Democrats anxious for Obama to widen lead

[DeepModem Mom]

Financial Times: Democrats anxious for Obama to widen lead
By Edward Luce in Washington
Published: August 1 2008

....With unemployment on Friday jumping by 51,000 to take this year’s job losses to almost half a million, Mr Obama is mining a potentially rich seam. But a number of Democrats, including advisers to the Obama campaign, are worried that the Democratic party’s overall electoral advantage this year has not yet translated into comfortable leads for Mr Obama. On Friday Gallup showed Mr Obama just one point ahead of John McCain – a significant tightening in the past two weeks.

Mr McCain’s improving fortunes have coincided with a strikingly negative turn in his campaign’s tactics, with the launch last weekend of an advertisement criticising Mr Obama for failing to visit wounded soldiers when he was in Germany because the Pentagon refused to permit the media to accompany him. That allegation has since been debunked.

But the signs are that Mr McCain’s continuing attacks – most recently in a commercial that portrayed Mr Obama as a vapid celebrity against images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears – may be striking a chord with the white working class voters who shunned Mr Obama so emphatically in many of his primary contests with Hillary Clinton. With just one month to go before Labour Day – the traditional beginning of the general election – and only three weeks before the Democratic convention, many Democrats fear that time is running out for Mr Obama to overcome the suspicions of this key swing vote.

“We have got to move away from these beautifully choreographed speeches which appeal to groups of voters who are unassailably in the Obama camp already,” said a non-staff adviser to Mr Obama. “What plays well with the educated liberal voter sometimes grates with the blue-collar folk, whom we need on our side if we are going to win.”

The numbers back up the concern. Although Mr Obama has a good shot at winning traditional Republican states such as Colorado, Virginia and even North Carolina, he cannot capture the White House if he loses more than one of Pennsylvania, Ohio or Michigan – the more traditional, blue-collar swing states, which Mrs Clinton won by huge margins in the primary contests. Polls suggest these states are too close to call....

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6a42365c-5ffa-11dd-805e-000077b07658.html

[NYC_SKP]

1. I call bullshit on National Polls....Check these state polls

We win state by state with electoral college votes.

Obama looks pretty good in these swing states, hell even Kentucky shows a nice trend.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6573215&mesg_id=6573215

:kick:

[Cha]

3. I call bullshit too..and if Dems are so anxious for

Obama to widen his lead then get theirselves on tv and act as intelligent surrogates to counter more of the same bullshit as the polls.

[NYC_SKP]

4. word... nt.

[ErinBerin84]

2. Well I'm getting a bit anxious

for some Democrats to put themselves in front of the camera in defense of Obama, and it's kind of been an echo chamber.

[carpe diem]

5. the problem is...

any lead Obama gets in the National polls is like a red flag to the media that they won't have their horse race and they get medieval on Obama, determined to bring him down...they refused to report the tracking polls that showed Obama's bounce during and immediately after the world tour and started hammering him while he was still over seas for being arrogant and presumptuous and then when, of course this started costing him in the tracking polls, well now they use the same polls they ignored to say there's no bounce and something is wrong with Obama...

[MasonJar]

6. Actually I agree that it is a worry; he needs to get out where the voters

are who are not his base, but Hillary's base. In fact it is looking like Obama needs Hillary as VP. She is actually better off in the Senate, where she should become Majority Leader, I hope.

[Kdillard]

7. Instead of being anxious they should be helping him

by nailing McCain and his surrogates sharply over their lies. Obama can't do it all by himself.

[BlooInBloo]

9. +1

[BlooInBloo]

8. Then Democrats are fools. It'll never be more than a few points in either directions.

[FrenchieCat]

10. I wrote them a letter just now.

Borrowed some of the wording in some of the posts here. :)

[bigwillq]

11. It's only early August

I am not sure how many people are really paying attention right now, with it being summer and all.
I am sure that after the conventions and debates people will pay more attention. But for now, most are just enjoying their summer vacations.

The polls don't mean much at this point.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE DEMOCRATS; WHY AREN'T THEY ACTIVELY DEFENDING OUR NOMINEE????!?

Here's my generic letter and thread from the other day.

Take action!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph ...

WHERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS???!?!??!

I don't care what anyone says: the standards are different for black men. Suppose that Obama gets down and dirty; suppose, even, that he went negative, focusing only on McSame's flip-flops or the issues in general? Can't we realize how the media would spin as something negative, something nefarious??

Can't we understand that the recent charge that Obama is "arrogant" and "presumptuous" are code for "he's the quintessential angry black man?"

He can't do this. He needs effective surrogates--preferably the Democratic leadership--to help him fight against these lies and smears!!

WHERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS?!?!??!??!

[Raineyb]

13. If they're that concerned they could help...

by not caving in to the Repukes so often.

Would it hurt them to use their backbone on occasion?

