Fatigue Hinders Obama Camp's Ground Game
The difference between the Clinton and Obama Texas ground games going into the Tuesday Two-Step is this: the Clinton field organizers don't know what they're doing; the Obama field organizers know but they're too tired to do it. The Clinton teams are fresh-faced, well-rested Texas women who love and support Hillary and are doing their best for her. But they're new to contested primaries and caucuses. The Obama field organizers, on the other hand, have fought their way through Iowa, Nevada, and often California or Arizona before being sent to Texas. From here, they will be going on, some of them, to Mississippi and North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama come and go from Ohio to Texas and back, and they speechify. These events provide the visuals of energized candidate and sign-shaking supporters against the red-white-and-blue that feed the news cycle. The behind-the-scenes for the two campaigns in Texas suggests the reality. The Clinton Campaign is spread thin, short on surrogates, short of the numbers of trained and experienced volunteers and paid staff that "the opponent," as both Clintons consistently call Obama, has been able to field. The Obama team leaders brought in from previous contests are exhausted. Many of these battle-seasoned and mostly young people now have the responsibility of fending off a Clinton insurgency at the March 4th caucuses. (Why this is a daunting task will be the subject of my Monday report.) If it weren't for the infusion of new troops, primarily but not exclusively Tejanos for Clinton and African-Americans for Obama, the campaigns would more noticeably be faltering. But the ominous signs of burn-out are there.
This week in Houston I had hoped to learn a few things from watching a caucus training session and a mock caucus. But the first two events I attended fell apart. As the woman who was supposed to hold a pretend caucus in the Houston neighborhood called The Heights told me, "I'm too tired to do it tonight." After the Beaumont town hall meeting (a clip of which has played endlessly on cable news and which I covered), a distraught volunteer cornered a local Obama field organizer and tried to talk to him about the problems she'd been having canvassing in tough neighborhoods. The lack of affect on the part of the young man suggested the pressure he was already under. These are but two examples of the emotionally closed down, mentally bunkered staffers I'm observing in the parts of Texas I can reasonably reach from Houston. You would not know that these are the same people who were so open and friendly and eager in the earlier contests. The change, which is not surprising, heralds one of the costs--one of the human costs--if the race continues to be protracted.
The two campaigns' ground games are also getting more brazen and more careless. In Beaumont, to the amusement of the audience waiting for Obama, a staffer kept rearranging the spectators seated on the podium, who are always the backdrop to an event photo, to achieve the right mix of color and gender. (He found one of the few Hispanic women at the event for his staging.) Later that evening, at a Clinton rally in Houston, an organizer passed out "hand made signs" to the crowd--in plain view of the traveling press. Seemingly, he no longer cared what the press might say. On an important level, people working for the Texas campaigns just want it to be over. It was fun at first, but now Democratic Texas has become rather like Poland, with campaign armies passing each other in the night, and the locals fearing, especially since the Clinton Campaign has reserved a right to sue over the caucuses, what shambles the campaigns may leave behind for the Texas Democratic Party and the chances for local candidates in November.
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Texas... Tarrant County early primary voting... GO DEMS!!!
Rep 2000 4-29 early primary voting to date 17395
Rep 2004 4-29 early primary voting to date 1687
** Rep 2008 4-29 early primary voting to date 37,357 **
Dems 2000 4-29 early primary voting to date 3878
Dems 2004 4-29 early primary voting to date 1634
** Dems 2008 4-29 early primary voting to date 87,591 **
http://www
Texas 15 counties early primary voting stats... The newbies are going to rock this state!
http://www
the all caps are lovely, darling. and if you're really believing all that stuff, i've got some hot tips for you on where the easter bunny lives...ri
Oh boy! Can't wait to read the blogs on Tuesday. I know it's hard to ignore the bad ones, but you must. It's very doubtful any un-decideds come here to help them decide. Most of these blogs are just to raise doubt in your choice. Try to defend but not offend.
Thanks Mayhill, for an overdue look at Obama's campaign in Texas. I liked your posts on Clinton's but that last one about their incompetence seemed redundant. This one is revealing and makes sense, unfortunately. I sure hope Obama can hold the momentum through Tuesday. This primary season needs to start wrapping up so we can concentrate on the old man.
Clinton's trying to change the frame that Texas and Ohio are now must wins for Obama. I don't agree - he still just needs a draw. But a slaughter would sure be welcome!
http://www
Ohio officials are now questioning Obama about him telling Canadian officials to ignore his criticism of NAFTA.
Obama is the big spend candidate and the very high tax candidate. He wants to tax capital.
Obama doesn't understand the vital role of capital formation in creating businesses and jobs.
Without capital, businesses can't expand their operations and hire more people.
I CAN NOT ONLY SMELL WHAT OBAMA IS COOKING I CAN ALSO SEE & HEAR IT:
OBAMA = REZKO = BEST FRIEND = NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR = CROOK = PAID
FOR OABAMS LAND = PAID FOR PART OF OBAMAS MANSION HE LIVES IN = FED TRIAL STARTS MONDAY
OBAMA = SINCLAIR = SCANDAL = G.S.
