It is becoming clearer and clearer that the strategy for the
Obama campaign is to win the election on the ground. As a former ground organizer myself, I understand the importance and potential effectiveness of this strategy. Politics isn't necessarily about being the "best" candidate. It's about making sure that more of the people who are going to vote for you make it to the polls than those that will vote for your opponent. In Iowa, particularly,
Obama showed how effective his ground ops can be. He turned out every last individual that had pledged support for him, and he won a convincing and effective victory there back in January.
We know that
Obama is pushing for a 50-state strategy and he already has large and growing
operations in key states such as Missouri (up to 150 paid staffers), and Ohio and Pennsylvania (200 staffers in each state). If these organizers can rally support and ID each of
Obama's supporters, this move will pay huge dividends. But, as reported in a
Washington Post article this morning, there are risks associated with
Obama's ground organization. Yes, it is incredible that in the first week of August, the following can be said of
ALASKA:
While the John McCain campaign has yet to open an office anywhere in the state, Obama has dispatched dozens of paid staffers here over the past month; the latest batch arrived over the weekend. It is assigning field coordinators in each of the state's 40 legislative districts and has been buying television ad time since June.
Yet, the article talks about the trials and tribulations of young 18 year-old organizer, Celine
Gammond. Although I know nothing about her, my guess is that she wasn't born and raised in Alaska. Many of
Obama's paid staffers are recent college graduates who are shipped around the country. These are the individuals that made up his ground team during the primaries, and while their ranks will certainly swell in the coming months, it will likely be the same types of young people that make up his ground campaign for the general election.
The problem is that there is a risk that these college liberals and "east coast" liberals won't connect with the voters they are attempting to organize. How effective is a recent Princeton grad who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth going to be at gathering support in a small Appalachian town in Southeast Ohio or on the Alaskan
Frontier? Not very, according to one McCain supporter in Alaska:
"Obama is trying to take advantage of our situation," Pierre said. "Obama has a lot of East Coast liberal staffers in Alaska" while McCain, he said, "has a real grass-roots effort, Alaskans talking to Alaskans.
For
each 20 hours of work that an Obanma staffer devotes to getting to know the community, reaching out to potential voters, attempting to establish a bond or connection with voters, etc. - 1 McCain volunteer who KNOWS folks in the community can put in 20 minutes of work and potentially get the same result.The ground game is important, but I hope that
Obama is utilizing his resources wisely. Sending staffers into a community that is going to reject them is not only a waste of money, but it can have an adverse affect as well. It can start the drumbeat of support for your opposition.
