ATLANTA, July 30, 2008
Obama Has Cash To Attack McCain's Base
Politico: Democrat Making Big Investment In States Like Georgia That Have Trended Republican
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Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., center, laughs as he talks with diners at a restaurant in Lebanon, Mo., Wednesday, July 30, 2008. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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In nearly every presidential cycle, candidates throw a little money at a state to try to turn it into a fresh battleground. It almost never works.
But Barack Obama believes his historic nomination gives him more of an opening to press such a strategy.
And what sets him apart from his predecessors is that he may actually have the money to attack his rival’s base on a broader scale and in a more sustained way than any candidate before him.
The process has already begun. The Illinois senator last month began airing ads and opening offices in Virginia, North Dakota, Colorado and a handful of other states that have voted Republican in recent cycles.
Obama is supplementing those high-profile moves with a potentially higher-impact investment in ground troops who can recruit volunteers, knock on doors, register voters and create a buzz around the campaign with bumper stickers and yard signs.
To appreciate the aggressiveness of Obama’s operation it’s worth taking a closer look at the jockeying in Georgia.
Democrats haven’t won this state since Bill Clinton captured it in 1992 - with a critical assist from independent candidate Ross Perot.
It’s a state where the political world today is dominated by a Republican governor, two Republican U.S. senators, and a Republican state legislature.
But the state is also home to a large African-American constituency, an influential white urban voting bloc and Bob Barr, a popular former Republican congressman who is running at the top of the Libertarian Party ticket.
Obama won the Feb. 5 Democratic primary here in a walk, capturing 66 percent of the vote to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 31 percent.
Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain lost the Peach State primary to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and barely held off former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to take second place.
Within that complex political mosaic, Obama spies opportunity.
He sent his first field workers to Georgia in May 2007, according to his financial disclosure forms. They remained here, albeit in smaller numbers, even after the primary.
Last month, more than 20 paid Obama staffers were toiling away in the back conference room of a partially renovated law office in downtown Atlanta.
And now their numbers are growing as they prepare to launch a voter registration drive that could see hundreds of thousands of African-American and young voters added to the voting rolls by November.
Their job is made easier by the enthusiasm gap, which is creating impassioned pockets of Obama supporters even in GOP strongholds who can be mobilized at minimum cost. The effort could pay off in tightening polls, an even bigger donor pool and votes.
A Politico analysis of the candidates’ spending in Georgia - not including advertising - since January 2007 found that overall, McCain has spent $441,895 to Obama’s $335,671.
But half of McCain’s cash, $220,613, has gone to three people, all of whom are fundraising consultants.
In the most recent financial disclosure reports released last week, McCain lists 13 Georgia-related expenses for June, which total $46,723.
Almost all of the payments were related to a Savannah campaign stop in May. McCain hasn’t hired any full-time field staff in Georgia and he’s not running any commercials on television there.
Obama listed 22 Georgia payments in his June financial disclosure form totaling $11,503. Of them, 13 were staff payroll costs. Since June 20, he’s aired $1.6 million in positive, biographical advertisements on Georgia stations, according to Evan Tracey, founder of the Campaign Media Analysis Group.
“They are treating the money they spent in the primaries as organizational investments and relying on them to form the foundation for the general election,” said Anthony Corrado, a nonpartisan campaign finance expert.
“Rater than retooling or starting over, they are just building out from the organizational structure they began months ago in some of these states,” he added.
The McCain campaign is dismissive of their opponent’s effort to turn so many red states to blue.
“I cannot begin to analyze or make sense of the political strategy employed by the Obama campaign,” said Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman.
“They have paid staff in Utah and other states that are solid McCain territory. They’ve clearly made a determination that staff on the ground means that a state is in play. That’s their determination, not ours,” Bounds added.
Nick Shapiro, an Obama spokesman, counters, “The nationwide desire for change and the network of volunteers and infrastructure built up during the primaries give us an opportunity to reach voters in places President Bush won.”
Even if Obama can’t steal Georgia from the Republican column, which Democratic and Republican strategists agree is an uphill fight, he still could inflict damage on McCain by forcing him to spend precious resources to guarantee the win.
That’s what Obama did to Clinton during the critical Pennsylvania primary. She emerged victorious but broke, and Obama then used his cash advantage to capture North Carolina and close the gap enough in Indiana to all but finish her off.
“I think it is smart for them to try to keep as many states in play as possible as long as possible,” said Tad Devine, a Democratic strategist. “Why not force McCain to worry and defend territory that should be rightfully his?”
While the McCain camp is holding its nerve, some Georgia Republicans are sounding the alarm.
