50 State Strategy Resplendent
As I write this VA is blue, NC is teetering, IN and MO are within a few points and TEXAS is in single digits.
Hillary Clinton never would have even had an office in any of those states, let alone a lead in the polls. I’m not counting chickens because it can still be stolen through Republican crimes and dirty tricks – however, I think Obama has utterly demolished the arguments of the Democratic “win by one vote in the electoral college” theorists like Al Gore, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Terry McAuliffe.
Update: John McCain is pulling out of Michigan.
John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.
McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. Wisconsin went for Kerry in 2004, Ohio and Florida for Bush.
One of the reasons I liked Obama so much is that he really believes in the 50-state strategy. You could tell the difference in the way he ran his primary race as well. I believe if Clinton had been the nominee we’d be stuck in the “win the Kerry states + Ohio” mindset. Now we’re contesting places like Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina.
I’m glad that Obama will have a clear governing mandate when he wins. [knock on wood]
I am so not counting chickens. Keep your head down and row, row, row.
Agreeing that Obama has broadened the battlefield, it is still not quite accurate to call it a 50-state strategy. He’s shut down all operations and offices in South Dakota and 7 or 8 other states.
What a nit picker. I think McCain is polling a head scratching 55% in Nebraska….which reminds me.
Do you know what the “N” stands for on the University of Nebraska football helmets?
Nowledge.
Have to disagree, Steve. The reason Obama is ahead in Virginia and competitive in other “red” states is because of the 50 state strategy. He was never going to turn all of them “blue”. But, hey, he did change the map.
The only place official ops are shut down in right now is North Dakota. Operations have been scaled back in Georgia and a couple of other places. They are trying to be in states that have downticket races they can help in some way. I would not be surprised to see more staff moved and concentrated in battlegrounds, but I give him alot of credit for being everywhere to at least try to help other Dem candidates in a state.
Nov 4th is not just the President and it is good to have a candidate who understands that.
But I am with LG — not time to count chickens yet.
UI
least we forget lets give credit where credit is due it wasn’t Obama ( I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU FOLKS CAN’T BEAR TO HEAR THIS) who developed the FIFTY state plan it was none other then HOWARD DEAN. Head of the DNC
To be fair, Clinton would have had offices in Missouri, and could have done well there. She might at this point have been leading in West Virginia and Arkansas. And Barack isn’t running ads in Texas. But I can’t see Hillary running an effective operation in Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana (without a VP choice of Evan “Ugh” Bayh), or Colorado. And I doubt she’d run as strongly in Washington, Oregon, and Wisconsin. In short, I think she’d be playing more defense and less offense – the attack strategy would be limited to Florida, Ohio, Missouri, West Virginia, Arkansas, Nevada, Iowa, and New Mexico. All the money the wingnuts invested in Hillary attacks (like the movie they made) would be paying off by now – remember that the GOP spent the last few months of the Democratic primary busily praising Hillary once they realized she was going to lose (and they were going to have wasted their money on all those Hillary smears). With Hillary spending more on defending the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, and McCain spending less on defending the Mountain West and Southeast, the effect downticket would have been unpleasant, especially for Mark Udall (CO), Begich (AK), Merkley (OR), Martin (GA), Hagan (NC), Musgrive (MS), and Franken (MN). She might have given a boost to Lunsford (KY), but I’d rather have guys like Merkley and Franken then another southern conservative. In the House, she might have been a drag on Madia, Markey, Kissell, Perriello, Feder, Nye, Berkowitz, Burner, Childers, Foster, Bright, Minnick, Seals, Kratovil, Esch, Kagen, and Trauner. Of course, she might have boosted Barth, Boswell, Dahlkemper, Massa, Kryzan, Dreihaus, and Boccieri.