Previous Next Latest

The Ground Game in Florida

10/28/08, 3:02 pm EST

The hazard of early voting is that you can end up simply time-shifting your likely voters. That is to say, you don’t make the voter pie higher, you just parcel it out over the course of a couple weeks. The Obama team has smartly focused their early voting efforts on turning out otherwise unlikely voters

Politico.com:

….after the first week in early voting, the [Democratic] party also enjoys a commanding lead, based on the party affiliation of who is showing up at polls.

“Much of our energy in the early voting is to persuade those erratic voters to get out and vote in early polling locations,” [Deputy campaign manager Steve] Hildebrand said, citing Floridians who don’t tend to vote every election cycle. Their eyes are especially on the hundreds of thousands of African-Americans and young voters who didn’t vote in 2004.

Hildebrand wouldn’t reveal how many of the voters showing up so far were among their targets, but did allow that the rate was where they wanted to be.

“Right now, we’re in a good place,” he said. “We’re a few points ahead and have been consistently for about 30 days. Organizationally, he’s going to have a difficult time matching us on the ground.”

Hildebrand’s a straight shooter, and given the campaign’s current determination not to count chickens, I’d say he’s looking at some great numbers to be talking this optimistically.


Previous Next Latest

Comments

Marilyn Holz 111 | 10/30/2008, 6:23 pm EST

We have to continue to do everything we can to get Barack elected so this American doctor you’re about to read about can come home. We need a health care system that works and one every American citizen can afford. I want to tell you about a personal experience. About 10 years ago I organized a relief mission of mercy to Guanaja one of the Bay Islands off Hondouras that was devasted after Hurricane Mitch. After sailing over 16 ton of relief supplies I was seriously sick and needed a doctor. As I was on my way to the doctor I was in a panic wondering what kind of care I would get. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself facing an American doctor. He explained that people who live there did not have to pay but as a US citizen I did. He charged me all of $5 (exchanged to Hondouran dollars came to $45, not bad) . This fee included a 1/2 office visit (unlike in America 10 minutes) and medicine. Afterwards I asked Dr. Keith as an American, why was he there. His answer was that every time he had to fill out paperwork on one patient for Insurance it took so much time and he had to charge so much money per visit it upset him. He said he spent too much time doing Insurance paperwork that he had little time to care for sick people and little time to spend with people to help them prevent illness. He told me he is very dedicated to his profession and our Health Care system does not allow him to use it to the best of his ability. He said when our country get a better Health Care system he will return. This was 10 years ago and ever since I know I will have no problem with a national health care system. THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY THINGS PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA WILL DO FOR US. Thanks for listening. Marilyn from Florida

Post A Comment

Caution: Off-topic comments will be deleted

Name:

Comments:



Advertisement

Advertisement