OBAMA = STEALING HILLARYS IDEAS = STEALING HILLARYS ECO.PLAN = STEALING HILLARYS WORDS
OABAMA = FRIEND = NEIGHBOR = DONOR = TERRORIST TIES
OBAMA = LYING OBAMA GOD = DELUSIONAL OBAMA
OBAMA = RACE BAITING
OBAMA = ARM TWISTING SUPER DELEGATES
OBAMA = DROWNING IN DRAMA
OBAMA = SCANDALS BREAKING ALL AROUND
OBAMA = WIFE NOT PROUD OF HER COUNTRY UNTIL NOW THAT HER HUSBAND IS GETTING VOTES. STOP VOTING FOR HER HUSBAND AND SHE WILL BE ASHAMED OF OUR GREAT COUNTRY ONCE AGAIN.
OBAMA GOD = DELUSIONAL CULT PEOPLE
AND ON AND ON AND ON AND ON ..........
Wow! Your logic is impeccable! And the fact that it's all in CAPS just proves how right you are!!!
Listen to the rhetoric coming from the two campaigns. The Obama team is focused on winning, with established campaign offices in states well beyond March 4th, while the Clinton team is already making excuses for March 4th, still trying to figure out Texas voting, speaking about lawsuits, resorting to desperate negative ads, and only this week did they get around to puting in a single campaign office in Vermont - another March 4th contest.
Throughout this campaign, the Obama movement has out-worked and out-hustled the Clinton machine. Even if the Obama team were hit with a bout of fatigue, they would still out-perform the Clinton team. You don't win 11 straight contests by hoping for it. The Obama team have proven their worth, and they have shown that "Yes we can" is more than a campaign slogan.
And you don't run offices by being a good campaigner. Speaking as someone who has worked with elected officials after they take office for the last nine years.
I have good friends in Dallas and Grapevine. They have been GOTV for Hillary for weeks. They tell me her ground game in Texas is strong. The one thing the article got half way right was Hillarys supporters in Texas and around the country for that matter are very excited and can't wait until Tuesday. And women and men in Texas love and support Hillary. GO HILLARY GO!!!
You know what they say - if one of those wealthy Clinton GOTV workers promises to give you a ride to the polls, accept...a
(wealthy Clinton GOTV workers)
So your saying con your way through life. I know it has worked for your GOD so far.
And what wealthy Clinton GOTV workers??? My friends in Texas work long hours and
bearly have enough to feed their families.
A Obama dishonest snob showing your true colors.
"GO HILLARY GO!!!"? Ah yes.. I thought I recognized that chant. It's the sound of sweet, sweet delusion.
Just think about it this way, if Senator Clinton were to win (which of course she won't), the Dems would lose the general election. A pyrrhic victory for women and Hillary supporters if there ever was one. I
If you want to ensure that we don't see a woman President in the U.S. for another 20 years, vote Hillary. Her defeat in November will send a chill down American voter's backs they won't shake off for a generation.
Just ask Jesse Jackson, who ran for the nomination in 1984 and 1988.
In '84, he got his foot in the door for Black candidates. In 88, he pushed it open a few inches. He essentially laid the groundwork for future Black candidates.
It's been 20 years since then and just NOW is America ready to embrace a viable Black candidate in the transformational candidate of Barack Obama.
But Hillary is no Barack Obama. The Republicans hate her.
She's their #1 fund raising tool, she energizes their base, turns off independents and doesn't motivate the progressive Democratic edge.
Look, you had Geraldine Ferraro as the V.P. running mate on Mondale's ticket, which opened the door for the next woman.
Hillary will be the second step - the one who pushes the door open a few inches. But she won't be the one to walk through.
She's going to set up the ball but some other woman will spike it. Maybe Nancy Pelosi or Kathleen Sebelius, both great choices (though I favor Pelosi more).
Hillary is too polarizing a figure. She's too triangulating, too poll-oriented, pays too much caution to the prevailing political wind and is way too much of a New Democrat politician with their Third Way/Republican-Lite politics. Hell, she even cosponsored what is essentially a pro-censorship bill with Joe Lieberman. JOE LIEBERMAN! His name attached to anything is generally the first red flag that whatever he's for, you should be against.
But oh no, not Hillary. She loves to brag about how she reaches across the aisle all the time. But what she fails to mention is that she always does to in order to sponsor REPUBLICAN bills.
Unlike Barack Obama, she has NO track record of getting Republicans to come on over to the Democrat's side on bills. Wonderful. She's campaigning on her ability to cave into the Republicans. THAT'S her experience? I'll take vision, judgment, leadership and intelligence over that ANY DAY.
