There’s three weeks left and I’m sure that Barack and Michelle Obama, and Joe Biden have already developed their tentative schedules for the home-stretch. But I want to offer some campaigning suggestions. These are things I’d like to see.
To honor the spirit of the 50-state strategy, I’d like to Obama appear in six states he has basically ignored, but which happen to have senate races: Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. In the same spirit, I’d like to see Obama show some fight in two states where he has an outside chance to peel-off some extra Electoral Votes: Mississippi and Nebraska.
There’s not a lot of time to be campaigning in states where he has little chance of winning, but there are ways to do this that make sense.
Let me demonstrate, moving East to West. Obama and Biden are showing surprising strength in West Virginia, and they should definitely make a campaign stop there in the next three weeks. Obama could make a showing in the most Appalachian district, the third, and then cross the border into Kentucky to do a quick appearance in its fifth district with Bruce Lunsford.
Moving South, Obama could campaign in the Memphis area where Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee meet. He could hit all three states in a single day with relatively little travel. Maybe the Clintons could join him, especially in a West Memphis, Arkansas stop. If Obama is going to win Mississippi, he’s going to have to limit his losses in the state’s northernmost first district. He should show his face and ask for their vote.
There’s no question that Obama will be back in Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico. He could combine a trip to Las Cruces with a stop in El Paso, where Hillary Clinton cleaned his clock. If Rick Noriega is going to come from behind and upset John Cornyn, he’ll need a great performance out of the southwestern corner of the state.
Obama is also competing heavily in Missouri. He needs to do very well in Kansas City to win. But half of Kansas City is in Kansas, and any appearance there will get local news coverage in the Show-Me State. Obama should appear on the Kansas side of the border with senate-candidate Jim Slattery.
Obama is competing for the Electoral Vote of Nebraska’s second district. Any media coverage out of Omaha will spill over into Western Iowa. Obama should make a stop there and appear with senate-candidate Scott Kleeb.
It’s harder to find an excuse for Obama to appear in Oklahoma. Perhaps that is a job for Joe Biden. Regardless, with smart scheduling, utilizing spill-over media markets, it’s possible for Obama to help some of our more long-shot Senate candidates without wasting too much time that should be dedicated to battleground states.
Obama could plausibly claim to have campaigned everywhere but Alaska, and to have asked for every vote. And it’s important that he send the message that no candidate, anywhere, is afraid to appear with him. That’s a message that needs to be heard in the South and in the Plains states.
And, of course, a trip to Arizona would be sweet.
Obama has been to 49 states. He won’t win Alaska, but it would be cool to be able to say he’s campaigned in all 50 states.
I think he’d be the first presidential candidate to ever be able to say that.
No, Nixon did and almost killed himself in the process. When he reached AK, he had to be held up and was slurring his speech so much you couldn’t understand him. Focusing on key states originated with JFK, if I’m not mistaken. All of this is from memory. I was an adult at the time of that election.
What’s with McCain’s schedule? I was telling friends only three or four weeks ago how impressed I was with McCain’s stamina…I mean, he is 72, and running for national office takes some gusto.
Now he’s down to one (sometimes two) appearances per day and is backing off the town hall style events. A couple of radio interviews, but no major media interviews…something’s a little off, no?
Obamas and Biden are kicking ass, plus they have so many surrogates working for them right now. Richardson in NM, Boxer/Clintons in FL, Clintons in PA and OH. They are truly grinding it out to the finish line.
Looks like there will be no more mulligatawny at the National Review cafeteria for Christopher Buckley.
Maybe he can hit the road for Obama.
…is Obama cutting some ads for downticket races.
Cut an ad where Merkley and Obama talk about the change they will bring to Washington. Another one with Al Franken. In fact, cut Senate ads with any candidate who requests one. These don’t require travel and would probably be more effective than a one day travel stop.
I’d also like to see Obama cut a radio/TV ad that opposes Prop. 8 here in CA. The ad should be targeted to African-American households, who currently are more anti-gay marriage than any other Obama demographic. I understand that Obama might not want to jump into the gay marriage issue, but with the financial crisis I doubt Republicans could make a big deal out of it. We need Obama’s help to defeat this proposition.
