Obama Sets Sights On 14 Bush States

Politico: Campaign Says They Will Look To Score Upsets, Also Try To Impact Local Races

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

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Barack Obama will focus his resources largely in 14 states George W. Bush won in 2004, his chief field operative said Tuesday, hoping to score upsets in places like Virginia, Indiana, and Georgia.

But winning the White House won’t be his only goal, deputy campaign manager Hildebrand told Politico: In an unusual move, Obama’s campaign will also devote some resources to states it’s unlikely to win, with the goal of influencing specific local contests in places like Texas and Wyoming.

“Texas is a great example where we might not be able to win the state, but we want to pay a lot of attention to it,” Hildebrand said. “It’s one of the most important redistricting opportunities in the country.”

Texas Democrats are five seats away in each chamber from control of the state legislature, which will redraw congressional districts after the 2010 census.

In Wyoming, Democrat Gary Trauner, running for the state’s sole congressional seat, lost narrowly against an incumbent in 2006 and is now seeking an open seat.

“If we can register more Democrats, if we can increase the Democratic performance and turnout, maybe we can pick up a congressional seat,” Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand’s plans underscore the unusual scope and ambition of Obama’s campaign, which can relatively cheaply extend its massive volunteer and technological resources into states which won’t necessarily produce electoral votes.

In Texas, for instance, Obama’s three dozen offices were overrun with volunteers during the primary; the campaign’s challenge is, in part, to find something useful to do with all that free labor. But, while Hildebrand said Obama is unlikely to pay for television advertising outside a core of about 15 states the candidate thinks he can win, he will spend some money on staff. Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, reportedly told donors in Houston that he would send 15 staffers to Texas, and the campaign has committed to having some staff on the ground in all 50 states.

If Obama loses in November, the broad expenditures-and the specific ambition of extending Democratic control-may be seen as a distraction from the traditional, crucial battlegrounds like Ohio, leading McCain’s campaign to dismiss Obama’s aspirations of broadening the playing field.

"It’s revealing that Barack Obama has now been forced to expand the states on his map because he’s so weak in traditional Democratic targets such as West Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and Florida, not to mention his ongoing problems in Pennsylvania and Ohio,” said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers.

But if Obama wins, he may have paved the path to a powerful Democratic majority. Obama has also sent out fundraising emails in the last week on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

A “new President alone isn't enough,” Obama wrote in a message sent to the DSCC’s email list. “I've served long enough in the U.S. Senate to know that Washington must change, and I also know that big changes don't happen without big Senate majorities - and right now, Democrats occupy only 49 seats.”

“This November, we have a chance to create a Democratic Senate majority like we haven't seen in decades - but it won't happen on its own,” he wrote.

Hildebrand and Obama campaign manager David Plouffe have, in recent days, outlined the shape of Obama’s campaign. In an interview with Politico, Hildebrand said Obama would focus largely on 14 states George W. Bush won in 2004, plus one state Kerry won in 2004, New Hampshire - where Obama and Hillary Clinton stage their first joint event Friday.

“We’re going to have to play hard in New Hampshire - we completely recognize that,” Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand also said Obama would campaign in pat of Nebraska, which distributes its electoral votes to the winner of each individual congressional district.

“We’re going to go in and play Nebraska 2, which is Omaha and surrounding, in the hopes that we can pick up that one electoral vote,” he said.

A presentation by Plouffe to donors, and Obama’s own early advertising expenditures, add three more to that list of states to defend: Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Hildebrand, in an interview, listed states in order of the margin by which Bush carried them: The closest four, Iowa, New Mexico, Ohio, Nevada, he said, would see “a ton of attention.”

But he said Obama would campaign hard in ten more states, with the candidate and his top surrogates spending time on the ground and his campaign spending money in the air. Those are Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Virginia, North Carolina, Montana, North Dakota, Indiana, Georgia, and Alaska.

Skeptics have questioned Obama’s chances in states ranging from Montana, where Obama’s support of gun control is unpopular, to the South, where racially polarized voting patterns could undermine his chances. Some have suggested his broader playing field is a kind of “head-fake,” a maneuver designed to force McCain to spend money and time on states Obama doesn’t really think he can win.

Hildebrand dismissed that suggestion.

“We’re going in to win those states,” he said. “We’re not going in to make McCain have to pay attention to them. We’re going in to win. The result of that is he’s going to have to pay serious attention to them where he otherwise might not have to.”

[rgrxx175]

bible thumping will not get you to heaven faster...

[jtyler271]

Also, the McDonalds statement would have made more sense if you had said, "I can walk into a McDonalds, but that doesn''t make me a customer." Otherwise, you are equating Christians to a tasty sandwich.

[jtyler271]

RDW, what is plain is that you have taken it upon yourself to be judge, jury, and executioner. How Christian is it to question somebody''s faith.
http://www.citizenlink.org/pdfs/06-24-08-obama-call-to-renewal.pdf

That would be Obama''s Call to Renewal speech. In it he calls himself Christian numerous times. When others have questioned his Christian faith, it is, to him, always "my faith." I personally have no faith or religion.

Hitler, like Rod Parsley, like Rudolph, like McVeigh, like Bush, etc., based his actions on what he read in the bible. I''m not saying that any of them were right. In fact, they were horribly wrong. But guess what the bible does teach us about them. "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Can you say that you have done that?

