Where should Obama set the bar in WV? How much should he campaign there?

[RiverStone]

At first glance, I was so hoping this would be a moot point. But alas, Hillary says she's going to the White House.

Even with an insurmountable lead on the nomination racetrack, Obama must keep driving.

So how to approach West Virginia?

Even though Hillary will win WV next Tuesday, I'd like to see Obama take his message to the voters there. Rather then assume a potential blowout, we all know how much Obama can shift perspective with an in person rally. Once he hits the streets of the state he is running in, polls shift.

Damn, the guy must be exhausted - and Hillary's campaign is running on fumes; but I do think Obama needs to counter her presence in WV with a couple of big rallies. Even with the demographics being touted by the MSM as "made for Hillary" - Obama would still draw a huge crowd where ever he speaks. I'd like to see that play out on the airwaves in WV.

As for the bar, think he could get it down to a 10% difference? That's where I'm setting it in WV - today anyway.


GoBama --- to the presidency! :applause:

[DerekJ]

1. From what I've read I think he can gain some grounds (like lose with only 20 - 22 points kind of

gaining grounds).

I think the people in WV are approachable.

He needs a lot of town hall meetings, and rallies there though.

[TexasObserver]

2. he should run like it's a huge primary, using all his close up charm

He needs to be looking like the winner, getting ready to cross the finish line a mile ahead of his opponent. He needs to show he can make head way with even the white folks of West Virginia.

He needs to handle the victory lap primaries with aplomb.

[Leopolds Ghost]

3. He should set it in Morgantown with 4 beers, 10 shots and jell-O shooters n/t

[PseudoIntellect]

4. He needs to campaign enough to keep it around 10.

If she gets over 60% it will be a humiliation for him with the media. Could be 60/40 easily.

[MadBadger]

7. It wont be humiliation. They dont expect him to do well at all.

[Arrowhead2k1]

8. Yeah, we say that now,

but you know how Hillary is going to spin this after the results as a gigantic win, Obama is unelectable, Superdelegates must choose me, blah blah blah. She still won't get the nomination by any means, but she'll hurt Obama trying, count on it. It's all about perception to some people.

[Zachstar]

12. Right so that makes the state important!

We can do it Obama supporters! Just one more month of this and we are DONE!

[Radical Activist]

5. Obama should announce that he's starting his general election campaign.

And then do it. It will de-ligitamize Hillary's victory there.

[EmilyAnne]

6. I'm going there for GOTV. I'm nervous. I got realy spoiled woking on the campaign in

Pittsburgh in a ward with loads and loads of Obama support. Of course, that meant I was in a bubble that was viciously popped on the day of the PA primary. Anyway, going into WV with the goal of whittling down Hillary Clinton's lead rather than going for an all out WV win will be interesting. Every door, every phone call, every piece of literature dropped, its just a one voter at a time operation during GOTV. I hope it makes a small bit of difference, but the main thing is that he have a presence there. And I agree he must be exhausted. After the PA primary, I swear a slept for two days straight. I can only imagine how he feels.

[Zachstar]

10. Thank you!

Remember PA was a Clinton firewall where just about everything works in her favor. Not as many things work in her favor for WV so getting to 9 percent or below ought to be possible.

Don't forget the ones that will vote Obama just to end this as well. The news networks say she is done and people will note that going into the polls.

Lets put WV in play and move on!

[Zachstar]

9. Lets face it anything above 10 is considered a blowout.

So the goal is under 10. Which is difficult but not impossible if we continue to Work and Phonebank!

He is going to have to try to put WV in play. 3 Clinton blowouts may convince her to go to the convention.

[demwing]

11. Simple - Fight There As If WV Was John McCain's Head Quarters

All but ignore Hillary.

