Obama Camp Targets Omaha

Obama Makes A Play In Nebraska, One Of Only Two States That Can Split It's Electoral Votes

(AP)  Reliably Republican, Nebraska has been giving the GOP all its electoral votes in every presidential election since 1964. Democratic candidate Barack Obama is trying to take just one of its five votes this year by focusing on Omaha, the state's biggest, most diverse city.

"If the major competitive states are split, we could be talking about a situation where one electoral vote matters," said Randall Adkins, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Only Nebraska and Maine divide their electoral votes, though the votes have never actually been split. Obama has opened a campaign office in Omaha to make a play for the electoral vote decided by results in the 2nd Congressional District, which would be essential to victory if the election ended in a 269-269 electoral tie, neither candidate reaching the mandatory 270 electoral votes.

Such a tie could happen, say Nebraska Democrats, if Obama and Republican John McCain were to take most of the states they're expected to win and if Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico were to switch from Republican to Democrat.

The Obama campaign started canvassing Omaha neighborhoods last month. John Berge, hired as director of Obama's Nebraska campaign, said that while some resources will go into the rest of the state, they'll be focused on the 2nd District.

Omaha, with about 400,000 people, lies in a congressional district of nearly 600,000. The city and suburbs have most of the state's black population and much of its population of Hispanics and other minorities, groups that national polls show favoring Obama.

The 2nd District gives Obama a small geographic area to target. Television ads aimed at Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the river, already spill over onto Omaha networks.

Adkins isn't convinced that Obama can actually win Omaha's electoral vote. Republicans have a 15,000-voter advantage in the district - much less than in other parts of the state, but still formidable.

So far, McCain's effort in Nebraska is largely volunteer.

The Nebraska Republican Party is canvassing on his behalf, said executive director Matt Miltenberger. Volunteers are hitting thousands of households with information about McCain and state candidates, including 5,000 homes in the 2nd District, Miltenberger said.

"There will definitely be a McCain presence here," Miltenberger said.

Loree Bykerk, chair of the political science department at UNO, said some of the attention for Nebraska might be more a result of Obama "having more money that he knows what to do with."

However, Bykerk added, "if they're going through the trouble of setting up campaign offices in Nebraska, Alaska, Wyoming, maybe it is going to be close."

In Maine, which has gone Democratic in the last four presidential elections, the Republican ticket is seen as having a shot at carrying the northern 2nd District, but little chance of taking the 1st District or the state at large.

"It's largely rural, overwhelmingly white and certainly not liberal," University of Maine political scientist professor Mark Brewer said of the 2nd District, which is the largest geographically east of the Mississippi.

Professor Sandy Maisel, director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Colby College, agreed that the 2nd District is more in play than the 1st, but would be "very surprised" if McCain took it.

[mabourn]

What do all of these statements have in common?? They were all posted today Sept. 11 in response to various articles on CBS. What does it say about us as Americans if people have nothing better to do than post this stuff on a day when the country is remembering the thousands that died on 911. Spirited debate is one thing... but this is just embarrassing. You should all be ashamed.

-We call Palin Trailer Trash, because, well, she is....
-TundraBilly Barbie/McWho? 08! All the JaysusBillies are praying for McWho? to die now?
-If I were a Messiah Barbie/McWho? partisan, I ''''d be worried that the End Times were coming and that I had my Left Behind Books with me
-Obama is the disgraceful Pig... with Lipstick on the Bu-tt
-The lipsticked pig has gone back to her home wallow. I hear they have nice mud in Alaska.....
-Here''''s the sound coming from Alaska today..."Oink, Oink."
-Palin: Lipstick on a fascist.
-Obama is lucky that he is supported by Many Self-Hating & Low Self-esteem White Liberals... and Blacks who thought Obama was "really" a Black.
-Getting a religious extremist on the ticket was just what the doctor ordered. Hopefully she gets her orders from a different God than W.
-The rotten hypocrite *** and her sidekick McBush will be exposed soon enough for their lies.

[metroduck75]

Obama is lucky that he is supported by Many Self-Hating & Low Self-esteem White Liberals... and Blacks who thought Obama was "really" a Black.

[metroduck75]

Obama who once promised not to play "politics as usual" has SUNK in a new LOW.

Obama = Original Pig on the Lipstick.

Yes, as a Moderate Democrat, I have said it, "Obama is a Disgraceful Pig".

[metroduck75]

As an American and a registered Dem, I truly believe that Obama is the Real Pig with the Lipstick.

Country first!!! Obama''''s EGO second.

Party Unity My A$$

[johncain4]

Apparently no one told Lola Ogunnaike that that picture floating around of Sarah Palin in a bikini with an assault rifle is a photoshopped fake. Ogunnaike appeared on Howard Kurtz''s "Reliable Sources" show Sunday and when asked about Palin''s celebrity status, she said: %u201CMcCain has been really good about painting Obama as this lightweight %u2026 They don%u2019t want that to come back on Sarah Palin, and people say, yes, she looks good in a bikini clutching an AK-47, but is she equipped to run the....

MSM

Those black racists are really out in force supporting that muslim pig Nobama.

[r9119111]

I think this is why our young people are for Obama and Biden.

[r9119111]

You can go to www.youtube.com and search "shift happens." It is about 6.25 minutes long. very interesting.

After viewing "shift happens", try to answer, as I did, which candidates and which party would be better suited to lead us forward?

[dburfears]

The people in Nebraska well not let this fool, fool them. He is OUT, and I am glad of it. He is NO GOOD for any one. Do not put this nut in the White House.

Posted by Upto007 at 06:34 PM : Sep 10, 2008
-------

I agree McCain is fooling no one!

"NO" to 4 more years of irresponsible and destructive Republican leadership!

[upto007]

The people in Nebraska well not let this fool, fool them. He is OUT, and I am glad of it. He is NO GOOD for any one. Do not put this nut in the White House.

[kc629]

his only example has been left by Bush, i dont think new ideas are his strong point. and we wont get into Palin''s shortcomings

[kc629]

what is left to destroy that your pal Bush and his sidekick McCain havent already in the past 8 years i ask lady....what do you hear on the news?

[yrsyoung50]

I do not think Obama could be any worse than what has happened over the past 8 years. Plus, America is already past the beginning of destruction: poor Economy, Huge debt which is mostly to foreign dictators, reliant on foreign oil-again to foreign dictators, poor elementary and high school education compared to the world, in two wars with an extremely stretched thin military to name a few. Do we want to continue with what has been happening or go for a change that will use reasoning and cooperation to move USA forward domestically and abroad.

[mr2258]

If elected Obama will begin a systematic destruction of America.I give you people of Nebraska fair warning.