You espouse so much nonsense about Muslims being evil terrorists, and yet you forget to check on your own kids in the back yard. Hate is not exclusive, as you have clearly shown. Given the right brainwashing and one simple "good enough" reason, I think you could be a terrorist. Many Christian Americans already are.

[rdw1455-2009]

jtyler271
Its very plain to see you don''t know anything. Actually you don''t even suspected much.
By the way...Hitler claimed to be a Catholic. Did his actions show this? NO! I can walk into a McDonald''s but that doesn''t make me a hamburger. Just because you see someone in Church that doesn''t mean they are Christians. That includes those you "Claim" were Christians.

Eric Rudolph - Christian
Timothy McVeigh - Christian
David Wayne Hull - Christian
Stephen John Jordi - Christian
George Bush - Christian
Donald Rumsfield - Christian
Richard Cheney - Christian

The Bible say you will know them by their fruits, what did they produce? For that matter what has Obama produced?...Time will prove who is right.
I have never heard Obama once claim CHRIST to be his savior. This is how Christians came to be called Christians. They were first called Christians in Antioch...So you see I know my history. Sadly you don''t.
I also know you don''t judge a book by its cover. You just happen to be one of the many being fooled by Obama...I pity you and those like you. You are pathetic. :(

[rdw1455-2009]

No Mr.Obama you did NOT.

[jtyler271]

I''m sorry RDW, did I render your asinine argument moot?

[jtyler271]

Hitler was a Christian, as was Josef Stalin.

[jtyler271]

I must correct myself.

Catholic - 31.5%
Protestant - 28%
None/Atheist/Unknown - 20%
Muslim - 6%

[jtyler271]

Did you know that the majority of convicted felons in US prisons are Christian? Baptists to be exact.

[jtyler271]

There is, in fact, no religion for hate, so hate simply finds its own religion.

[jtyler271]

I happen to know many Muslims, some who dress like you and me, some who dress in the full traditional garb. Neither groups have ever said, preached or practiced anything so hateful as what you have just said. If anyone was taught to hate freedom or anything American, it is clearly you.

[jtyler271]

How stupid can you be???? You have had BORN AND RAISED AMERICANS found living right here in the USA!
They were captured plotting with all the evidence need to convict them. And they were revealed to be MUSLIM TERRORISTS indoctrinated from childhood to hate freedom, Capitalism, and anything American. They were caught and shipped off.
Now, what about those who are still running around dressed like you and me?
A FOOL is one who takes long walks on a short pier with his eyes shut. Now FOOL...OPEN YOUR EYES.

Posted by RDW1455 at 07:39 PM : Jun 26, 2008

Eric Rudolph - Christian
Timothy McVeigh - Christian
David Wayne Hull - Christian
Stephen John Jordi - Christian
George Bush - Christian
Donald Rumsfield - Christian
Richard Cheney - Christian

Consider my EYES OPEN

[rdw1455-2009]

How stupid can you be???? You have had BORN AND RAISED AMERICANS found living right here in the USA!
They were captured plotting with all the evidence need to convict them. And they were revealed to be MUSLIM TERRORISTS indoctrinated from childhood to hate freedom, Capitalism, and anything American. They were caught and shipped off.
Now, what about those who are still running around dressed like you and me?
A FOOL is one who takes long walks on a short pier with his eyes shut. Now FOOL...OPEN YOUR EYES.

[jtyler271]

Do a spell check on OBAMA''''S name and see what pops up...here''''s a hint....it''''s the name OSAMA.


Posted by RDW1455 at 07:20 PM : Jun 26, 2008

Do a criminal check on McCain and see what comes up.

[jtyler271]

May I ask another question? Have you ever been in debt? If so, then you should know that to pay off debt, you must actually pay the bills. If the debt is extreme enough, you generally want to send in more than the minimum payment. Now, I''ll agree with you that increasing taxes is not the most exciting option, but when you have a $9 trillion debt, what do you expect?

[jtyler271]

RDW, you have yet to acknowledge my points. Obama''s father was in fact agnostic. But even more important, explain to me why a Muslim president would be a bad thing.

[rdw1455-2009]

You may be the Dali Lama quicker than you think. There are a lot of gullible people out there. They actually think a 200 acre drilling site in the Arctic waste land will spoil the scenery and harm the wildlife. Lol
That would be like putting a postage stamp in the middle of a football field. It would go totally unnoticed. And yet idiots like them allow us to be hog tied by OPEC and greedy Governments.
Nice knowing you Mr. Lama.
I pray your right but I''m afraid your not. :(

[rdw1455-2009]

Obama''s catch Fraze after the election will be,
"Yes we can...destroy America"
"Yes we can....Tax Americans to death"
"Yes we can....pay more for our fuel"
"Yes we can....Win by deceit"
THE ONLY DIFFERANCE BETWEEN OBAMA AND OSAMA IS THE BS.

Do a spell check on OBAMA''S name and see what pops up...here''s a hint....it''s the name OSAMA.

[jtyler271]

Thus we will have elected not only the first African American to the white House but also the first MUSLIM, GOD HELP US ALL THEN!

Posted by RDW1455 at 07:09 PM : Jun 26, 2008

Just for the sake of argument, why would this be an issue?

[rdw1455-2009]

Once Obama is President I predict he will announce he is renouncing his faith as a Christian to embrace the religion of his father.
Thus we will have elected not only the first African American to the white House but also the first MUSLIM, GOD HELP US ALL THEN! :(
Barrack is proof YOU CAN FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME...AT LEAST IF THEY ARE DEMO-RAT''S