Spend all his time there--a that should be lot of time--campaigning as if he had already won the nomination, and was fighting the GE. Make every speach about John McCain and George Bush, about the failed policies of the past 8 years, and how we can't afford to give King Georges throne to Prince John, how we have to secure our domestic peace and economic strength, not just for big cities and Wall Street, but for small communities and Main street.

Obama should go mad with populism, if he think it will help, but whatever he does he must not linger more than a few words on Hillary Clinton, and only when directly asked about her in a Q&A period.

Act like a President, not a Democratic hopeful.

[Zachstar]

13. That sounds like a good idea.

[RiverStone]

15. This approach makes a lot of sense

Shifting focus to McSame and the GE.

Obama can speak to the more global issues and contrasts between the Dems and the rethugs, while trying to keep it as positive with Hillary as possible.

The one wild card - if Hillary goes negative on Obama it will necessitate a different approach. And if she were to do that at this stage, IMO it would speed up the SuperD's eventual endorsement of Obama as our nominee. They will not wait till June if she goes negative.

[demwing]

17. Exactly - in essence, it muzzles Clinton

she can't bark, she can't bite. Otherwise she risks seeting off the SD avalanche she's dodged to date.

[NJmaverick]

14. He shouldn't waste much time or money there

It's a very solid red state

[malik flavors]

16. I don't know that he's even going to WV. He'll be in Oregon Friday and Saturday.

And he's in Washington today.

[2rth2pwr]

18. He should win it, if he is really the presumptive nominee and leader of the Dem party.

Hell, there are people here watching him on tv who burst out in tears of joy just at the opportunity to see his image broadcast into their homes.

He should be able to win a state in a contest of Democrats, no?

[totodeinhere]

20. No candidate wins every state.

And after all, why should he bother when he already has the nomination locked up?

[2rth2pwr]

21. This deep into it he should be able to unite Dems behind him.

[totodeinhere]

24. Uniting the party is not a one way street.

If Clinton wants to unite the party she needs to cut out the "white people" crap that she laid out yesterday.

[totodeinhere]

19. It doesn't matter how well he does there.

If he wants to campaign there, fine. But if he doesn't, that's fine too. He will win the nomination no matter what happens in WV.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

22. IMO, Obama should make a couple of BIG speeches about clean coal and

leave the rest of the campaign to surrogates like IL state sen and UMW member Dan Reitz. West Virginians know HRC won't be on the ballot in November and many of them see clean coal as their only prospect for economic salvation--WV, WY and a few other states make the US the "Saudi Arabia of coal".

From http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/200805050638 :

"Clinton, D-N.Y., who had been in the lead in West Virginia in a national poll conducted in March, has increased her lead since, according to a poll released Monday. TSG Consulting, a political consulting firm with offices in Charleston and Beckley, released a statewide poll showing Clinton with a commanding 40-point lead over Obama, 63 percent to 23 percent. The telephone poll, conducted by Orion Strategies Saturday among 300 Democratic and independent voters, had a margin of error of nearly 6 percent. Tom Susman, president of TSG, said if that vote holds true on Election Day it would give Clinton 18 pledged delegates to Obama's 10. ...

Those figures weren't being given the time of day Monday afternoon at Obama's downtown Charleston headquarters, where Illinois state Rep. Dan Reitz had just completed a day of campaigning across Southern West Virginia for Obama. Reitz, a coal miner and United Mine Workers member, appeared earlier in the day with Beckley Mayor Emmett Pugh, who endorsed Obama's candidacy. He then toured a West Virginia University Tech project in Montgomery showing how to remove mercury from coal waste slurry ponds...."

[Alexander]

23. He should make 3 appearances in WV, 5 in Kentucky and otherwise use ads.

Those states aren't going to vote for him, so it's all about cutting losses at this point.

In West Virginia, he should go to:

Charleston
Huntington
Parkersburg

In Kentucky:

Louisville
Lexington
Owensboro
Bowling Green
Covington

The rest, use ads.

And then move on to Oregon, Montana and South Dakota, states he's going to win.