Dem Campaign Chatter 7-28-2008

Today, Obama is in Washington, D.C. to meet with economic advisers - Some of the attendees will be former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, and his billionaire friend Warren Buffett. It's a good move to immediately focus on the economy after his return home from his overseas trip. The economy remains the number one concern for voters. Let's hope the advisers talk him out of the second round of stimulus checks Obama has proposed - the first round by President Bush had little effect. Read more here.

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Gallup poll released yesterday has Obama 49%, McCain 40% - this is the largest lead Gallup has shown since they began McCain - Obama polls in March. The world stage seems to have had a positive effect for Obama. The poll was conducted from July 24-26. Read more here.

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Obama, in interview, talks about how they are expanding the electoral map - he spoke of Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia being competitive in the South, along with New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Montana and North Dakota. A 50 state strategy is good for rhetoric, but very costly - expect this to be further refined as the general election nears. Read more here.

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Budget deficit to hit 490 Billion next year - as we reported previously this will be the highest ever budget deficit for the U.S. USAToday.com has a good read with some great charts showing the budget deficit since the Reagan years - want to guess who the President was during the only period since 1981 the country was in the black? Yes, Bill Clinton - so much for the Republican mantra of they know how to handle money better - read more and view the charts here.

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Timing of VP announcement - Chris Cillizza's Washington Post Blog, "The Fix" has some interesting speculation. He notes the Olympics in China start in 11 days and the Democratic convention begins at the end of the Olympics. If Obama chooses to pick his VP prior to the convention and receive some media attention, the pick will need to be announced this week. It is most likely McCain will wait until the conclusion of the Democratic convention to announce his VP pick in an attempt to drown out the hype Obama is sure to receive. Read more here.

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Hillary Clinton most likely to address Democratic Convention on Tuesday night - Terry McAuliffe, former national chair of the Clinton campaign indicated this is when she will most likely speak. This is a little tricky as some Clinton supporters have also called for a floor vote which is doubtful this will occur. He also said when the current Senate session ends this week, she will begin campaigning for Obama. Read more here.