Obama General Election Campaign Begins; Latino Journos Point Out Flawed Strategy

Following on a run of strong showings in recent polls and the announcement that it will not use public financing for the general election, the Obama campaign yesterday released its first general election ad and began committing staff and key personnel to new battleground states.

Momentum running high, the campaign hit a speed bump this morning, however, when, in a telephone conference with reporters that the Obama camp intended to use to chastise John McCain for inconsistencies -- including his shifting stance on immigration -- several members of the Latino press chastised the Obama team for the clumsiness of its Hispanic outreach efforts.

The Ad
The general election Obama ad is a true soft sell, part of a recent attempt to more tightly control the candidate's image, marketing him as a true-blue American to voters still muddled on his background and identity, including apparently Democratic party leaders in Tennessee. The ad takes aim at the question that has been hanging over the candidate from the time he announced he was running for president: Will a United States desperate for change embrace the kind of history-making brand makeover represented by African-American "Barack Hussein Obama"? Winning the full-on fifty state five-month Democratic primary was the first part of his answer to that question. The campaign's ratcheted-up attention to image control and this new ad is the beginning of the second part of his answer.

The spot is set to air in what the Obama campaign must now view as the 18 most important battleground states. The new battleground states include the traditionally strong red states Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Montana and North Dakota. Obama has long argued that he intends to win on an altered map by taking the fight into red country, but spending this early in Georgia, for example, instead of in more bankably blue swing states such as Washington or Oregon, say, suggests he believes he can win, or at least force McCain to take the fight seriously and match the spending.

The ad buy also seems to suggest Obama is betting on voters in relatively cheap media markets -- voters in Alaska and Montana for example -- who have voted for Bush in the last two elections but with whom he does not register the kind of negatives he does in some of the states of the Southeast and Appalachia, for example.

The Call
In the press release notifying reporters of the conference call, Obama spokesman Bill Burton humorously wrote that there was "required reading" and included the text of a post by Jonathan Martin of Politico.com about a closed-door meeting Wednesday between McCain and Chicagoland Latino leaders about immigration reform that seemed to contradict the position McCain projected when he spoke with conservative immigration advocates. (Apparently McCain didn't expect one of the invited Latina leaders to also be a conservative, anti-immigration member of the Minutemen.) And, while reporters were waiting a quarter-hour after the scheduled start time for the call to begin, a second Obama press release hit reporters' inboxes, this time quoting another news article on McCain's inconsistent stances on immigration, this one by ABC News' Jake Tapper (who incidentally was one of the reporters on hold). A few minutes later - roughly enough time for reporters to digest the newest "required reading" - the conference began.

Late in the Q&A by reporters that followed the Obama spokesmen's presentation (Theme of the Day: it's been "pander week on the double talk express"), several reporters called the Obama team on the carpet for what they saw as the campaign's tin ear toward the Latino community. McCain's alleged pandering to Latinos was suddenly not the issues. Liza Sabater of culturekitchen.com and The Daily Gotham put Obama Communications Director Robert Gibbs on the spot, asking a meandering question that pointed out several weaknesses in the campaign's Latino outreach efforts, ranging from failing to reach activists who are willing to carry Obama's message to that community, to misunderstanding the diversity of "Hispanics," to focusing too much on immigration as the core Latino issue:

Earlier in the call, Gibbs had demurred to a question asking for details of the campaign appearance Obama and Hillary Clinton will be making next Friday, saying he didn't know yet exactly when and where they would be speaking. Marisa Treviño of Latina Lista, who wrote an interesting post on this issue yesterday, carried the theme of that post into today's call, turning what seemed like an innocuous "I dunno" into a referendum on Obama's commitment to Latinos (which Gibbs fielded pretty well):

A few minutes later, Pilar Marrero , who writes for the VotoLatino ("Latino Vote") blog of the Spanish language newspaper La Opinion, noted that Latino journalists have had difficulty reaching campaign spokespeople (note to Ms. Marrero: it's not just Latinos who have that problem, with both campaigns!), and asked who the campaign's strategists to the Latino community would be:

Interestingly, neither Marrero in her question nor Gibbs in his answer mentioned one of the campaign's newest and highest-profile hires, Patty Solis Doyle - interesting, because many people have identified her hiring as being, in part, a gesture to the Latino community. But Jason Horowitz of the New York Observer remedied that omission in the very next question, asking specifically whether Solis Doyle would play a Latino outreach role. Gibbs equivocated - she might do some - but indicated that Solis Doyle would be focused almost exclusively on her specific job as Chief of Staff to Obama's as-yet-unnamed running mate:

(Note: Horowitz's post about this exchange was given a headline emphasizing that Solis Doyle will help court Latinos, but his actual post gives the fuller picture.)

