Obama Has Cash To Attack McCain's Base

Politico: Democrat Making Big Investment In States Like Georgia That Have Trended Republican

(The Politico)  This story was written by Jeanne Cummings.

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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.”

[johnbush2-2009]

In a recent speech, Obama said that his solution to the energy crisis is to inflate tires.

[johnbush2-2009]

I''d rather a candidate play the "race card," .......

Posted by shameonbush at 04:45 AM : Aug 01, 2008

I am appalled by your attitude that it is alright to play the ''race card''. It is the most downright disgusting campaign tactic to use in an election. Have Obama supporters like yourself have no shame.

Still I give you credit for admitting that Obama is playing the ''race card''. It is what the rest of America and even the main stream media have been saying all along.

[liberty_1776]

What are all the liberal "journalists" going to write about when Obama loses by a landslide to McCain? The media outlets really want Obama to win, don''t they? Maybe the "journalists" at CBS, NBC, etc. think the American people are too stupid to choose their own president. They are just trying to help. How nice.

[wellhell3]

When you have to resort to cussin'''' and you''''re evading the guy''''s questions, you''''re beat gal.


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Posted by aldon61 at 11:49 AM : Jul 31, 2008

I''m not evading anything, I''m telling it as I sees it! ANYBODY that has truly researched Obscamma, as far as I''m concerned, and still votes for him is just flat into denial...or else so fomenting in democratic propaganda that they flat don''t CARE who they put in the White House!

[shaheed92]

Senator Vitter
Senator Craig
Senator Stevens


Who is next?

[mr2258]

Obama has cash because he lied about campaign reform.Obama is a lie.

[mcflipflop4u]

does mccain have a bipolar disorder?

[concerns47]

How about Obama using the scare tactic about Isreal bombing Iran.

Rice has not accomplished one major thing in her years with Bush, she is a token and so Obama is trying not to be a token president by inspiring people into a dazed and dreamy state, like being hypnotized when you wake up after the elections and see that the backdoor taxes cut into the middle-class tax break you will realize you were hypnotized into voting for just another politician.

Vote third party as a protest, they both are the same and that is why they are so close in the polls, neither one can gather enough to move into double digit leads in the national polls.

[obama8years]

Do you know that Obama''''''''s little trip to Europe last week was billed to the U.S. taxpayer (YOU). Under the guise of "Political Fact Finding Trip". You libs think Obama is SO PERFECT - he''''''''s just another typical politician.
Posted by KOMMONCENTS at 10:57 AM : Jul 31, 2008
---------------------------------------------------
Who paid for the free concert and beer for the Germans?

[obama8years]

JOHN MCCAIN WANTS TO DRILL

BARACK OBAMA WANTS TO INFLATE YOUR TIRES!!!

WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM BARACK.

[shaheed92]

McCain graduated from the US Naval Academy 894th in a class of 899. He wrecked five jets before they finally got rid of him. Obviously he is not the brightest bulb on the tree. He was shot down by an out-of-date Soviet missile by men with no experience in anti-aircraft warfare because he did not follow the rules of evasion taught in flight school. Let''s just say the man has only one oar in the water.

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

[aldon61]

I''''d be willing to bet you haven''''t read a GD thing. Your naivete and gullibility speaks loudly to it!


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Posted by WellHell3 at 11:33 AM : Jul 31, 2008

When you have to resort to cussin'' and you''re evading the guy''s questions, you''re beat gal.

[aldon61]

Posted by KOMMONCENTS at 10:57 AM : Jul 31, 2008

Common sense? You don''t have a lick of it, plus you''re a liar and a fraud.

[parrot2ok]

Posted by KOMMONCENTS at 10:57 AM : Jul 31, 2008


That''''s only partially true. His trips to the mideast, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, etc were paid for by us; they were considered "factfinding". The additional trips to Germany, France & England were paid for by his campaign.
Posted by aldon61 at 11:41 AM : Jul 31, 2008


IMO, i think most Repugs post a lot of BS trying to stir up blogs and tale away from the actual discussions on the boards - I''m starting to simply ignore their antics - no one in this country can really be as stupid as most of these Repugs portray themselves as being on these boards. Cheers!

[peterp111]

Where is Obama''s brilliance?

He was taught Marxism by his father, socialism by his mother and liberalism at Harvard. Rev. Wright finished off his education by tutoring him for 20 years on how to hate white folks.

His election would be the end of the country as we know it.

[parrot2ok]

Do you know that Obama''''s little trip to Europe last week was billed to the U.S. taxpayer (YOU). Under the guise of "Political Fact Finding Trip". You libs think Obama is SO PERFECT - he''''s just another typical politician.
Posted by KOMMONCENTS at 10:57 AM : Jul 31, 2008


What do you get from lying and alienating other would-be voters with this blatant lies. Fck Off !

[aldon61]

Do you know that Obama''''s little trip to Europe last week was billed to the U.S. taxpayer (YOU). Under the guise of "Political Fact Finding Trip". You libs think Obama is SO PERFECT - he''''s just another typical politician.


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Posted by KOMMONCENTS at 10:57 AM : Jul 31, 2008
+ report abuse

That''s only partially true. His trips to the mideast, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, etc were paid for by us; they were considered "factfinding". The additional trips to Germany, France & England were paid for by his campaign.

[parrot2ok]

Posted by realpatriot1 at 10:36 AM : Jul 31, 2008

Go read something sometime. His individual tax contributions have been AUDITED and found to be swilling in corporate executives money as well as lobbyist law firms. Nice scam, what? Lots better than having to bundle them so people can actually see where it came from.
McCain at least, has never PRETENDED his campaign funds came from average Americans! That''''s a real plus as far as I''''m concerned.
Oh rich Chicago Muslims like Rezko (in jail) Allsamearre, Auchi, Khalidi (PLO), just for a start.
Like I said, sometime go read something. Just make sure it''''s not Obscamma''''s lying website.
Posted by WellHell3 at 10:52 AM : Jul 31, 2008


Charles R. Black ....... Whose mentions trumps all the other characters you''d noted for Obama - Do some research, read about some of the characters being touted by and fully in confidence of the MCunt. Hope this helps some. Cheers!

[wellhell3]

Wellhell3,

I''''m willing to bet that I read at least twice as much as you and i haven''''t read anything to support your unsubtantiated contentions about his tax returns. Since his individual tax returns are aboout his personal income and not his campaign contributions which are reported separately sine his campaign is a separate entity, your charges don''''t even make sense.

Are you contending that he received income for services from these people? Prove it!

You might want to ask yourself what Cindy McCain is worried about in her tax returns. The Obamas have been forthcoming; the McCains & Clintons, not so much.


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Posted by realpatriot1 at 11:12 AM : Jul 31

I''d be willing to bet you haven''t read a GD thing. Your naivete and gullibility speaks loudly to it!

[realpatriot1]

KOMMONCENTS,

Do you know that McCain''s trips to Iraq are billed the same way and that it was his idea that Obama go?