Asked about the PA primary this a.m. at an "impromptu press availability" at a Pittsburgh diner, Barack Obama said, "A lot is going to depend on turnout. It's a beautiful day and we think we have the best organization on the ground, so who knows?" (Halperin, "The Page," Time.com, 4/22).
Taped interviews with Obama were also featured on the a.m. shows.
NBC's Curry, to Obama: "After outspending Senator Clinton two to one, it appears you will lose in Pennsylvania. So, what does that say about your ability to win in November?"
Obama: "It doesn't say much, because the fact is that my approval ratings here in Pennsylvania among Democrats are extraordinarily high."
Curry: "Why is it that you have been unable to win these big diverse states with really a motherload of electoral votes?"
Obama: "Now, hold on a second. Now, If anybody thinks that I'll lose New York or California in the general election, there's no chance of that happening" ("Today," NBC, 4/22).
Obama, on PA: "Our view has always been that we're the underdogs here. I think she's got to be heavily favored to win" ("Early Show," CBS, 4/22).
Asked how he would define success in PA: "All we do is work as hard as we can. Senator Clinton started off with a big lead here. She had a 20-point lead. We feel good about how we chipped away at that lead. So hopefully we'll do well" ("GMA," ABC, 4/22).
Meanwhile, Obama strategist David Axelrod "sought to emphasize how much ground Obama seemed to have gained," but said, "I am not standing here telling you we expect to win. ... I don't think anybody expects us to win" (Infield, Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/22).
MSNBC's Scarborough: "Barack Obama told KDKA yesterday that the race was going to be a lot closer than people expected and that he's going to do a lot better than people expected. Does he know something we don't?"
Axelrod: "Well, it depends what people expected. ... No one knows for sure what's going to happen" ("Morning Joe," MSNBC, 4/22).
Obama strategists also said 4/21 "that they expected to announce a series of additional endorsements by uncommitted superdelegates shortly after" PA votes (Wallsten, Los Angeles Times, 4/22).
Little Ditty, 'Bout Barack And Diane
Obama spends this afternoon in Philly (release, 4/22) before heading to Evansville, IN, where he'll hold an election night rally with wife Michelle and singer John Mellencamp (Langhorne, Evansville Courier & Press, 4/22).
Have No Fear, The Ads Are Almost Over
In response to the "Clinton fear ad," Obama's camp launched a new TV ad in PA 4/21, "He Has What It Takes." Full script:
ANNCR: "Who has what it takes to really bring change? To finally take on the special interests -- not take their money. Who made the right judgment about opposing the war and had the courage and character to speak honestly about it. And who in times of challenge will unite us -- not use fear and calculation to divide us." OBAMA: "We are one people. All of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes. All of us defending the United States of America. I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message" (release, 4/21).
On NPR's "All Things Considered" 4/21, Obama said of the ad, which asks, "Who do you think has what it takes?", "I think the answer is Barack Obama. That may not be the answer she was looking for. ... I think that on critical issues of both domestic and foreign-policy, Senator Clinton has generally embraced the conventional view. She has oftentimes gone along with the politics of the moment. And, as a consequence, I don't think she's equipped to actually bring about the changes that are needed to bring different results when it comes to both domestic and foreign policy" (NPR, 4/21).
Obama spokesperson Bill Burton also responded to Clinton's ad, calling it "ironic that she would borrow the President's tactics in her own campaign and invoke bin Laden to score political points. We already have a President who plays the politics of fear, and we don't need another" (release, 4/21).
Asked about the ad in flight from Pittsburgh to Philly 4/21, Axelrod said, "It's a curious thing to put Osama bin Laden in the spot because there are a lot of folks who would argue that had we not been diverted into Iraq that we would have had a much better chance of having subdued him by now" (Horowitz, "The Politicker," New York Observer, 4/21).
Will This Hurt Me More Than It Hurts You?
"Despite the trappings of cheeriness," Obama's closing argument in PA "was a distinctly negative one, designed to give the state's significant percentage of undecided voters an uneasy feeling about Clinton." At "a number of well-attended public appearances, Obama depicted Clinton as a divisive, disingenuous" Dem agent of the GOP attack machine, "willing, in her desperation, to take the party down with her" (Horowitz, "The Politicker," New York Observer, 4/21).
Obama "strode through the closing days" of the PA campaign "reintroducing himself to voters as good-government vigilante, ready to combat 'petty, trivial, slash-and-burn, tit-for-tat politics" -- while seeming to adopt some of those techniques himself." That posture, "aides acknowledge, could help Obamam to energize his own supporters to turn out and vote but will do little to win over those still undecided," and "could jeopardize Obama's image as a high-minded campaigner in upcoming contests" (Issenberg, Boston Globe, 4/22).