Finally, Kety Esquivel of The Sanctuary and CrossLeft.org asked whether the campaign was putting its money where its mouth is when it came to hiring dedicated staff, buying media time, etc. for Latino outreach; in response, Gibbs wisely suggested she and any other reporters interested in Latino-specific topics call the campaign's coordinator for Spanish-language media, Vince Casillas - who may suddenly have a much higher profile in the campaign:

To be fair, both campaigns have work to do in reaching Spanish-speaking and Hispanic-heritage communities, which are diverse both in composition (consider the differences between New York's Puerto Riqueno, Florida's Cubano, and Arizona's Mexicano communities, for instance) and in issues of concern (which range from immigration, to the status of Puerto Rico, to citizenship for non-citizen members of the Armed Forces, to "the economy, stupid"). But the Obama campaign was given a swift, and unexpected, kick in the rear today. The question is, will it react defensively, or will it gratefully accept the message and undertake some (apparently much needed) reforms?

(This story was written and reported with John Tomasic.)

Follow M.S. Bellows, Jr. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/msbellows

Comments

[going2ireland]

If any diverse group wants to be included in any campaign, then they need to get off their backsides and join the cause. For any group to expect any candidate to cater to them without them making any effort at all, well, my Mama always called that being just a lazy arse.

Come on, people. If you want to be a part of this thing, then join the crusade. Do not wait for people to come knocking on your door holding a silver platter with a gold engraved invitation. It won't happen. Not with the Mc campaign and not with the O campaign.

You do need to do some of the work yourself.

[joeyp404]

But when Obama announces the Joshua Generation reaching out to young evangelicals and Catholics, is he saving them from their lazy arses?

[going2ireland]

And you are saying he has never reached out to the Latinos? Really?

[southernsepia]

There are currently no less than 5 post on this site that reference this candidate and race.

Why is that?

[Suthngal]

This is as pathetic as Jennifer Hudson saying that she's waiting for Sen. Obama to call her, so she can help campaign for him. WTF?

[onenation]

I feel that WE are the electorate. I have forced myself to learn enough about the Repubs arguements so I can convert knee jerk McBush people to be thinking about Obama as a real vote posibility and then to Obama voters. Barack never called me. The representitives of publications of all types owe their readers the work intailed in getting the facts on each candidate and then making that information undersatandable to their readers/listeners.
I'm tired of seeing in all media the Exact same "so-and-so says" story with no work showing. As I tell my kids, there is a reason my job is called WORK.
Work for what you want to happen.

[egal]

I know I'm naive, but I thought that a candidate's job was to address the issues important to the nation, not to sell their interpretation of those issues to select groups? America is pretty diverse; the so-called "Latino", "Black", "Asian", etc."minority" groups are every bit as diversified.

It's pretty pointless to accuse the candidate of "failing to address the interests of this specific group" when not only is that group huge and variegated, but its scattered interests range along the same line as the "American" interests becase all of these different people make up the United States citizenry.

Yes, there should be elements of every campaign that reach out to deal with the needs and concerns of the myriad specific interest groups, mainly because a president who listens to the needs of the people needs to start doing so as soon as possible, but any group that remains standoffish because their perceived special interests aren't being reached out to has to expect both that they are thus marginalizing themselves and that this attitude will ensure their interests' remain marginal, as well.

[goldnchyl]

Excellent points, egal. How can one choose to be here, because of the benefit, but still remain separate with issues outside the mainstream. That's not even t true. The issues that affect the average citizen ... effects the average citizen, so I don't really get it.

[RJII]

Addressing the issues of each group is great, but it usually leads to pandering. America has such big problems facing us all now. Obama should NOT be put in a position to pander to interest of every race at this time. He's bending over backwards for the Jews, for Latinos, the appalachians, angry white females, Black are probably next, etc.

Its time to be Americans right now and end this war, get our financial situation together.

[Americanium]

Oh BTW,

I stole this comment from a column of one of your fellow OTB writers.

Obama grassroots supporters are not waiting to ramp up for the general election. Countless events have been organized in cities and towns across Arizona since the Obama campaign's paid staff left the state after the primary election. On June 28th, the Obama campaign's national day of unity, Unite for Change volunteers in the Phoenix metro area alone have planned nearly twenty events.

Obama grassroots waits for no man or woman -- not even for Obama.