Regards

[Stuart G]

14. Give me a lead with momentum starting October 1..

Let that lead get larger and larger. From the backstretch toward and through the wire. A lead so strong that the rest of the country will see McIdiot = Bush...That lead will get rid of these thugs for good.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

15. WTF does Obama need to win these "blue collar folk"?

“We have got to move away from these beautifully choreographed speeches which appeal to groups of voters who are unassailably in the Obama camp already,” said a non-staff adviser to Mr Obama. “What plays well with the educated liberal voter sometimes grates with the blue-collar folk, whom we need on our side if we are going to win.”

Huh? :wtf:

The question that I really want answered or addressed is: WTF does MCCAIN have to offer them? (Notice how nobody in the MSM is asking THAT question?)

Why is it never enough for this "blue collar folk" demographic that we Democrats are the only ones who care for and look out for the interests of EVERYBODY in this country (including them) and promote tolerance for all kinds of people and have a hopeful and positive vision for the future and for using government to help everybody whereas the GOP only seems to care about the interests of the richest 1% of its citizens and their quest to become filthy rich AT THE EXPENSE OF EVERYBODY ELSE. The GOP also doesn't seem to have anything to offer the citizens of this country but fear and hatred of "the government (which they nonetheless want to be a part of)" and people whom are "different", as well as continuing to promote endless fear and endless war. Yet, amazingly, the Democrats can't seem to appeal to this demographic or are at least told by so-called "pundits" that they have trouble appealing to this demographic group.

So, I ask again, WTF does Obama need to do to win these "blue collar folk"?

Does Obama need to get himself photographed chugging down a cold beer at the local pub?

Does Obama need to gear himself up in a hunting outfit with a huge rifle and go out and shoot himself up some ducks, deer, etc.?

Does he need to be photographed holding a bible everywhere he goes?

Does Obama need to picket at an abortion clinic?

Does Obama need to drape himself in a giant American flag?

What does he need to do? What is McCain doing to attract these voters that Obama apparently isn't? Associating Obama with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (as if there is ANY comparison between him and them)?

Inquiring minds would love to know.

:shrug:

[depakid]

16. He needs to NOT look weak by failing to attack or forcefully respond to McCain

AND he needs to define McSame for what he is: privileged, über wealthy, out of touch, hypocritcal and simissive of ordinary people's concerns- all of can be shown easily using the candidate and his crony's own public statements and positions on the issues.

Tie him to Bush at every opportunity- and make the elction a referrendum for the past 8 years worth of disaters.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

17. Sounds good to me

As long as we can get people to hear what he is saying (hopefully cutting through all of the MSM lies and distortions)!

[bklyncowgirl]

23. What does McCain have to offer working class white folks?

He's a war hero. His service in Vietnam is something that seriously cannot and should not be taken away from him.

He comes off as a regular guy. That despite the fact that he comes from a family of high level navy officers and is married to a very wealthy woman.

He (and his party) have made an art out of crafting simple political positions on issues that make sense to people too busy to look into the facts.

Finally, and most importantly, he is white, and male and older and for people who are frightened, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know.

How can Obama combat these advantages.

1. Tie George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and the Republican party and all the failures of the past eight years around McCain's neck.

2. Emphasise the fact that he is a guy who came from nothing and through hard work and good old American family values managed to rise to the point where he is now.

3. Get down with ordinary people.

4. Play lots of basketball--seriously--he's good at it and everyone loves an athelete.

[barack the house]

18. Obama needs to do an ad with him asndbagging doing hard work that is a winner.

[Imagevision]

19. Obama will do Denver (75,000+) and pollsters will still tighten mcBush lead...

[Doremus]

20. The polls are full of shit.

If they try to steal another one, imagine seas of people taking to the streets in every city in America ...

WE HAVE TO TAKE BACK AMERICA

[Awsi Dooger]

21. It's not going to widen

Perhaps a couple of points, tops.

We don't need it to widen. And widening makes little sense. It's still a polarized era where each side can count on a minimum of 45-46% of the 2-party vote. This is not as favorable a cycle as a second term midterm like 2006. We were rolling the never-never-land dice by nominating either a black or a woman. That's an automatic regulator.

The reason we don't need it to widen is the GOP's collapse has been prolonged, dating to Katrina in 2005. Three full years of declining party reputation limits any type of surge for McCain.

Obama is not bad enough to surrender our generic and situational edge. McCain is not special enough to overcome his party's deficit. Everything points to a small to medium Obama victory.

[DeepModem Mom]

24. I think you're right. It was always going to be close.

A downward trend is always worrisome, but maybe what we're seeing is the inevitable tightening up.

Also, we have to remember that the state polls are important, and it's hard to get a handle on fifty polling areas with various polls at various dates.

[McCamy Taylor]

22. People calling bullshit on polls need to wise up. Obama is in trouble.

The contenders who have had elections stolen from them--Al Gore and John Kerry--were doing much better at this point in the contest. The GOP is going to use election fraud. Obama needs 4-5 points just to make up for the election fraud that the GOP will be able to pull off. Then, he needs more votes than that to win the key battle ground states.

As it stands right now, Obama is going to lose. I hate to burst anyones balloon but that is where we are.