Cillizza looks at Obama, McCain Strategies

Submitted by Simon Rosenberg on 6/23/08

Chris Cillizza weighed in today with an interesting take on the early general election strategies of the two Presidentials. He writes:

The coverage of Barack Obama's decision last week to forego public financing for the general election centered on the fact that the Illinois senator is almost certain to have a considerable spending edge in the fall campaign over John McCain.

What was largely overlooked, however, is how Obama's decision impacts McCain's fundraising between now and when he formally accepts the party's nomination on Sept. 4. Since McCain opted out of public financing for the primary race, he can raise and spend as much as he likes over the next 73 days. And, if he wants to have a real chance at the presidency, he must find a way to come within financial shouting distance of Obama over those next two and a half months.

"Advertising in the summer will be more important than advertising in the fall," said Curt Anderson, a Republican media consultant who advised the presidential candidacy of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. "After the conventions are over there will be a very tiny sliver of the electorate that remains undecided. The pool of undecided voters is bigger in the summer than it will be in the fall."

Recent presidential election history backs up Anderson's contention.

Back in 1996, President Bill Clinton effectively closed out the contest against Sen. Bob Dole (Kans.) during the summer with a slew of advertising that portrayed the Kansas senator as out of touch. Dole, essentially bankrupted after the primary fight, was unable to respond as he waited for his general election money to kick in. By the time it did, the race was over; Clinton sat on his lead and Dole was never able to overcome first impressions....

I wrote about the significance of the Obama buy last week here. And I agree with Cillizza - early media matters, and it is clearly possible given the bigger trends and early poll data that Obama could put this thing away in the next few weeks. All eyes on the McCain response now.

Update: Frank Rich had a great column yesterday, one that touched upon the early advertising strategy of the McCain campaign.

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Comments

I’ll definitely agree

Submitted by HanaL on 4/6/09.

I’ll definitely agree with Cilizza’s appraisal.! Now, Obama, should merely put in hand the pledge that he made in front of billions American citizen. In some manner, Did you know that John Calipari is one of the lucky guy in the world? Because in the midst of the worst recession in decades he's managed to land himself one heck of a job, and the reactions haven't exactly been praise for John Calipari. He was recently hired as head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, for about $35 million over 8 years, so a payday loan won't be on his mind ever again. This is odd, since the University of Kentucky has just cut staff salaries, and his program at Memphis was notorious for a lower graduation rate among his players. That aside, he consistently has teams in the playoffs, so it might be worth it to get a payday loan for the basketball team to hire John Calipari.

Payday Loan Advocate's opinion...

Submitted by PaydayLoanAdvocate (not verified) on 10/8/08.

Barack Obama and other high
profile politicians are attempting to limit the right to use on-demand, short
term financial assistance. A number of cities and towns are also attempting
bans on the industry, with several more attempting to follow suit. American
citizens from all across the nation are fighting the legislation hoping to have
their voices heard to prevent the abolishment of the payday loan industry.
Regardless of the hundreds of thousands of potential jobs lost, these
politicians are encouraging the elimination of this matter generally for
personal political gain.

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Payday Loan Advocate

Submitted by PaydayLoanAdvocate (not verified) on 9/25/08.

Being misinformed can muster some
grave consequences, especially true when you base a course of action on inaccurate
information. The current debate over the pros and cons of payday loans, and
what the future holds for the industry, is certainly no exception. Some
politicians, from all sides of the spectrum, have even passed legislation in
their states, cities and towns which restricts, or even takes away your ability
to get a payday loan. Some, such as Barack Obama, are seeking to outlaw the
industry all together; such laws are largely based on the flawed idea that
payday lenders fall under the same ethics as illegal loan sharks. Now is the
time to educate your friends and family to preserve your rights to financial
independence.

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