Marc Ambinder is getting a bit nitpicky with Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe. In a Super-Duper Tuesday memo, Plouffe wrote:
Our path to the nomination never factored in a big day for us on February 5. Rather, we always planned to stay close enough in the delegate count so that we could proceed to individually focus on the states in the next set of contests.
Ambinder retorts:
I’m sorry. Hold up, time out. What?? Unless every Obama adviser I’ve spoken to over the past year has out and out lied to me, a big day on Feb. 5 has always been a big part of Obama’s nomination strategy. That doesn’t mean they always expected to win it…just that, for months, the campaign devoted unusual amounts of resources to building robust organizations in the states…and claims 75,000 active volunteers.
Seems like the Obama campaign is setting expectations way low so they can beat them as easily as the Giants front four beat through the line to Tom Brady.
Campaign managers do try to spin and set expectations. In this case, however, it seems like Ambinder is nit-picking the phrase “big day.” Obviously, any serious candidate hoping to stay in the race has to have a “big day” tomorrow. So Plouffe was a bit sloppy in using the phrase.
This becomes more evident when Ambinder quotes Plouffe as making the benchmark “within 100 delegates” of Sen. Hillary Clinton tomorrow. That is more or less what left-leaning bloggers like Chris Bowers have been writing. So it does not seem like Obama’s camp is engaging in barefaced spin in setting that benchmark.
(h/t Memeorandum.)
Plouffe. That’s too cute.
It’s dangerously close to a rebuke from Greenwald.
We’ve decided that’s like Plow-f. Sort of an informal office survey.
Shirtlifter-phobes !!!!!!!!!!!
Stop it, please.
Every time you accuse Obama of smart politics, a Hillary cries somewhere.
Can someone give me a scenario where Barry O’Kennedy is not our next President. Because, I cannot see it, and I am beginning to despair.
JD,
That scenario is that Hillary is the nominee. That is still the more likely scenario and — depending in part how the media plays things tomorrow and Wednesday — the results will likely keep her ahead of Obama into the next rounds of voting.
Karl – I pray on all that is holy, like the Dolphins’ perfect season, that you are correct. I would rather Bellicheat have a perfect season than see Barry Obama running our country.
Hillary will win I know it. President Hussein not gonna happen.
I never thought I would ever utter the following words, but since I do not see a scenario where a Dem does not win, I am actually rooting for Hillary, as I see her as being a known wrong-headed commodity, as opposed to the disaster Barry O’ would most certainly be.
They’re expecting a “big day”, I know they can do it as far as everyone aims to be won on contest. Well, do their best!!!
Oh. Arnie Grape. Those auditions are closed, that’s done, this morning. Yeah. We had to make a call on that but we have your headshots and you left your number with Ellie right? We’ll call you. Thanks for coming by. Yes. Thank you. These look really good. Thanks. Absolutely.
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