Plouffe targets 17 battleground states, focuses on Florida

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: Plouffe: The new Florida is…Florida
From CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand


The Obama campaign has targeted 17 battleground states.

(CNN) — Other states may grab their 15 minutes of Electoral College fame, but Barack Obama’s campaign manager recorded a new six-minute Web video for the Democrat’s supporters that suggests the new Florida is… Florida.

In a Web video sent to supporters Wednesday, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe displayed an Electoral College map that included 17 battleground states, including new targets like Montana, North Carolina and Virginia – and Georgia, where the redeployment of staffers elsewhere in recent weeks had raised questions about the campaign’s determination to make a play for this traditionally red state.

Plouffe also highlighted registration numbers in Pennsylvania and Nevada — two major electoral prizes where new Democrats far outpace new Republicans, or where the GOP has actually dipped into negative registration numbers (meaning the party now has fewer members than it did when the year began.)

But the veteran campaign manager spent half the video talking about Florida, the state that cost Al Gore the White House in 2000, where some recent trends in the tight race had prompted concern among Democrats.

Plouffe laid out the $39.3 million battle plan, including radio and television ads, infrastructure, direct mail, staff, and phonebanking. He said the message narrative was again shifting their way — “the debate is about change, it’s about the economy, these are two areas we think we can prevail in” — but the focus was the ground game, as Plouffe pointed to potential turnout and registration gains among Obama base voters in Florida. “We’re going to win this election block by block, precinct by precinct,” he said....

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/17/plouffe-the-new-florida-isflorida/

[tekisui]

1. IA and NM can hardly be called battlegrounds, anymore.

They are moving solid Obama. NH, PA, and WI will almost definitely go Obama. VA and CO, I would put money on.

I am most impressed they are going after GA. That will be the hardest, IMO.

GO OBAMA@!!!

[ComtesseDeSpair]

2. Yeah...

I felt so much better about things after watching this video. I think I understand why people who are involved deeply with the campaign are pretty calm about things. Everything is in our favor right now... well, except Diebold.

[kansasblue]

3. hey! I thought Nebraska was on the list. They have a divided

electoral vote system that could give them Omaha and one vote.

[thereismore]

4. I'd focus on OH and VA. FL is a cockup. But what do I know. nt

[thereismore]

5. They abandoned the upper peninsula! (MI) nt