luvinit
2008-09-11 03:44:04 UTC
From the Los Angeles Times
CAMPAIGN '08
Palin bounce has Democrats off balance
Some fear Obama's more aggressive tone could enhance her appeal among white,
blue-collar voters.
By Peter Wallsten and Janet Hook
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
11:02 PM PDT, September 9, 2008
The emergence of Sarah Palin as a political force in the presidential race
has left many top Democrats fretting that, just two weeks after their
convention ended on an emotional high, Barack Obama's campaign has suddenly
lost its stride.
Obama has responded aggressively this week to Palin's presence on the
Republican ticket, using TV ads and campaign rallies to attack her
contention that she is a political reformer who will take on the Washington
establishment -- a role Obama has long claimed as his alone.
But some Democrats are now worried about the perils of Obama's strategy,
saying that his campaign, instead of engaging the Alaska governor, should
avoid any move that draws more attention to her and could enhance her appeal
among the white, blue-collar voters who remain cool to Obama's candidacy.
A series of new polls suggests that Palin has given a major boost to John
McCain's campaign, exciting the GOP base, winning over white women and all
but erasing Obama's lead.
Concern among Democrats was high enough Tuesday that Sen. Richard J. Durbin
(D-Ill.), one of Obama's strongest supporters, felt it necessary to cite
historical polling data at a lunch of Democratic senators to convince them
that post-convention "bounces," such as the one that has followed last
week's GOP convention, have often faded in past elections.
To reassure nervous lawmakers, Durbin also reviewed Democratic registration
gains this year in key battleground states.
Still, Democrats expressed anxiety about the new challenge suggested by
recent surveys showing McCain has gained ground among independent voters and
women, who could decide the race in states such as Ohio, Michigan,
Pennsylvania and Virginia.
A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Tuesday, for instance,
shows that McCain is now winning among white women 52% to 41% after having
been statistically tied with Obama in that crucial category just a month
ago.
"Whenever you see that kind of movement, you ought to be concerned; you
ought to try to address it," said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), a strong
Obama backer.
David Bonior, the former Michigan congressman who managed Democrat John
Edwards' unsuccessful presidential bid, called the new poll findings a "real
concern," adding: "We can't lose white women and expect to do well in this
race."
One Democratic operative familiar with the campaign's deliberations worried
that the "freshness, newness and aura around Barack has been eclipsed. The
campaign has been knocked off stride."
Another explained that Democrats expected Palin to "have the opposite
effect" and drag McCain down, adding: "Whenever there is conventional wisdom
in Washington and it's wrong, that shakes people up."
The two Democrats, like others interviewed for this story, requested
anonymity in order to speak about internal campaign strategy.
Obama over the last two days has begun vigorously attacking Palin for
decisions she made as governor and has tried to tarnish her image as a
political maverick and reformer, highlighting, for example, her initial
support for the "bridge to nowhere."
One new TV ad released this week accuses Palin of lying in claiming to have
killed the $398-million link between Ketchikan and its island airport.
McCain has ridiculed the project as an egregious example of the kind of
pork-barrel spending he has long fought.
Palin has made her opposition to the federally funded bridge a staple of her
stump speech, even though she defended it in her 2006 campaign and did not
kill it until it was clear that Congress would not pay for it.
Also, Obama and his aides have started using increasingly aggressive
language in recent days to denounce Palin's and McCain's attempts to cast
themselves as harbingers of change.
The typically even-keeled Obama on Tuesday night invoked an old cliche and
accused Republicans of trying to put "lipstick on a pig" in their adoption
of the change mantra, noting that not long ago McCain had tried to present
himself as the candidate of experience.
Republicans seized on the comment and tried to portray it as a sexist
allusion to Palin, who in her convention speech said that the difference
between a hockey mom and a pit bull was lipstick.
Obama aides waved off the attacks as a "pathetic attempt to play the gender
card."
It was not clear late Tuesday whether the lipstick spat would garner much
attention, but the exchange demonstrated the challenges facing Obama as the
McCain camp tries to squeeze every possible advantage out of the Palin
candidacy.
Some Democrats are eager for Obama to be even harder on Palin.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee, said that independent voters' enthusiasm for Palin will
fade when her conservative record is better known. "They need to get that
information out, and they need to get it out quickly," he said.
But others say that Obama will only help the GOP by attacking Palin and that
he should try to relegate her to the campaign's margins, where his own
running mate, Joe Biden, now seems to be residing.
Moreover, some said, attacking a charismatic woman too harshly could
backfire. They worry that it would play directly into the Republican
strategy of courting female voters and portraying Palin as a middle-class
mom under fire from the left and the establishment media. At the same time,
they fear it could cloud Obama's carefully honed image as a post-partisan
politician.
"The Obama campaign should stick to their message and not overreact to
Palin," said one Democratic strategist, adding that accusing Palin of being
a liar is "a long way from their core brand and shows that they haven't
found the answer of how to deal with her."
Democratic consultant Eric Jaye, who works with candidates in Michigan, a
working-class state that Republicans believe is now more in play because of
Palin, said that the Obama campaign needs to be "very careful not to turn
Sarah Palin into a working-class heroine."
Obama aides said this week that the campaign's position remains strong in
key battleground states and that its formidable get-out-the-vote operation
will carry it to victory despite the Palin buzz.
Campaign manager David Plouffe dismissed Palin's potency so far, saying she
had been relying on scripted speeches and was doing little more than
energizing the GOP's core conservative base.
"The question is: Over time, day after day, week after week in these last
eight weeks, you know, how does that take hold with the swing voters, and
what does that really mean to their field operation?" Plouffe said. "And,
you know, do they have the architecture and the infrastructure to really
take advantage of it?"
