Doyle: Wisconsinites Never Forget
Endorsing Barack Obama, WI Gov. Jim Doyle said in a conference call today with reporters that Obama's ability to campaign in every state in the country was a key reason for his support.
In an open swipe at Hillary Clinton, Doyle criticized them for not competing in Wisconsin, saying that voters here wanted to make an informed choice about the candidates and Clinton's decision not to campaign there for the first part of this coming week deprived voters of that opportunity. (Bill Clinton's schedule indicates that he is heading to the Badger State Thursday and is expected to stump in Milwaukee, Madison and La Crosse.)
Doyle also warned that should Clinton not compete in WI but win the nomination, she would be at a disadvantage because John Kerry and Al Gore each won the state by slim margins of only a few thousand votes.
Doyle's criticism of Clinton, made in the same breath where he called her the "incumbent in this contest," appeared to be an obvious attempt to set the bar low for Obama. Doyle also pointed to the fact that Bill Clinton had carried the state in 1992 and 1996.
The attempt to lower expectations was also evidenced by Plouffe who claimed that the campaign did not factor in momentum as part of a winning strategy. Plouffe said that the key to success in WI and later in OH and TX would be face-to-face interactions between Obama and voters. The slower schedule provides them, he added, with ample opportunity to build familiarity with the candidate.
Plouffe also pointed to the need for face time with voters as the reason for not having a debate in Wisconsin this week, a request that had been made by the Clinton campaign.
(NBC/NJ's ASWINI ANBURAJAN)
Every state in the country? What about Michigan and Florida?
That wasn't Sen. Obama's call, Kevin. It was the DNC's. But, of course, you know that.