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Obama Campaign Manager Pops Up In North Carolina
David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, was spotted in Raleigh, in John Edwards' home state of North Carolina, the Raleigh News and Observer reports.
Plouffe swore up and down to the paper that he wasn't there on a stealth mission to court Edwards' endorsement. Instead, he was there to raise money and organize, in the believe that North Carolina's May 6th primary could prove pivotal.
Plouffe seems like a pretty major player to be spending time merely organizing in a state who's primary is over two months away, but we'll take his word for it.
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Ha, you can take his word for it, but I won't. It seems pretty obvious why he's in North Carolina.
February 21, 2008 12:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
The full post makes it sound more legit:
David Plouffe was in town today.
The campaign manager for Barack Obama said he was helping organize and raise money for the upcoming May 6 primary, Rob Christensen reports.
"North Carolina could end up being very important in the nomination fight," he told Dome.
Interviewed at a fundraiser in the law offices of David Kirby in Raleigh, Plouffe said that the primary is only nine weeks away and Obama campaign needs to begin organizing in the state as soon as possible.
He said the trip today was not about courting John Edwards, although he acknowledged the campaign is interested in the former North Carolina senator's endorsement.
Plouffe said that there is a very good chance that North Carolina could be in play in the general election as well, if Obama is the nominee. No Democratic presidential candidate has won North Carolina since 1976.
He also had an organizational meeting at the headquarters of Raleigh public relations firm Capstrat, which is headed by Ken Eudy, an Obama supporter.
Steve Lerner, an investor and friend of Eudy's, was escorting Plouffe today.
February 21, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
The News & Observer piece followed the story we broke on Feb. 20 about major Edwards supporters in N.C. switching to Obama, and Plouffe's visit to Raleigh. The story is here:
http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A182756
- Jennifer Strom, Managing Editor, The Independent Weekly, www.indyweek.com
February 22, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Plouffster is like 007, you'll never catch him! :P
February 21, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh my God! They found me! No David, please, I can't contribute again this month!
February 21, 2008 12:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
At this point, a lot of Edwards' supporters -- his superdelegates, his donors, his unions, etc. -- already have backed Obama. So even if he were to endorse someone, regardless of who, it wouldn't have the impact that it might have had when he dropped out (although, of course, he DOES have 26 delegates that are up for grabs).
Still, it would be an important symbolic event, and would reaffirm the feeling -- along with the primary victories and the recent spate of superdelegate endorsements -- that the Democratic Party is starting to coalesce around Obama, and would things even harder for Clinton.
On the other hand, Clinton does best among her core groups when they sense that the whole world is against her. So in a weird way, it might actually help her.
February 21, 2008 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Given that the prime advantage the Obama campaign has enjoyed this cycle is its foresight - its willingness to spend time and resources on states way down the calendar, while Hillary concentrated her limited cash on more proximate contests - why would you doubt Plouffe? Even if the nomination is effectively secured on March 4, it will remain important for Obama to win convincingly the rest of the way, particularly if Hillary declines to withdraw. And North Carolina, with its rapidly growing population and competitive down-ticket races, is a potential swing state come the fall, so any organizating efforts now won't be fruitless, irrespective of where the primary race stands in a few weeks.
February 21, 2008 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Absolutely right, Fly (as usual). The Obama campaign has been the best thing to happen to a lot of red and purple states, whether he takes them in the fall or not. This early organization and the incredible enthusiasm during the primary should help a great deal in November.
Again, even if Barack Obama doesn't take the state in the general election (and he's got a far better chance than Clinton would), this should help elect other Democrats. That's really important. A president can't change the world by himself.
February 21, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wouldn't go so far as saying its a swing state... but give it a few more election cycles and I bet it looks a lot like Virginia looks today.
February 21, 2008 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
It was a body double, the real Plouffe is bugging the Clinton's office right now. Oh wait, those are the kinds of dirty GOP tricks that the Clintons would resort too.
Thank god Penn is too fat to fit into a heating duct.
February 21, 2008 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL.
February 21, 2008 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
FlyOnTheWall--Beat me to it. Exactly.
wwjb--Hilarious.
February 21, 2008 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Granted, but by the same token he seems like kind of a major player to be sent to court an endorsement which becomes less valuable with each passing day. Sen Edwards is not even a superdelegate anymore, so I am not more especially convinced of the likelihood that Plouffe is there to woo him than of the likelihood that Plouffe is there simply to organize the campaign. Besides, it is no secret that Obama himself was there a week ago to make a pitch to Edwards; the cat is out of the bag, if indeed it was ever in the bag in the first place. If Plouffe were there to court Edwards, what would be the point in denying it?
February 21, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gregg Sargent, you forgot to footnote ben smith. Would this be considered plagiarism?
February 21, 2008 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Look at it this way: if someone saw Plouffe in Wisconsin or Maryland on January 15, at that moment you would have called him insane to work on post-Super Tuesday contests.
But if you heard today that Plouffe was in Wisconsin or Maryland on January 15, you would have to call it a brilliant move.
February 21, 2008 1:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Could the trip have something to do with plotting the exact mechanics of transferring Edwards's pledged delegates to Obama? That's a sort of negotiation that the managers, not the candidates, would do, though the managers might want to be in the same location as Edwards so that they could confer with him on the larger points.
And, on the subject of super-delegates, the New York Observer dilates on the get-revenge-on-the-Clintons factor:
http://www.observer.com/2008/some-superdelegates-chance-revenge
February 21, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
A few other posts of ours that might be relevant to the discussion:
* N.C. has an open primary.
http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/north_carolinas_open_primary
* N.C. has not gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976.
http://projects.newsobserver.com/blogs/college_transcript
* N.C. has bonus delegates, good timing and is unaligned.
http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/why_north_carolina_would_be_big_game
Thanks for the link!
— RTB
February 21, 2008 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do my eyes deceive me or is Obama outperforming Clinton in NY versus McCain?
February 21, 2008 1:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Re:Fly,
Agreed, however how many of the people he is meeting with know or are friends with the Edwards, how many of the local activists and fund raisers working to elect BHO happen to know his phone number and call him fried, my guess most of them, there is a world of different to get a couple of calls from Ickes or Bill C. than having many your local friends and supporters pushing pressure on you.
February 21, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe, but Daivd Kirby is Edwards's former law partner. And it would be more likely they'd send Plouff to work out the logistics of an endorsement than to make the case.
February 21, 2008 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
North Carolina ranks 10th in national population AND we schedule elections and fundraisers during peak barbecue plate season. Ah, the joys of living in a swing state!
February 21, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why do you think the Obama team are more prepared in Texas, while Hillary is still trying to figure it out? Raleigh is 0.5 hours away from Chapel Hill. Did you see how Hillary invoked (plagiarized?) Edwards at least twice on the debate? Edwards isn't going to endorse Hillary. If he doesn't endorse Barack in the next 48 hours he will, unfortunately, be irrelevant.
February 21, 2008 10:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have a friend who's a supporter/fundraiser for the campaign here in NC. She received an email from him a couple of weeks ago that he would be in town to organize and raise funds. I don't think it's about Edwards. I think it's about a foresighted campaign.
February 22, 2008 12:50 AM | Reply | Permalink