Obama, asked if the camp waited too long to make its tone tougher: "Look, this is something that we have constantly been trying to balance throughout this course of this campaign. I don't believe in the slash and burn, tit for tat politics that has become the custom in Washington. Senator Clinton is much more comfortable in that attack mode. So we've consistently simply responded to attacks, but have tried to focus on the issues that matter to people" ("Early Show," CBS, 4/22).
Clinton chief strategist Geoff Garin, on the Obama camp going negative: "I think they've really changed the arithmetic here by spending as much as they had, throwing as much mud as they have, jeopardizing their brand in the way they did. I think they have changed the standards in Pennsylvania in a very significant way" (Marre, The Hill, 4/21).
Obama comm. dir. Robert Gibbs: "We don't take brand advice from the Clinton campaign" (Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/22).
Chicago Sun-Times' Sweet: "Obama's high pedestal was cut down a few feet" in PA, "his hardest fight so far." His "brand is bruised" (4/22).
Time's Klein: "Obama doesn't talk about hope much anymore. He's spending a lot of time attacking Clinton for being part of the DC lobbying, special interest and same old politics culture. Then he makes his offers -- mostly on things he can't do anything about ... Obama seems either bummed or pissed or exhausted. He could be near death and still be a pretty good speaker, but he's very much off his game right now" (Time.com, 4/20).
My Foreign Policy Starts With Belgian Waffles
Obama spent his last full day in PA dropping by a diner in Scranton, holding a roundtable with "about 40 selected people" in Blue Bell, appearing on "The Daily Show" and holding "one of the biggest indoor rallies he has had anywhere," speaking to 10K in the new basketball arena at the Univ. of Pittsburgh (Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/22). Among the highlights:
• "Chomping down on sausage" and "over-sized Belgian waffles" at Gilder's Diner in Scranton with his PA "BFF," Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Obama "avoided commenting" on Jimmy Carter's meeting with Hamas when asked about it by a reporter. Obama: "Why can't I just eat my waffle?" Asked again by the same reporter, Obama, "with a wink this time," said, "Just let me eat my waffle" (Anburajan, NBC/National Journal, 4/21).
• Obama, outside the diner: "I'm not predicting a win. I'm predicting it's going to be close and that we are going to do a lot better than people expect." Inside, Obama "listened to a trumpet solo from a high school student." Casey, "a frequent customer at the Guilder, picked up the tab" (O'Boyle, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, 4/22).
• "As bees and pollen buzzed about, Obama spoke for about an hour" at a roundtable outside Montgomery Co. Community College in Blue Bell. Questions "from the upscale and heavily white audience tended toward the economy and foreign policy." Asked about gas prices, Obama "said he opposed a three-month holiday on gas taxes," which has been proposed by John McCain (McCormick, "The Swamp," Chicago Tribune, 4/21). Expanding on that in an interview, Obama said the gas tax is "how we raise our highway funds," and that a holiday would not "make a meaningful difference to people" compared to other options, like a second stimulus (Liberman, Newhouse News, 4/21).
• Asked about polls showing voters believe he's a Muslim, Obama "described the Internet-fueled smear campaign" that has raised the questions, and said to applause he's a Christian. Obama: "If [people] don't vote for me, it could be because they think Sen. Clinton and Sen. McCain have better ideas. It shouldn't be because they think that I am less patriotic or because they question what my religious faith is" (McAuliff/Saul, New York Daily News, 4/22).
• Asked about media consolidation, Obama said voters had a right to be concerned when "Rupert Murdoch has his eyes on a lot of different media outlets" (Jose, "The Politicker," New York Observer, 4/21).
• In Pittsburgh, among those introducing Obama was Teresa Heinz Kerry. Obama told the crowd, "We don't have to settle for what is. We can imagine what might be" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/22).
Appreciate Ya, Clinton Attack Machine
Obama appeared on "Daily Show" last night, and spoke via satellite with Jon Stewart:
Stewart: "How is the sojourn through Pennsylvania going? Are you just on a mad dash through the state in these final hours leading up to the Tuesday primary?"
Obama: "It is a mad dash, but the people of Pennsylvania have been terrific. And the weather has been good. We think that there's going to be high turnout tomorrow. We've been seeing the same kind of enthusiasm and energy we've been seeing all across the country."
Stewart: "When you leave Pennsylvania, can you forget their concerns and move on to another state, or are they going to hound you now for the rest of the time? Because you've been there for six weeks. Most places you stop in, there's a quick primary. In Montana, you show up for
two hours. 'Hey, how is it going? Nice to see you. That's a beautiful mountain.' These people probably have your email now."
Obama: "You know, the folks in Pennsylvania have gotten a lot of attention. They deserve the attention just like the people in Iowa deserved the attention."
Stewart: "You've had a chance to meet Americans throughout the land. Are we nice? What do you think?"
