The McCain campaign says that its decision to pull his campaign operations out of Michigan is no big deal, because there are plenty of other states to compete in. The Obama campaign begs to differ, and jumped on the news today, portraying it as an omen of McCain’s undoing.
In a conference call before the debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden here at Washington University in St. Louis, the McCain campaign said that it would stop advertising in Michigan and move its resources to Maine, Wisconsin and elsewhere.
“The operations will be scaled back but will still be in play in Michigan,” said Mike DuHaime, the campaign’s political director.
(DuHaime also said that Obama was outspending them in Florida, a state that he noted Bush won, but only after an aggressive advertising campaign. He lowered expectations there. Florida, he said, had “more Democrats than Republicans.”)
Minutes later, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, who during the primary was known for referring to arithmetic to declare the race over for Hillary Clinton, walked into the media file telling reporters that the McCain campaign’s withdrawal from Michigan meant that “their narrow path just got narrower.”
Plouffe argued that without Michigan, the McCain campaign would have an extremely difficult time reaching the 270 electoral vote threshold necessary to win the election. “They need to win some Kerry states,” he said.
Asked by reporters about turnout in early voting states, he argued that turnout was always high in presidential elections but added, “We’re pleased with what we’re seeing.”
Plouffe then spoke about the importance of the evening’s contest, praising Palin’s skill as a debater (some reporters rolled their eyes) and saying, “I’m sure she’ll have some witty and biting lines.” But he expressed confidence that voters would see beyond that.
“They’re a much more tactical campaign than we are,” said Plouffe, arguing that by contrast, the Obama campaign focused on consistency. “We are trying to deliver a consistent message each and every day that simply says ‘we cannot afford another four more years like the eight we just had.’”
Hours later, David Axelrod, the campaign’s chief strategist, told a group of reporters in a hallway outside the media center that he was caught off guard by the McCain campaign pulling out of Michigan.
“I was a little surprised,” he told a group of reporters. “It seems like that is a big state to pull out of. A big important state.’
There is a feeling in the Obama campaign that the McCain campaign is running out of money, that they can’t keep up with the ads Obama has been flooding radio stations with in swing states, and that they are having to abandon states where they are not that far behind. The McCain campaign is now also acknowledging that Indiana is a battleground state, something they hadn’t before.
Axelrod also gave his thoughts on the evening’s debate, which is about to begin.
“My advice to [Biden] was and would be to go out there and make the case for change in this country,” he said. Asked what Palin’s job was tonight, he said, “I think she has to come and make the case for Senator McCain and where he would lead this country, and that’s a big burden, because essentially where he’s led this country is where we are today and that’s a tough case to make.”
He added, “She’s a very proficient debater and I think she’ll come in here well prepared.”
Told that Plouffe was much more complimentary about Palin’s skills, Axelrod said, “I don’t know where she fits in the pantheon of debaters nationally, but I think she’s a proficient and talented debater.”
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