We need a candidate who will stand for what's right, even when it's not politically popular, who can articulate a vision of the future that inspires and brings Americans of all affiliations into the political process, who can move people to look beyond their prejudices and do something truly new and good and powerful together and one who can actually convince Americans that our progressive values are not just "liberal" values, but AMERICAN values, once and for all reclaiming the god name of liberals and exposing Conservatism for what it is, another xenophobic, fear-based, corporatist, bigotry-infused shade of Fascism.
Hillary ain't gonna do that.
So you can start scraping off the "Hillary in '08" bumper stickers right now and get behind Obama while you still have the chance to be enthusiastic about him.
Obama = No Drama.
Can you smell what Barack is cookin?!!
Barack the vote!!
GOBAMA!
Obama in 08!
ROFLMAO Sorry to inform you that Dallas & Tarrant county are all in Sen Obama's corner... btw Grapevine is part of Tarrant county. Nice try though. Waiting to hear the "exscuses and spin from the Clinton campaign on Wednesday morning.
God I love your writing, Mayhill. You've become the "Ernie Pyle" of Campaign '08.
"... like Poland, campaign armies passing each other in the night."
:-)
I've never had a crush on a reporter before (except for Margret Carlson, that one time.) I hope there's a movie about all this in years to come. It's really a great story. But, how could it not be? It'll either be "Obambi meets Godzilla," or, "Obama and Goliath." Either way, it's "golden."
GObama!
OBAMA STALLS?
Feb. 29, 2008 article:
Hillary Clinton appears to be putting the brakes on Barack Obama’s momentum in Texas. According to an exclusive 11 News BELO Texas poll, Clinton and Obama remain in a statistical dead heat, with Clinton ahead by a single point, 46 to 45.
Nine percent of likely voters remain undecided in the Democratic race. Our poll continues to indicate that the undecided voters tend to care more about the economy than voters that have made their pick.
That could be a good sign for Obama, because he leads Clinton among voters who believe the economy is the most important issue in this election.
However, the undecided voters also tend to be more heavily Democratic than those who tell us they have decided – which is good news for Clinton. She is leading among people who describe themselves as strong Democrats.
Most of the trends we have been following held steady between Wednesday and Thursday, when the calls for this tracking poll were made. However, one key indicator for Clinton surged upwards.
Her support among Hispanics has jumped 11 points, to 67 percent to Obama’s 27 percent. On Thursday, this number was 61 to 32.
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Rassmussen reports daily Presidential trackings on Democratic nominees. Notice who's up and who's down:
3/1 Clinton: 43% Obama: 45%
2/29 Clinton:42% Obama: 47%
2/28 Clinton:40% Obama: 49%
http://ras
Pollster Scott Rasmussen made interesting points in the interview on TV.
-"Obamamania" has already peaked and is slowing down throughout the country.
- Obama's poll surge has stalled in Texas and Ohio.
- Barack Obama is unknown commodity by most Americans and he would either win big or lose big in the general election.
Of course there tired I would be two after making sure your candidate dominated in every cuacus but one.......
Just saw Bill Richardson on cnn and he said he would probally endorse a candidate in Texas on Sunday possibly Monday....
Hey, Ms. Fowler, I know you can't see me from Houston, so I'll just tell you:
We (Obama volunteers) are fine and dandy up here in Dallas and Fort Worth! Yee haw!
But thanks for caring.
Hey! Keep on keeping on.
Here is a positive report on Obama's ground game, starkly different from Mayhill Fowler's. You decide which one to believe.
http://www
I agree Fowler's post does seem a bit strange after reading the Salon piece. What I've experienced, winning is usually more than enough to take care of fatigue. It is those losing, who become demoralized and tired, constantly bickering and fighting. This looks like a snipet of something she observed recently than an overall assessment of the Obama campaign, although I do agree she has put it out there as if it speaks to his entire ground game.
This is horseshat. I'm in texas volunteering for Obama, and the organizers in my community are AMAZING. And I have friends in Austin and Ft. Worth who say the same. This is REALLY bad journalism -- to try and project your experience in one neighborhood on a state that's bigger than most countries is just wrong.
Get a LIFE Mayhill.
Hey, so what. If this report gives the Clinton team a false sense of security, I say great. So boogie, boogie on and hang in there. God bless.
yes, well what we see in Denver is that the journalists are in bed with the fresh hip politicians so they can attend the same parties and pat each other on the back for being cool. There really is no professional distance because somehow journalists reward the public figures who "open up" to them because it makes their work easier. Let's face it, it is hard work to do an original story on Hillary and it's easy to do one on Obama. That's it with the journalists.
How many "investigative stories" have you seen on the vetting of people who walk into local caucuses without a true democratic cred (ie, a real party registration that meets the criteria set)? answer: none, because the journalists don't want to offend their "friends". the independents and johhny come lately democrats. In Colorado anyone that wanted to could just walk in and sign a sheet of paper and no consequences whatsoever. For all we know they might all be republican plants.
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