Obama: "Yeah. You know, there's a core decency and a generosity of the American people that actually makes you feel optimistic. Sometimes you feel less optimistic about the political process. ... But people have good instincts."
Stewart: "That's interesting, because Senator Clinton's sort of response to you is that, you have not been vetted in the way that she has, and that ultimately in a general election, the Republican attack machine, the big question was, they would just go crazy on you. Now that you have been attacked so much, is the fear that in a general election the Republican attack machine wouldn't have anything left to pick over. Is that a problem, do you think, for the Republican attack machine?"
Obama: "Well, there's no doubt that Senator Clinton has done me a favor. She's put me through the paces. This has been like spring training, and so should I get the nomination, I think everything is going to be old news by October."
Stewart: "I'm going to cut through the spin for you, sir. This is what I'm here for. There's a lot of insinuation amongst the pundits, etc. about these controversies. The Reverend Wright controversy, the flag pin controversy. By the way, I am wearing mine. It's just pinned directly to my chest. I can tell you what the real concern is, and you can answer this question right here right now and put it all to bed."
Obama: "Go ahead."
Stewart: "Sir, we are concerned that ultimately at the end of the day, if you are fortunate enough to get the Democratic nomination, fortunate to become president of the United States, will you pull a bait-and-switch, sir, and enslave the white race? Is that your plan? And if it is your plan, be honest. Tell us now."
Obama: "That is not our plan, Jon. But I think your paranoia might make you suitable as a debate moderator" (Comedy Central, 4/22).
For more of Obama's appearance, see today's Play of the Day.
Obama also joined the other WH '08ers in taping an appearance for World Wrestling Entertainment. See today's GENERAL FIELD story for more.
I Can See Your Future ... OK, Not Really
Among the pre-PA commentary:
• St. Petersburg Times' Smith writes, "the fact remains" that Obama "has been unable to close the deal" in PA, which "could renew questions about Obama's strength in November" (4/21).
• Philadelphia Inquirer's Satullo writes, is Obama "The One who can heal divisions, enable dreams, yet head off real threats? ... I don't know. Neither do you. But I'd rather risk finding out than settle for more years of barbed wire and pointless carnage on Ronald Reagan's exhausted terrain" (4/22).
• Pat Buchanan: "If he can't beat Hillary Clinton when he's the front-runner and now outspent her two to one, he can't win Pennsylvania; can he take it away from John McCain? Can he win Michigan and can he win Ohio when he lost that to Hillary Clinton? I think there's some doubts raised in the minds of superdelegates and Democrats everywhere. But I agree with Barack Obama, he's still the frontrunner even if he loses tomorrow" ("Verdict," MSNBC, 4/21).
• Newt Gingrich: "John McCain proved in Florida, where he was outspent 10 to 1 by Mitt Romney, that it didn't matter. When you're running for president, you're on the evening news, you're on the front page of the newspaper, you are a news story. ... [Obama] may actually be at a point where the weight of his ads are beginning to hurt them because there are just too many of them. And they cut away at his being an idealist. ... This guy's got this many ads and he's throwing this much dirt, maybe he's just one more politician" ("On the Record," FNC, 4/21).
• Washington Post's Robinson: "The problem with that analysis, why can't Obama win white working class men, is the two candidates have ... split, are sharing the Democratic constituency, the traditional Democratic constituency. For example, if African-Americans don't show up at the polls in huge numbers in November, Hillary Clinton can't win Pennsylvania. So you can say that about any demographic group" ("Race for the WH," MSNBC, 4/21).
• FNC's Garrett: "It's increasingly clear in Pennsylvania it's not about the victory of Hillary Clinton tomorrow but the magnitude of it. So why would Barack Obama say he can't win here? ... There are some in the Clinton camp who fear he's doing a bit of reverse psychology to depress Clinton turnout, because some voters on the Clinton side might think this victory is already in the bag" ("Special Report," 4/21).
• Ex-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA): "That's sort of the running joke in Philadelphia right now is particularly in the African-American community where it was expected that he would, as a black candidate, come in with a huge amount of money to turn out the vote in that area, he has provided, according to every source I've talked to, not one dollar" ("O'Reilly Factor," FNC, 4/21).
• Obama supporter/Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA): "As long as we hold it close here, under five points, I'll be very happy. ... A Clinton win that's less than five points" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 4/21).
• CNN's Malveaux, on Obama's hopes for PA: "Essentially, he wants to prove that he's competitive in a large swing state like Pennsylvania. And they also have to show that they're carving out and stealing a little bit of her base, the blue-collar, the working-class, the white Catholic voters, who they have been working very, very hard to win over. Those are the two things that he has to show tomorrow to come out strong" ("Election Center," 4/21).