CAMPAIGN '08
Palin bounce has Democrats off balance
Some fear Obama's more aggressive tone could enhance her appeal among white,
blue-collar voters.
By Peter Wallsten and Janet Hook
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
11:02 PM PDT, September 9, 2008
The emergence of Sarah Palin as a political force in the presidential race
has left many top Democrats fretting that, just two weeks after their
convention ended on an emotional high, Barack Obama's campaign has suddenly
lost its stride.
Obama has responded aggressively this week to Palin's presence on the
Republican ticket, using TV ads and campaign rallies to attack her
contention that she is a political reformer who will take on the Washington
establishment -- a role Obama has long claimed as his alone.
But some Democrats are now worried about the perils of Obama's strategy,
saying that his campaign, instead of engaging the Alaska governor, should
avoid any move that draws more attention to her and could enhance her appeal
among the white, blue-collar voters who remain cool to Obama's candidacy.
A series of new polls suggests that Palin has given a major boost to John
McCain's campaign, exciting the GOP base, winning over white women and all
but erasing Obama's lead.
Concern among Democrats was high enough Tuesday that Sen. Richard J. Durbin
(D-Ill.), one of Obama's strongest supporters, felt it necessary to cite
historical polling data at a lunch of Democratic senators to convince them
that post-convention "bounces," such as the one that has followed last
week's GOP convention, have often faded in past elections.
To reassure nervous lawmakers, Durbin also reviewed Democratic registration
gains this year in key battleground states.
Still, Democrats expressed anxiety about the new challenge suggested by
recent surveys showing McCain has gained ground among independent voters and
women, who could decide the race in states such as Ohio, Michigan,
Pennsylvania and Virginia.
A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Tuesday, for instance,
shows that McCain is now winning among white women 52% to 41% after having
been statistically tied with Obama in that crucial category just a month
ago.
"Whenever you see that kind of movement, you ought to be concerned; you
ought to try to address it," said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), a strong
Obama backer.
David Bonior, the former Michigan congressman who managed Democrat John
Edwards' unsuccessful presidential bid, called the new poll findings a "real
concern," adding: "We can't lose white women and expect to do well in this
race."
One Democratic operative familiar with the campaign's deliberations worried
that the "freshness, newness and aura around Barack has been eclipsed. The
campaign has been knocked off stride."
Another explained that Democrats expected Palin to "have the opposite
effect" and drag McCain down, adding: "Whenever there is conventional wisdom
in Washington and it's wrong, that shakes people up."
The two Democrats, like others interviewed for this story, requested
anonymity in order to speak about internal campaign strategy.
Obama over the last two days has begun vigorously attacking Palin for
decisions she made as governor and has tried to tarnish her image as a
political maverick and reformer, highlighting, for example, her initial
support for the "bridge to nowhere."
One new TV ad released this week accuses Palin of lying in claiming to have
killed the $398-million link between Ketchikan and its island airport.
McCain has ridiculed the project as an egregious example of the kind of
pork-barrel spending he has long fought.
Palin has made her opposition to the federally funded bridge a staple of her
stump speech, even though she defended it in her 2006 campaign and did not
kill it until it was clear that Congress would not pay for it.
Also, Obama and his aides have started using increasingly aggressive
language in recent days to denounce Palin's and McCain's attempts to cast
themselves as harbingers of change.
The typically even-keeled Obama on Tuesday night invoked an old cliche and
accused Republicans of trying to put "lipstick on a pig" in their adoption
of the change mantra, noting that not long ago McCain had tried to present
himself as the candidate of experience.
Republicans seized on the comment and tried to portray it as a sexist
allusion to Palin, who in her convention speech said that the difference
between a hockey mom and a pit bull was lipstick.
Obama aides waved off the attacks as a "pathetic attempt to play the gender
card."
It was not clear late Tuesday whether the lipstick spat would garner much
attention, but the exchange demonstrated the challenges facing Obama as the
McCain camp tries to squeeze every possible advantage out of the Palin
candidacy.
Some Democrats are eager for Obama to be even harder on Palin.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee, said that independent voters' enthusiasm for Palin will
fade when her conservative record is better known. "They need to get that
information out, and they need to get it out quickly," he said.
But others say that Obama will only help the GOP by attacking Palin and that
he should try to relegate her to the campaign's margins, where his own
running mate, Joe Biden, now seems to be residing.
Moreover, some said, attacking a charismatic woman too harshly could
backfire. They worry that it would play directly into the Republican
strategy of courting female voters and portraying Palin as a middle-class
mom under fire from the left and the establishment media. At the same time,
they fear it could cloud Obama's carefully honed image as a post-partisan
politician.
"The Obama campaign should stick to their message and not overreact to
Palin," said one Democratic strategist, adding that accusing Palin of being
a liar is "a long way from their core brand and shows that they haven't
found the answer of how to deal with her."
Democratic consultant Eric Jaye, who works with candidates in Michigan, a
working-class state that Republicans believe is now more in play because of
Palin, said that the Obama campaign needs to be "very careful not to turn
Sarah Palin into a working-class heroine."
Obama aides said this week that the campaign's position remains strong in
key battleground states and that its formidable get-out-the-vote operation
will carry it to victory despite the Palin buzz.
Campaign manager David Plouffe dismissed Palin's potency so far, saying she
had been relying on scripted speeches and was doing little more than
energizing the GOP's core conservative base.
"The question is: Over time, day after day, week after week in these last
eight weeks, you know, how does that take hold with the swing voters, and
what does that really mean to their field operation?" Plouffe said. "And,
you know, do they have the architecture and the infrastructure to really
take advantage of it?"