Obama's Ace in the Hole? | Democratic Strategist

Over at The Stump, Michael Crowley asks about Obama's next move:

McCain skilfully shifted the race's momentum the morning after Invesco with his surprise Palin announcement. Now, the question is whether the Obama team can continue the week-versus-week parallel and come up with a similar attention-getter. In the past, Obama's campaign has repeatedly demonstrated a marvelous sense of timing and an ability to rebound quickly after a setback. (As Jason Zengerle recently reported, for instance, Obama kept John Kerry's promised endorsement in his pocket and sprang it as a comeback after losing New Hampshire.)

He wonders if the Obama campaign is holding an endorsement from Colin Powell in its pocket to kill GOP momentum coming out of its convention.

Maybe. Though, as Crowley says, Powell's people beat back this rumor pretty effectively just a couple weeks ago.

I'd suggest the more likely (though much, much smaller) play: his fundraising numbers from August.

We already know that McCain raised $47 million for the month -- no small total.

But given that Obama named his pick for vice president and pulled off an extremely effective Democratic convention, I'm assuming that his numbers are much higher. As a Democrat with a serious investment in his campaign, I know I should be downplaying expectations, but I'm still ready to be shocked by the totals when they finally come out.

What do you think? Would an $80 million month be enough to change the news cycle a bit?

How about $100 million?

5 Comments

| Leave a comment

Ciccina | September 4, 2008 4:22 PM | Reply

Why in god's name would Obama want Powell's endorsement? Is that supposed to be a good thing? The only things a Powell endorsement would signal is that (1) Obama is part of the Washington establishment and (2) when its to his benefit, he thinks the judgement of people who supported the invasion of Iraq is just peachy.

I would think a Powell endorsement would be a less than happy development.

drdr | September 4, 2008 5:20 PM | Reply

I think Sen. Obama will sign on as a sponsor to the gang of ten energy bill. This will allow him to box in McCain on oil drilling, since the bill supports limited additional drilling but also a tax increase for oil companies. This would seriously limit the Republican arguments about oil drilling, but McCain can't support the tax increase.

Sponsoring this bill would also show how Obama is acting in a bipartisan fashion. I wouldn't be suprised if he announces support for this compromise as soon as tomorrow.

ThinkingGuy | September 4, 2008 5:45 PM | Reply

At this rate, nothing will change the cycle in Obama's favor. The campaign has been silenced into weakness, and the media is in love with Palin. No fundraising number is going to take attention away from hate speak.

Mylegacy | September 4, 2008 10:54 PM | Reply

Hate? Hate is SO yesterday.

One hundred years from now they'll teach University courses about the 2008 Presidential Election. What is happening now is a seed change, nothing short of a revolution.

Quietly, in basements and dens around America an army of MILLIONS of Bloggers and fellow travellers is no longer responding to the media - considering what the media puts in front of us - considering the facts they have fed us on which we had to base out thoughts - what has happened this year FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WORLD HISTORY is that the PEOPLE have actually turned the tables and WE THE PEOPLE, not the media, CONTROL the agenda and the information available to the people. The media have been reduced to following our lead; our findings of facts and the Blogsphere's exposure of Sarah Palin's appalling background is a prime example.

The REVOLUTION is HERE, we are not only fighting it we are WINNING it - not with guns and rocks and blood - but with facts and communication and an Internet with a million points of light, operating at the speed of light - each point of which can take facts off the net and add to them.

For the first time in my adult life - America has a REAL chance at change. God Bless America!

BarryOR | September 5, 2008 1:17 PM | Reply

I think Sea Change is what you are thinking however Seed Change might be a good idea as well.

The way to change things in this country is through voting, so if you want to elect Obama/Biden the thing to do is make sure all voters really know what they will do if elected and then be certain these people vote and their votes are counted correctly.

I'm tired of McCain's Vietnam sychobabble, we all have memories about the 1960s and Vietnam.

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