Obama Won't Change Game Plan After Loss

Politico: Despite Pennsylvania Loss, Advisers Say They Are Sticking With Strategy That Got Them This Far

(The Politico)  This story was written by Ben Smith.

---

Barack Obama casts himself as the candidate of change, but his campaign strategy going forward is the opposite: more of the same.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton shuffled slogans, staff and tactics in the wake of her primary losses. But Obama and his advisers, after a third major primary defeat in two months, say they are sticking with the game plan that brought him this far.

"The way we are going to close the deal is by winning,” Obama told reporters in New Albany, Ind., on Wednesday, one day after losing Pennsylvania to Clinton by 9 percentage points. “And right now, we are winning."

Obama’s aides said, on and off the record, that Obama would keep doing what he’s been doing: campaigning with the aim of running up big margins on friendly turf and limiting his losses where Clinton is strong.

And they said to expect no tweaks to his campaign style of speeches full of hope and attacks on Washington’s status quo, expensive field and television campaigns, and direct mail attacks on Clinton’s trustworthiness and policies. They also stressed the importance of the largest remaining state, North Carolina, as a test of both candidates.

His aides also directly dismissed concerns that his relative weakness among working-class white voters - a constant since at least February - should cause superdelegates to doubt his viability in November.

“The white working class has gone to the Republican nominee for many elections, going back even to the Clinton years. This is not new that Democratic candidates don’t rely solely on those votes,” his chief strategist, David Axelrod, told National Public Radio.

“The vast majority of these Democrats are going to come home,” said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, saying the question is who would pull younger, independent-leaning Republicans away from Arizona Sen. John McCain.

The spin drew a sharp rejoinder from former President Bill Clinton, whose narrow pluralities among working-class white voters were key to his victories, according to leading Democratic analysts.

“Today her opponent's campaign strategist said, 'Well, we don't really need these working class people to win. Half the time they vote for Republicans anyways,'" the former president said while speaking from a flatbed truck on a baseball field in Hillsborough, N.C. "I will tell you something - America needs you to win, and therefore Hillary wants your support.”

Obama’s decision not to engage the argument over white working-class voters - or to present a strategy for improvement - indicates they don’t believe undecided superdelegates are buying Clinton’s arguments.

And there is no evidence that they are. Wednesday, the candidates announced the endorsements of three superdelegates with working-class white constituents: Obama won the support of Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry and a Democratic national committeewoman from Nebraska while Clinton won the support of Tennessee Rep. John Tanner.

Clinton’s campaign has sought to focus attention on the contest in Indiana, considered favorable demographic terrain for her despite a proximity to Obama’s hometown of Chicago and his strong organization. There, too, Obama’s backers hope he’ll run strong.

“The Obama camp was the only one that focused on new registration,” Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel told Politico. “They brought in the lion’s share, if not all” of about 3,600 new registrations in his county.

But Plouffe said North Carolina would be a key test of the candidates, an argument that sets Obama up to declare an overall victory on May 6 - when he is likely to win more delegates and more votes on the day - and downplay Indiana as a definitive contest.

“North Carolina is a big battleground state with 15 electoral voes,” Plouffe said. “By [the Clinton campaign’s] own definition, it would appear they need to win North Carolina.”

Plouffe also sought to downplay Obama’s weakness in the industrial Midwest by suggesting that he can put an unorthodox set of states into play against McCain - Virginia, Iowa, Missouri and Georgia -though it may not give comfort to Democrats who think the race will be fought in the traditional battlegrounds of Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.

For Obama, a change of strategy might prove a dangerous distraction and a sign of weakness when he’s focused on projecting a winner’s strength. What’s more, some Democrats noted, Obama hasn’t lost support within demographic groups over the course of the primary and has his highest-ever standing against Clinton in national polls.

“His positive message has proved durable and powerful,” said Bob Shrum, the top adviser to John Kerry in 2004.

[eroosevelt08]

It is not a question of race. It is just that Senator Obama has such a thin resume so far. He shows great promise, but he has not learned enough yet to be President. The standard of comparison is not George Bush. The standard is George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Senator Obama is just too young and inexperienced for the job.

[obama8years]

I am watching Obama on Fox, he had the chance to really condemn the actions of wright. And he is making excuses for rev wright. He is *** up , Bad!! I was feeling good where Obama was going with the question but then he started defending. Sad indeed.

[obama8years]

Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?

As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?

Is Barack aware t hat black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?

We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena . And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.

Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago.

[obama8years]

We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?

Barack talks about new %u2018ladders of opportunity%u2019 for blacks.

Let him go to Altoona and Johnstown , and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for %u2018deserving%u2019 white kids.
Is whi te America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America ? Is it really white America %u2019s fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent ?

[obama8years]

Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America .

Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.
This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:

First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.

Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.

Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the %u201960s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American com munity into the mainstream.

[obama8years]

(cont)
Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks %u2014 with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas %u2014 to advance black applicants over white applicants.

Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to supp ort soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by craftylady38 at 11:43 AM : Apr 27, 2008

What kind of change? Liberation theology with Ayers and Dohrn and his other freakoid anti=American agenda!

No thanks!