[Americanium]

Everyone wants the special treatment. They want the candidate to jump when they say jump. I find it odd that journalists are so p'd off with the Obama Campaign. What? No BBQ??

Weaknesses in the Campaign's Latino outreach? Obama is not reaching out to Latino activists who want to help. Seems to me if you want to help then you are the one who should reach out and help. Since when is political activism is done on a needs basis?

If I am an activists and see the need to present the case of a Candidate that supports my policy positions then he or she does not need to reach out to me. It is in my best interest to advocate that candidate's positions whether I am reached out to or not.

That is precisely what is wrong with this country, we expect to be told what to do and when to do.

Well this is a change year I do not need Obama to tell me what time it is and on which side my bread is buttered.

The Media is out to get Obama and they are playing true to form. Do it twice as good as the white person or prepared to be criticized.

Ribs anyone??

[Intelligentia]

I have no doubt that the Hispanic/Latino community is aware of what is at stake. It's simple, if Hispanics/Latinos believe that they have been included in the progress of this nation under the staus quo, then they should vote for McCain. If they do not believe that they have been included, then it is incumbent upon them to try something different/new-vote for Obama. I have no doubt that our Hispanic/Latino brothers and sisters will know what to do in November!

[teapartydude]

Who are these Latino journalists?

Do they really want to be pandered to?

Read magazines, the internet, tv...there's a hell of a lot of information out there for Latinos to get acquainted with Obama.

Does he need to translate everything into Espanol?

Lord. Do they really want to vote for McCain?

I can't stand how these Latinos say "They don't know enough about Obama".

Sheesh...how well did they Bill Clinton in 1992?

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

I very much appreciate your comment and your close attention to this post, but I think it would be a mistake to interpret this as "them" asking "us" to pander to them. (And I'm always suspicious whenever someone says that some "they" should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps. It just sounds so ... Republican.)

Campaigns are primarily communicatORS -- voters are primarily communicatEES. (Is that a word?) Voters have something that candidates want, so candidates are the ones knocking on doors, not the other way around. Even when the communication is two-way, the campaigns generally initiate it. So all campaigns have organized efforts to reach out to various constituencies, and it's to their benefit when someone points out if those efforts fall a little short.

And, as Liza Sabater pointed out in the conference call, there are Latino activists -- community organizers like Obama used to be and similar people -- who are willing to start working for Obama but apparently aren't being used in a coherent fashion, which is bad both for Obama (who could use their help to improve his performance with Latino voters) and for Latino progressives (who would like the chance to start building relationships with the probable President that could pay off for their communities later on, if only in the form of better understanding of Latino issues by the new Administration).

So I don't see whining here; I see a sophisticated petition for redress of grievances, which is the way politics works.

[diogeron]

In fairness to Latinos, it's not just Latinos who say they don't know enough about Obama. The sad news is that a lot of Americans just don't pay attention, which is why we have one of the lowest % of voting in the world of democracies. Hell, 12% of Americans still think Obama is a Muslim, which anyone with an IQ higher than room temp should know is a lie, even if they only read the National Inquirer and get all their news from Faux News.

Having said that, that's what campaigns are about if you're new to the scene and that's why Obama's ability to raise money is so important, to educate people who could be educated without ads if they would just read a decent newspaper once a day. It's sad, but true.

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

I'll add that it's also a good reason for Obama to coordinate efforts with Latino media and activists -- to get the message out as effectively as possible. Lamps under bushels etc.

[going2ireland]

For as long as O has been out campaigning, as long as there have been ads, newspaper, TV new, and the internet providing information on O, if anyone STILL does not know who he is or what he is about, they don't want to know.

It takes some effort on a voters behalf to know about the candidates.

[Bobrobert]

Hee hee hee.

The Berlin Wall is gonna come down in 09 thanks to Obama and intelligent voters who believe all immigrants should be made citizens( if they want to become citizens).

:-)

The time for hate is over.

Remember to vote all.

:-)

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

Who says Obama believes all immigrants should be made citizens? I agree the time for knee-jerk anti-immigrant sentiment is past, thank God, but this sounds like a big oversimplification of his position.

[lovethesinner]

This is the beauty and the complexity of Obama's candidacy. Lots of voters means lots of things to organize. Everyone will have to work hard and be patient.

At least we stand to get something substantial for our efforts when we win, but we will still have a lot of work to do, even after we win.

Can we and Obama put all this together to win?

Si, se puede.

Can we keep working after the election to unite a diverse nation and make progressive CHANGE?

You bet we can!