“They are absolutely convinced Georgia is in the bag,” said Matt Towery, a former Republican candidate and strategist whose firm, InsiderAdvantage, recently released a poll showing McCain with a razor-thin lead.
“I know this state like the back of my hand,” said Towery. “If they think Georgia is a guarantee for them, they are insane.”
Republican attorney Randy Evans is confident the big-name Republicans in the state, including Gov. Sonny Purdue, can for now adequately rebut Obama’s messages and keep McCain’s in the mix.
But that doesn’t mean he’s entirely comfortable, either.
From his seat on the State Election Board, Evans is bracing to see big jumps in Democratic registrations in the coming months as Obama’s field operation goes into overdrive.
That effort will be augmented by a separate registration drive organized by the Democratic National Committee. The DNC campaign swept through Georgia last Saturday.
In addition to new voters, Evans said election officials are predicting turnout in about a dozen precincts, mostly in the African-American community, will reach or exceed 90 percent - an unprecedented rate.
A lack of competitive down-ticket contests that can help rally the Republican base is also a concern, said Evans.
“The incentive for state representatives and state senators to beat the bushes and get their voters out is not as great, and that is a little worrisome,” he said.
Alec Pointevent, a major McCain surrogate in Georgia, is more confident. Georgians "have some walking-around sense" and they won't stray from their conservative roots, he said.
But then there is the candidacy of Barr, who was swept into Congress as part of the 1994 Republican revolution and who has since remained popular in Georgia for criticizing his old colleagues for losing their fiscal way.
“He will get a reasonable share of the vote but it will be in the single digits,” predicts Whit Ayres, a Republican polling expert deeply familiar with Georgia politics.
After two decades of toil in the state’s political trenches, former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes mentally does the math: If Obama's team can register 250,000 new voters and just half of them show up to vote for Obama and Barr’s Libertarian ticket peels 8 percent of the vote away from McCain, “it would be revolutionary.”
By Jeanne Cummings
Copyright 2008 POLITICO
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See all 226 CommentsSIEG HEIL OBAMA.
They give all of mccains ad''s free air time over and over, doesn''t matter that they have been fact checked and called untrue, false, flimsy, no evidence, wrong, flat out lies, etc, etc.
Then McCain campaign coordinates with the press, through a conference call for the media, email, fax, etc. and tell them what the next attack ad will be about. The media picks up the topic as the ''theme of the week'', that is all you will hear on all networks and talk shows. For example, they will ask if Obama is arrogant, then they will pick apart every phrase looking for whatever they can to make it fit into their theme. Doesn''t matter if we have to separate 4 words out from a whole paragraph cause we''re looking for a story here, we aren''t really reporters that has to deal with truth, we are more like lounge acts trying to keep the masses entertained.
After we have spent the week reporting stories that match the particular theme that matches up with John''s attack ads, then we will poll people to ask them if they have a perception of Obama as arrogant.
Then we get to report the results and that "proves" what we have spent the week pushing is ''true''.
Isn''t that interesting how that works? Keep a watch out for it, it''s quite amazing once you catch on to it.
SIEG HEIL OBAMA.
Posted by obamaisaho
******************************************************* I''m curious where did you get the information that Obama got money from George Soros? I hadn''t seen that.
And is that bad? I thought George Soros was quite the philanthropist, very much into supporting democracies and humanitarian efforts.
SIEG HEIL OBAMA.
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Posted by obamaisaho at 04:19 PM : Jul 30, 2008
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Before I post my thoughts, I think I''ll respond to this POS! When your opponent resorts to lies, innuendo, distortions, hate and bigotry, you KNOW you have them beat! Elections are won on issues and the problem that the McCain supports have is they can''t beat Obama on THE ISSUES! All they can do is the typical post like the one I am referring to here, no substance, just narrow-minded people that want to scare other prople, like they, themselves have been scared. Just plain pathetic!
SIEG HEIL OBAMA.
Posted by obamaisaho at 04:19 PM : Jul 30, 2008
There you have folks, all these facts in a rational and well written rant........ Jezz, did you drink the bong water?
Any candidate who could out-policik the Clinton machine is, by definition, a very smart and shrewd campaigner. This guy has ice in his veins, brains in his head, and tremendous political instinct.
Even hardcore Republicans have got to admire his acumen.
Unlike McCain, whose campaign is still messageless and wandering (and even at this late stage, schizophrenic), the Obama campaign is humming on all cylinders.