Everything's Relative
Obama, asked if McCain would be a better POTUS than Bush: "He might be better in some areas and he might be worse in others. Part of what we have to watch as this campaign unfolds is what is he willing to say to get elected. I think there's a sharp, clear contrast between where I want to take the country and where he wants to take the country. If I'm the nominee, the American people will have a very clear choice" ("GMA," ABC, 4/22).
Time's Halperin, on Obama's comments that all three WH candidates would be better than Pres. Bush: "It's a political mistake in the Democratic primary and maybe even the general election, but I got to tell you, I think it's what he believes. As much as they're trying to act like John McCain is this big, horrible Bush III, I think on a lot of big issues, they think McCain will be different than Bush. And he blurted out the truth. He shouldn't have done it, but not so much because it will hurt him in the Pennsylvania primary, I think, but it does show once again he's new to this, can make mistakes. And you can't afford to make mistakes."
CNN contributor Roland Martin: "Sometimes, you really don't want to be that truthful. Like it or not, this whole notion of let's really have a conversation, it doesn't really help when you're the guy who is leading and so it can be used against you. Save it for a nice cup of coffee with you and Michelle" ("Election Center," CNN, 4/21).
You're Doing It Wrong!
Starting 4/22, "a group of conservative activists led by" Willie Horton ad author Floyd Brown "will begin a campaign to tar Obama as weak on crime and terrorism, a strategy that aims to upend Obama's relatively strong reputation" among GOPers. Brown: "The campaign by Hillary Clinton has not been able to raise Obama's negatives. It is absolutely critical that Obama's negatives go up" with GOPers.
Brown "says the initial effort, a 60-second spot called 'Victims,'" will air later this month in NC and will be "e-mailed to between 3 and 7 million conservatives this week, with a plea for more funding to further spread the message." The ad "recounts the deaths of three Chicago residents in 2001 at the hands of criminal gangs." An "ominous female narrator" intones, "That same year, a Chicago state senator named Barack Obama voted against expanding the death penalty for gang-related murders. So the question is, can a man so weak in the war on gangs be trusted in the war on terror?"
Funding the ad is a PAC called the Nat'l Campaign Fund. Brown "said he had established several other front groups to fund a long-range effort to erode Obama's support, including a second PAC" called the Legacy Cmte, a 527 called Citizens for a Safe and Prosperous America and a 501(c)4 nonprofit called the Policy Issues Institute.
Brown "plans to debut a second ad" later this week in NC, focusing on Dem support for "giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants" (Scherer, Time.com, 4/22).
Also Known As "Suck Up To Al Gore Day"
Obama released a statement on Earth Day, saying, "We have a choice in this country. We can continue with an energy policy that makes no sense, and serves the interests of the big oil and gas companies at great cost to our planet. Or we can choose a different future -- a future where America is energy independent, and no longer funding both sides in the war on terror; a future where we're leading rather than undermining the global effort to combat climate change; and investing in green energy technology, and creating the jobs of the future. That is the future I believe in, and that is the America I'm running for President to lead" (release, 4/22).
Obama also writes an op-ed in the Charlotte Observer calling for bipartisan energy reform (4/21).
Give Me Moore
Filmmaker Michael Moore also endorsed Obama 4/21 "in a 1,100-word posting on his Web site." Moore: "My endorsement is more for Obama The Movement than it is for Obama the candidate." Moore also had "harsh words" for Clinton, writing she's tried to "smear" Obama and her "actions and words" have "gone from being merely disappointing to downright disgusting" (AP, 4/22).
Meanwhile, Richard Nixon's daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, has made a "private endorsement" of Obama, donating the max $2.3K to his bid (Luo, "The Caucus," New York Times, 4/21).
Odds And Ends: Superdelegates, Church Signs And Fancy Boots
• Obama's "cling to guns or religion" remark "doesn't seem to have hurt him" with WY superdelegates (AP, 4/22).
• In endorsement backstory drama, "some area politicos" say Clinton "gave an unrepentant" Obama supporter/Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) "the deep freeze" after McCaskill joked during her '06 SEN campaign that while Bill Clinton was a great leader, "I don't want my daughter near him" (Smith, Kansas City Star blog, 4/21).
• In Jonesville, SC, pastor Roger Byrd "says he wasn't trying to be political when he posted a sign in front of his church" reading, "Obama, Osama -- humm, are they brothers." Byrd "says he won't take the sign down," noting "his congregation voted unanimously Sunday to keep it up" (AP, 4/21). Byrd is also "defending the message, saying it came after prayer" (Vault, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, 4/22).
• In Ashland, OR, bootmaker Bill Shanor "dreams" of making a pair of "fancy cowboy boots out of crocodile or frog skin" for Obama. Shanor: "I'll make a couple of lace shoes that'll knock 'em dead." As for Clinton, Shanor said, "I wouldn't make her a pair of sandals" (Mann, Medford Mail Tribune, 4/22).
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