While I liked the content and tone of Sen. Obama’s speech at the DNC Winter meeting, I was troubled by the seeming lack of organization with his campaign people. As stated here and in other places, there were little to no signs or other elements handed out by the campaign. The DNC Winter meeting was a relatively small event, but in the pantheon of demonstrating to the base of the base whether one is a serious presidential contender, quite important.
Now comes news that Sen. Obama is skipping the first debate in Nevada. This seems like a bad move to me. Both Edwards and Clinton, as well as Vilsack, Richardson and Dodd will be there. Furthermore, the debate is being organized by the AFSCME union and my personal views on the increasingly narrow function of unions in modern business aside, they are an important cog in the Democratic machine.
This does nothing to dispel the small but growing sentiment that Sen. Obama isn’t seriously running and it will scare away money to competitors both for the big donors who want to back a winning horse and for small donors who don’t have the money to spread around from campaign to campaign.
HE’S NOT REALLY RUNNING!!!
You get asked the same question a million times (for no intelligent reason): “Are you running for president?” A million times you give the same answer (based on your own intelligent reasoning): “Not right now. Not at this time.”
But after a while, strictly so people (like Tim Russert) quit asking what you consider to be the same STUPID question over and over and over…, you say: “Yeah sure, I’m in it to win it.” And put on a nice little show, just to be convincing. And then they start coming up with reasons you don’t have a chance, all of which you had thought of before when you said “NO”…, but they weren’t listening.
WTF? Obama’s campaign spokesfool, Dan Pfeiffer, doesn’t even present a credible reason for not participating. He is going to be in Nevada at the same time and he wants to get to know the people of Nevada by talking about his ideas, but “he has a vigorous Senate schedule.” (I suppose unlike the other senators that will participate in the debate?)
To be fair, it isn’t a “debate” persay, more like an “introduction”. None of the candidates will be talking to each other.
Still, this kinda sucks. No Democrat can win without the unions.
I think this is a misreading of the situation. The lack of specifics et al means he is still getting his message together, still getting his infrastructure and grassroots support under him, and he doesn’t want to appear at less than his best in a head to head situation. Hillary almost skipped this one as well. He may well wind up attending it, if he gets more ‘heat’ about it.
The lack of signs and campaign music was a deliberate choice to strike a more somber tone, or so I’m told. It didn’t exactly hurt him there. He got more applause than any other candidate.
He’ll get a big boost from his announcement tomorrow, and presumably from the ensuing PR blitz.
The linked article to Forbes indicates Obama regrets they will not be able to attend the Nevada event. Nevada gets 5 electoral votes and the first primary and caucus are still a year away. This won’t hurt Obama in the slightest. He just couldn’t fit it in his schedule. I think in the end, it matters not.
I’m just going to say this to you guys without trying to seem to contentious: the only way these campaigns win is if they are battle-tested and challenged to bring their “A” game. BS from the GOP noise machine is worth knocking away, but when a campaign screws up they need to know so they can correct.
Oliver,
I can see your point, but hasn’t BO2008 been making it pretty clear they intend to run a different kind/style of campaign?
From what I understand, it isn’t really a “debate”, so much as another side-by-side cattle call like the DNC winter meeting.
I had the impression the first serious debate wasn’t until April.
Maybe he can cut out some time to do this, though.
omg the election is so far away all that can happen now is something can be said to be taken out of context which would blow his chances before he gets started. right now obama is doing what he should be doing talking directly to the people one on one
oh yeah in regards to the unions they are so 1900’s, last i heard the majority of them are already out of work since the majority of people buy foreign