Nebraska's electoral votes

Nebraska splits their electors by congressional district with the winner of the state getting two at-large electors.

[Gore1FL]

33. it is a 50 state strategy

but resources will be especially concentrated in 25

[Yael]

14. Um, what exactly does bringing Doyle into the mix accomplish?

[sniffa]

16. To play the role she could do well, not the one she sucked at?

:shrug:

[Yael]

23. And that role would be....

???

[sniffa]

24. Fuck if I know

I assume she has tremendous value if she's being hired by Obama. I trust his judgment.

[wileedog]

17. Well, *someone * has to keep everyone up to speed on "Days of Our Lives" while they are working

[Tresalisa]

29. LOL! When I heard that Obama was

taking Patti Solis Doyle on board, my first thought was that he must be a fan of the soaps!

Hopefully she's more suited to him than she was to Hillary.

:hi:

[Cha]

30. Obama's campaign will be too

exciting to want to sit around and watch soaps.:P

[Blarch]

15. Wow ...

This Patti Solis Doyle ...

Clinton's campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, seems to agree with that assessment, having effectively vowed to run her operation much as Rove did his two successful national campaigns. "She expresses admiration for the way George W. Bush's campaign team controlled its message, and, given her druthers, would run this race no differently," http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081401722.html

[RoyGBiv]

19. This is what I like ...

I have continually marveled to this point at the acumen Obama has for running a campaign. People thought Bill was good (and he was), but Obama is quickly proving to be superior at this game. I did not vote for Obama in the primary, but even at the time I cast my vote I was aware that his campaign machinery was likely the variable that would eventually rule the primary.

I'm glad to see he is not sitting on his laurels with all this, and I am further glad his resources and the availability of operatives that can assist him have now been freed to move forward with him.

This is gonna be a fun ride.

[sniffa]

20. He's a ruthless campaigner, and he has a killer instinct

Sure, he hasn't always hit the mark, but more often than not he's played the game and won - BIG much of the time. He's going to slaughter McCain.

[MarjorieG]

27. Chicago politics ain't bean bag.

[Cha]

31. That's our Obama..Killer instincts

[blonndee]

25. Kick

[MattNC]

26. McCain

will just have to pray he hangs on to states like Georgia without putting much time or $$$ in them. He's going to be stretched for $$$ and will have to spend most of it in the more traditional swing states.

[hendo]

28. All the way to teh White House! n/t

[futureliveshere]

32. He will compete in 50 states and has already started asking rates for ad buys in 24.

That is an unprecedented number of states to buy ad time in and will create history in itself. This is sure to make the Repukes very very afraid.