Sean Tevis (running for State Rep in District 15). Even though that’s not a national position, he’s exactly the type of politician we need to promote.
Especially since Tevis caucused for Obama.
I’d like to see him visit Alaska, too.
I have a friend who lives in Mississippi and works in Memphis. He is pro-Obama through and through, but fears an assassination attempt in MS. He was on pins and needles when Obama visited Ole Miss.
What about Georgia – he has an outside chance of wining and could help Martin against Chambliss
I think someone will be in Georgia shortly.
BooMan-
I’m in WV 5th right now and him showing up is not a bad idea. He is an unknown here. Jack Kennedy made a famous speech in front of the Logan Courthouse which helped turn the tide for him. O doing the same may or may not, but it would certainly stir the pot. A good speech about wages, coal and energy would help a lot.
And BTW- Looks like Goode (R) is going to win Va 5th as we discussed. This would have been the year if not for another cookie cutter Charlottesville lawyer put up by the UVA wine and cheese set to win in a district of out of work mill workers and tobacco farmers. Brain dead like political instincts on display, again.
R
Heh.
I sympathize with your frustration in seeing a Charlottesviller carry the banner, but who else could have raised that much dough?
Correction-
I’m in WV 3rd at present and there seems to be a thawing for Obama, at least less of the jokes. In fact there may be some secret support not showing up in daily conversation. A reverse racism.
About Va 5th.
More Perriello signs than usual for Dem candidate. More interest and more prominent HQ in Danville. But still same old same old. And from past experience, some people don’t want to hear the non-happy talk of reality . Yes, C’ville is a major source of funding, but that can be a handicap. Papers made a big thing out of NO (Zero) contributions from most of the district this Spring. Its like the complaints about the DC Democratic “consultants” who continue to lose but still get hired. District Democratic committee. keep putting up the same “type” of candidate and continue to lose again and again. Hell, they could have planted a field and grown a Southside candidate by this time.
Oh, well…Virgil has to retire sometime, maybe then they will get a chance.
R
This is not my area of expertise, but it is my impression that Goode’s district should be safe under almost any circumstances. Perriello raised a ton of cash and made it interesting. Show me a Southside candidate that could raise that much cheese. I agree, it looks like another example of running a candidate from the wrong part of the district, but I can’t see that this is a district ripe for the plucking in any case.
Goode is an example of small town courthouse politics. His daddy was a Democrat politician, and Virgil followed . He jumped to the Republicans when the jumping looked good and now he has positioned himself to the far right culturally. But his political base is shrinking and aging. And with the change in Congress, his ability to bring home the bacon is quickly diminishing. First Warner and now Kaine have been pumping money into the district since it has the highest unemployment in the state. New schools, community college additions, tech centers. That is why they win there. Virgil and the Republican’s names aren’t on the signs in front of those sites. A serious effort to unseat Goode would take that into account and someone out of the new Democratic machine could take advantage.
Maybe I’m expecting too much but semi-rural state politics isn’t that different from urban. A new face just doesn’t appear every 2 years to Aldermen, Council Committee members, Ward bosses, country sheriffs, etc… to say, “throw the other guy out who has passed grants and money your way for 20 years and roll the dice with me.” You have to show them that there is a little muscle behind them. There are enough 2nd tier alumni from Warner’s and now Kanie’s Admin to make a real run. Someone who could be on stage when the checks are signed. I have in the past mentioned Whitt Clement from Danville. Well known and popular attorney now out of politics. In Warner’s Admin. Don’t know if he has ever been approached but if he had wanted to run, he could have won this year. There must be more like that in Martinsville or outside Lynchburg.
What you don’t do is pull a UVA law professor out of his class and parachute him in front of the Halifax County courthouse to relate to farmers in bib overalls with red clay on their boots. Not to mention the County Clerk and Assessor inside.
As an aside, thanks for the discussions about Congressional committee shifts and what that might mean for an Obama/Biden Admin agenda. Some of the best and realistic political posts I’ve found on the Net. Thanks!
R
I would like for Obama to go to:
West Virginia (Appalachia)
Georgia (Atlanta)
Mississippi (Jackson, The Delta, The Gulf Coast)
Texas (Black and Latino areas)