[rowdytexan2]

Now Hillary is trying to get more free air time with the debate ruse. Neither she nor her husband want to use their own money to support a failed campaign. But she''''s no fool, she knows if she can get Obama to go for her BS tactics she can get more free time. She knows she has a chance of a snowball if hell of winning. Her strategy is to destroy Obama so he cannot win against McCain and she can run in 2012. She is a real bi*tch.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by rufisgufis at 12:17 PM : Apr 27, 2008

Oh, BS...she just wants him to come out and debate the issues so more people can see what cheap empty suit he is...geezus, what a pack of lies.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by SgtRDS at 02:04 AM : Apr 27, 2008

Squeaked out? She got more than 200,000 votes than he did! That''s a hellofa lot more than he''s gotten in most states!

[rufisgufis]

Now Hillary is trying to get more free air time with the debate ruse. Neither she nor her husband want to use their own money to support a failed campaign. But she''s no fool, she knows if she can get Obama to go for her BS tactics she can get more free time. She knows she has a chance of a snowball if hell of winning. Her strategy is to destroy Obama so he cannot win against McCain and she can run in 2012. She is a real bi*tch.

[craftylady38]

Comments I have read scare me. It is amazing how backward a country we still are. Hillary is a very scary person. She has lied and fought with dirty campaign tactics with good ole'' hubby Bill and she has people flocking to her! Is this how Bush was re-elected? Change is scary and most people won''t. Status quo while we are being robbed at the gas pump and our children continue to die in Iraq. Do you think Hillary cares? Clintons are a political machine that should scare the hell out of all of us!! Maybe if Bill had been impeached for lying back in the day, this wouldn''t be happening. Hillary kept him around not because she is a strong woman, but for this day! Her self-serving tactics are destroying the Democrats. Go Hillary! There is a lot to be proud of! If she can''t win this time, she wants Obama destroyed for 2012. All of you that thinks she cares, wake up and look at her record! End the fear! Go for change!

[crewmember1]

Gee Dwibblers, didi it ever occur to you that the people who go on line to research and read already know that your stupid fear mongering is irrelevant your Orweillian castings fall on deaf ears. If you really want to use those tactics to scare voters, go somewhere else where people don''t have immediate access to your rumors. This is a primary election, not a lynching. I think you are in the wrong place.

[nanging3]

Obama is a Muslim Terrorsit put up by Farrahkan with Libyan money.

Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, and Rev. Jermiah Wright, Jr. were seeking the United States
Government''s permission to accept $1 billion from Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of
Libya. The gift, Mr. Farrakhan said, would be used to mobilize American black
voters and bolster their economic strength. (AND ELECT OBAMA ?)


While visiting that mercurial miscreant Libyan strongman Col. Muammar Qaddafi,
Farrakhan struck a deal which secured millions of dollars from Libya to lobby
for the secession of part of the United States. The goal is the formation of a
separate black nation on the North American Continent replete with a 500,000 man
army and nuclear weapons.

In remarks to the Iranian parliament Farrakhan called for the destruction of
that "great satan" meaning the United States.

In Iraq, Farrakhan accused the United States of genocide and "war crimes" and
again prayed for our total destruction.


SCARY STUFF !!!

[nanging3]

Obama is too weak to debate Hillary. Hillary proved she is a fighter. I am so proud of her.

Obama is afraid they will ask him hard questions, like questions about Ayers, Farrahkan, Rev."just sound bites" wright, why Robert Malley, who supports Hamas still works on his staff, why they fly a Cuban flag at his office, why his wife is so unpatriotic...

[libra127]

Posted by SgtRDS at 02:04 AM : Apr 27, 2008

It will be up to the superdelegates to decide who will be the stronger candidate against McCain. As more and more of Obama''s weaknesses come out, as they have been for the last few weeks, it will be clear by June that the stronger candidate will be HILLARY.

[sgtrds]

Obama lost big time in Pennsylvania. Hillary has momentum now.

Posted by libra127 at 01:57 AM : Apr 27, 2008

Hillary squeaked out a tiny win in PA, but it''s far too little and far too late. She can''t catch him. If she cared at all about what''s best for the Democratic party she''d concede now and not face the embarrassment in Denver.

[libra127]

It''s no wonder the educated and well-informed college students are voting for Obama.

Posted by mariony at 11:05 PM : Apr 26, 2008

Nope. Sorry, but this is not true. Hillary won the majority of the most HIGHLY-EDUCATED voters in PA. She beat Obama 53% TO 47% among voters with POST-GRADUATE education.

[libra127]

Posted by SgtRDS at 01:53 AM : Apr 27, 2008

Obama lost big time in Pennsylvania. Hillary has momentum now.

[sgtrds]

Obama Won''t Change Game Plan After Loss


Why should he? He''s won.

"You''''re absolutely right, we don''''t want a weak president like Obama who will be soft on terrorists!"

RowdyTexan2...The terrorists are in the US running our country in the ground. Gas is $5 in CA, predicted to be $10 end of year. Food rationing has begun, people are losing their homes in droves, losing their jobs and Bush is bailing out the banks and crooks on Wall St.

Bush attacks an innocent country, kills a million Iraqis and displaces millions more. We have blood on our hands. Tell me again, who are the terrorists?

We have met the enemy, and it is us. I''ll see you in the soup lines in December...

----
"Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty,
painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind." ~Henry Miller, American writer