If Obama can run a government like he runs his campaign, it will be something else!
okay bladdy10, you let me know when you have watched this one and then I will watch the one you suggested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgF39TRCPPE&eurl=http://www.dailykos.com/
Posted by mr2258 at 04:27 PM : Jul 30, 2008
Hold on to that Swastika there Sparky, you ain''t seen NOTHING yet!! ROFLMAO McSame can''t figure it out can he. He wanted to Make Obama the issue so he hounded him until he made his trip... guess what? ROFLMAO He lost that round BIG! Obama up 9 in the Tracking Poll but that isn''t the worst for the Reich! McSame can''t make his mind up on his position on??? Well just about ANYTHING! ROFLMAO I just have the feeling that McSame and the Republican''s are finding out what I''ve heard on the Street for a long time. The ENTIRE Party is in Big Big Trouble and all Obama has to do is show the people that he can run things... that''s all they''ll need!! SIEG HEIL McSame!! ROFLMAO
SIEG HEIL OBAMA.
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Posted by obamaisaho at 04:19 PM : Jul 30, 2008
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I LOVE desperation! Especially from a Swastika Hugger!! ROFLMAO This poor loser doesn''t even know his left from his right! ROFLMAO I''ll give anyone two to one that he lives in a trailer in some back woods lot and he never got out of the 4th grade!! Any takers? ROFLMAO I''ll give the same Odds that this turkey has a hood and sheet hanging in his closet!! ROFLMAO SIEG HEIL BUSH
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That doesn''t come as any surprise and it is indicative that they are not capable of analyzing or making sense of any of the economic problems of this country either.
I think they''ve got the system down pretty tight by now, and as long as Karl Rove can keep himself out of jail, he can provide any additional aid they might need.
mccain how many time do you have to F-ck it up?
+ report abuse
Where in the heck have you been? Havn''t seen anything from you in two weeks. Was hoping you were just on vacation, not under the weather.
Comrades, hold onto your wallets.
... what''s he gonna do, lock us all up until the election is over? Somebody should tell him it''s a new base ... lots of PUMAs roaming around ... and we bite.
2. John McCain is two-faced on lobbyists. He has constantly said he wants nothing to do with ''big-moneyed special interests''...but he has taken in $181,000 in donations from lobbyists.
3. John McCain needs a geography lesson. He brags he''s been to Iraq so many times, but he said Iraq borders Pakistan. Look at a map, John....there''s a little country called Iran in between.
4. John McCain has slammed Obama for only attending one Afghanistan hearing...but McCain''s even more guilty! The Arizona Senator has not attended any committee hearings on Afghanistan.
5. John McCain is taking money from Swift Boat veterans. In 2004, he called them dishonest and dishonorable.
7. John McCain is more of a game show host than a candidate, offering up gimmick after gimmick. First it was the gas tax holiday, but now - he wants taxpayers to give $300 million to whoever develops the next new electric battery. Too bad the Japanese are already five years ahead of the US in developing the next generation battery
8. John McCain will try to stir up war with Iran. We''ve seen this with his recent exchange with Barack Obama, saying we shouldn''t talk - we should just bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
9. John McCain''s Gas Tax Holiday is a joke. Virtually every economist has shot down McCain''s idea of a gas tax holiday. It just won''t work!
10. John McCain is a fear monger. Adviser Charlie Black suggested another terrorist attack would help McCain and the Republicans win.
1. Social Security Privatization.
2. Raising - and Slashing - Defense Spending
3. First Term Balanced Budget Pledge.
4. The Media%u2019s Treatment of Hillary Clinton.
5. The Estate Tax
6. FISA, Domestic Surveillance and Telecom Immunity.
7. Restoring the Everglades.
8. Divestment from South Africa.
9. Fighting Job Losses in Michigan.
10. Opposing Hurricane Katrina Investigations.
11. Alternative minimum tax, was for repealing it, now wants to phase it out.
12. Litmus test for judicial appointees, was against it, now he''''s for it.
13. 1999: was against off-shore drilling, now he''''s for it.
14. 2001: "Cannot in good conscience support tax cuts"
15. 2005: McCain anti-torture amendment, 2008, voted against the ban.
16. 2006: McCain immigration bill, 2008 DID NOT vote for it!
17. 2000: Called Jerry Falwell and Pat Roberts "Agents of Intolerence"; 2006, pandered to Falwell and spoke at his college.
posted by xlib.
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Really is that rumor or can you provide any evidence of that.
And is that bad, because I thought Geoge Soros was a philanthopist who was very much into developing Democracies and humanitarian work?
Posted by starpost at 05:12 PM : Jul 30, 2008
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Everybody knows that PUMA"s are 85% republican and 15% Hillary supporters.
Even some of the Hillary supporters have figured it out now.
I thought it was McCain channel
4 oclock..Mccain goes to supermarket with a Republican plant and pretends to shop while looking at his cue card to figure out the price of milk.
CLEAN UP ON AISLE 4
5 oclock..Mccain goes to lunch at German SAUSAGE FACTORY.....Says he is sad because he hasn''t been the media darling for 3 days and he had gotten used to it over the past 9 years, since he started running for President.
