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Questions for Obama supporters who know
I get the sense that Obama has lost a lot of ground over the last few weeks. His response to the constant attacks has been tepid. Polls show McCain closing in important states. So here are my questions...
Is all lost? Obama was impressive during the primary, but he hasn't responded to attacks quickly enough or forcefully enough. Is he not up for negative campaigning? He surely knew the Republican onslaught was coming.
McCain has made some gains, but only a few percentage points. Less than I might have expected considering the media's hype. Is McCain just picking up the lost parts of his base or getting new moderates.
Is the Obama campaign shoring up is ground organization and registering voters and not focusedon attack ads. Is this their plan? Is this a good plan?
Obama's response to McCain's attack posture has been really disappointing. Too disappointing. Almost deliberately disappointing. He had such a clear strategy focus in July. Did he just lose that in August or is there more going on?
Should I panic, accept that our guy can't win, or be patient and calm?
Don't tell me to send money. I already do every month.
Comments (8)
patient and calm
Give Obama, Axelrod et al the credit. They ran a brilliant campaign and won against the establishment candidate by superior organization, a better and more harmonious staff, and superior understanding of the process.
Read this to which I've linked a couple of times in comments.
August 19, 2008 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh the wringing of hands!
Fact: While polls have moved a bit it has only been a bit. In reality they have been fairly stagnant since the end of the primary.
Fact: McCain cannot seem break 45%. This seems to be his ceiling for the moment. Even when he supposed to have had a great week.
Fact: McCain is out spending Obama right now because he has too! He needs to spend his primary money before the convention or loose it. Obama on the other hand has been spending on ground game and GOTV. Come the end of the Democratic Convention Obama's real money kicks in and McCain is left with public funding and yes RNC and 527s.
Fact: Speaking of ground game, thanks in part to the protracted primary Obama's ground game is better organized and more robust throughout the country than in any other presidential election in history and certainly from the Democrats.
Finally this election is going to be close, get used to it :)
August 19, 2008 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Worry enough to campaign for him in your own neighborhood or on the phone. The blogs are entertainment for the Left and Right at this point, they don't secure votes like all of us getting out of the house more often could.
August 19, 2008 3:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just chill, bro...
Take some Valium or Ativan or Zoloft or Prozac...
Take some Ambien and go to sleep until Nov. 6th or 7th...
or...
Is all this more faux "I'm concerned, very concerned... I'm having second thoughts... I need my Hillary fix"?
August 19, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's right smartNcute, Obama's doing fine.
I haven't seen any polls that say different.
I don't answer my landline or cell phone unless the caller is my wife, my Mom, or my boss.
I bet there are a lot more Obama supporters who are like me than McBush supporters.
That's the poll I'd like to see - likely voters who never answer the pollers calls. I bet it's at least 80% Obama.
August 19, 2008 5:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even Howard Wolfson, on his blog to which I was led by a Ben Smith post at Politico, is couseling:
August 19, 2008 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Almost everybody who reports on the polls starts with how the polls really don't mean anything at this time in the election process (yet they keep taking them; go figure.) However nice it might be to have one, Obama doesn't need a landslide, he just needs 270 electoral votes and he is still ahead of McCain.
I keep reading how it is a problem that he is not ahead by enough. No it's not. It would be a problem to be behind for any length of time. Being consistently ahead is not a problem. Yes he is running against the record of Bush et al. and one would think people would have learned but honestly, people did vote for Bush and presumably they are still around.
August 19, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's good that you donate monthly. But this election will ultimately be won - or lost - on the ground.
Phone bank. Go canvassing. If you don't live in a swing state, but you're close to one, contact the Obama campaign in a swing state and go canvassing there one or two weekends. Put up signs. Forward good posts, videos, e-mails, etc. about Obama and McCain to your friends. Every little echo helps.
August 19, 2008 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
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