Democratic Campaign Chatter 6-29-2008

The changing political map across the U.S. - is the subject of a article today in the Washington Post. Virginia possibly turning blue and W. Virginia turning red is just part of the changing demographics in the country. Read it here. Also remember to follow the electoral vote by clicking on the Electoral Vote Predictor which we also have in the right hand margin of our home page. This site tracks the electoral votes of all the states and how they are leaning throughout the remainder of the campaign. Today, Obama leads with 317, McCain has 194 and there are 27 ties. 270 is needed for a candidate to win.

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McCain outspending Obama 2-1 in Missouri - Perhaps, the preceding post helps explain why. It is still way early and it is unusual to spend heavily on TV in the summer months but over the last week this is what was happening - read more here. The Electoral Vote Predictor currently has Missouri and it's 11 electoral votes labeled as "weak Republican" with McCain at 50% and Obama at 43%.

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McCain continues politics of fear - The Boston Globe has a good article today entitled "The same old politics of terror". Charlie Black, a senior adviser to the McCain campaign recently said a terrorist attack on the U.S. would help the McCain effort. Of course, Senator Clinton tried the same approach against Obama with the 3 AM phone call ad - unfortunately, it did have some effect against Obama in Ohio. The belief by the voter that the President can keep their family safe does impact heavily on how they vote. Stay tuned to follow how the campaigns frame this issue.

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McCain plans to unveil his economic program next week - In response to the last two week economic tour by the Obama campaign, McCain will begin with his message as to how he will help create jobs etc. The economy continues to be the number one concern of voters so this is important for the candidates to address. Unfortunately, over the summer months, is not the best time to try to reach the voters attention. Read more here.

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Immigration enters national spotlight - Yesterday, when addressing Latino elected officials, Obama accused McCain of altering his position on immigration. This is an emotional issue, guaranteed to raise the attention of voters. So far, in the presidential election campaign, it has not been a major issue and congress has continued to ignore the discussion of needed action in this area. Look to see this issue heat up as we near election day. Read more here.