6pm..He heads to a Georgetown cocktail party for a little skirtchasing.
8pm. gotsome and then headed to the casino where his 18,000 dollars lasted all of 4 hours.
midnight...home to Cindy to promise that if she gives him more money and use of her jet, then he will get whatever bills through the Senate that her family business is looking for.
1am...Cindy is reluctant to put out more gambling money for him, so Johnny flies into a rage and calls her vulger names.
1,30am..cindy gives in and says she is willing as long as he doesn''t renege on those family favors he promised.
Cheers!
Posted by sincityq at 05:36 PM : Jul 30, 2008
******************************************************* The only thing that Hillary and McCain have in common are they are both White. So my guess is you never gave a hoot about Hillary!
He has raised your grocery bills with farm subsidies and is going to turn us into a third world nation unless he supports drilling for oil. Move over Bangledesh - here we come.
And his supporters seem to do the same thing: personal attacks. Where is his positive message; I don''t think he has one. NEGATIVE McCOMA!
You. Are. So. Wrong.
PUMA 08! The end of Obama. The beginning of getting the DNC back on track.
PUMA ''08.
The end of Obama.
The beginning of getting the DNC back on track.
PUMA ''08.
The end of Obama.
The beginning of getting the DNC back on track.
+ report abuse
Where in the heck have you been? Havn''''t seen anything from you in two weeks. Was hoping you were just on vacation, not under the weather.
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Posted by aldon61
The loony bin revoked his computer priveleges.
He disses two out of every five people on the face of the earth by referring to all Asians as %u201CGooks.%u201D He said: %u201CI hate ***** and always will.%u201C He may be viewed as a %u201Chero,%u201D but I don%u2019t think being shot down qualifies him for the job of president. And I don%u2019t think he%u2019ll do much for American - Asian relations should America scrue up and elect this clown.
McCain%u2019s flight instructor: %u201COne of the worst students I ever had.%u201D
freedomunderground.org/view.php?v=3&t=3&aid=25070
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3RoC4qOPjWk
What''''s more important, one visit to a military hospital, or support for legislation that actually helps the troops!
Here''''s how Veterans groups rated the 2 Senators based on their votes!
Senator Obama supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 80 percent in 2006.
In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator Obama a grade of B+.
2005 Senator Obama supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 92 percent in 2005.
On the other hand:
2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 20 percent in 2006.
2006 In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator McCain a grade of D.
2006 Senator McCain sponsored or co-sponsored 18 percent of the legislation favored by the The Retired Enlisted Association in 2006.
2005 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 25 percent in 2005.
2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 50 percent in 2004.
2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the The Retired Enlisted Association 0 percent in 2004.
The press is hardly paying attention to McCain! When is the last time you saw him face any hard questions about his record?
Posted by shaheed92 at 05:57 PM : Jul 30, 2008"
But getting shot down by ancient missiles and crashing 4 other planes does qualify him for the title of "ultimate moron" which gives him the edge when running for US President given the alacrity with which americans elect morons to the Pretzelduncy
Posted by causeway_v at 06:02 PM : Jul 30, 2008
__________________
You might just have a point there.
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Posted by starpost at 05:52 PM : Jul 30, 2008--
Sorry Democrats have picked their nomine, Hillary is not qualified or fit to be President.
She showed her lack of experience when she voted for that Iraq War.
And her solutions to the economy are "tax holiday" gimmicks. We need someone who is smarter then Hillary.
You keep dreamin'' though.
Posted by shaheed92 at 06:03 PM : Jul 30, 2008"
Well he is in favour of discussions with leaders of countries which don''t exist (czechoslovakia)
He is in favour of investiagting the situations on borders than don''t exist (like the Iraq / Pakistan border)
Oh and he''s in favour of describing his wife as a trollop and a ****
Does that help ???
He is in favour of investiagting the situations on borders than don''t exist (like the Iraq / Pakistan border)
Oh and he''s in favour of describing his wife as a trollop and a ****
Does that help ???
Posted by causeway_v at 06:13 PM : Jul 30, 2008
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Well at last! Anyone who sees the real issues like McComa has a lot to tell us. (in fairy tales)
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Posted by Ariel133 at 06:13 PM : Jul 30, 2008--
America would rather have a celebrity like Britney Spears or Paris Hilton run this country then Republican George Bush or Hillary Clinton.
And How dare you fault America for feeling this way. These clowns had their chance and look at us!!! We''ve een destroyed by these idiots!!!
I still maintain the surest way to convert a democrat is to have him get a job and pay some of those new taxes Obama wants us to all pay.
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