Obama campaign amassing troops in Florida

The Tampa Tribune ^ | February 19, 2012 | William March

[Brandonmark]

While the Republican presidential candidates have been battling in Florida and other state primaries, President Barack Obama's re-election campaign has been quietly putting together what aides say will be the biggest grass-roots campaign organization in Florida history.

It's run out of a dingy storefront in Ybor City, but aims at a state-spanning army of thousands of volunteers making phone calls, canvassing neighborhoods and registering voters.

Their goal is to repeat Obama's stunning 2008 Florida victory. That, political experts say, would make it virtually impossible for any Republican to build an Electoral College majority to defeat him.

Obama's Florida campaigners say there's little question they will have a bigger grass-roots organization than they had in 2008, which they say was the state's largest.

But they may also face a tougher political situation.

Obama, then a fresh face promising change and breaking racial barriers, ran against a Republican with a previously unsuccessful presidential run, John McCain, to replace an unpopular Republican incumbent, George W. Bush.

Voters then were alarmed about the economy; now they have suffered through years of its collapse, Florida worse than most of the nation.

"Florida voters are focused on the economy and jobs," said Mitt Romney campaign spokesman Ryan Williams. "Obama will be defeated on the basis of his economic record, not on how many staffers or offices he has across Florida."

Obama campaign staff members won't give out numbers about their organizing effort — how many paid staff and volunteers, or of the "neighborhood team captains" they say are the linchpin of the effort.

But the campaign has 11 other offices in the state, more than any Republican campaign had at the height of the GOP primary season in late January, and will soon open more.

[onedoug]

What’s the price of gas in FL?

[radioone]

“biggest grass-roots campaign organization in Florida history”

Plenty of “moochers and looters” can be found!!!

[FreeAtlanta]

Florida's unemployment rate according the the regime is 10% and has been as high as 11%. That means in reality it is much higher. That is what will need to be focused on along with the excessive spending of this administration.

[ripley]

“Obama Campaign Amassing Troops In Florida”

(What’s with the war rhetoric?)

In the case of the Obama Campaign, they might as well say that the fifth column is already in the city.

IMHO

[rellimpank]

—and in the meantime, the Republidunces largely continue to destroy each other, while ignoring the economic issues almost entirely-—

[Jane Long]

I'm sure Rience Prebius (sp), GOP Chair, has FL covered. /s

The Pubbies have SO many opportunities to take it directly to this administration...but, they sadly seem to let all of them slip right through their fingers :(

[Scanian]

I paid $3.69 the other day north of Tampa

[yoe]

Bailout money helping this?

[Scanian]

They might just be thinking that the attention span of the typical voter is about as long as an ant’s.

By October, goes this line of thought, all the pubbie bloodshed will be ancient history.

[sten]

find the dead, the infirm, and ‘canvas’ those in elderly care. insure they all ‘vote’ for 0failure.

voter fraud was spotted in 17 states, including florida, in 2008 by the FBI. when 0failure took office, he suspended all investigations. QED

moral of the story:
cheat big enough to win and you can avoid being caught once you assume power

[onedoug]

Look for it to go much higher. $4.04 and climbing here in SoCal.

[Iron Munro]

Obama Campaign Amassing Troops In Florida

Roving bands of loyal followers gather to celebrate their favorite candidate

.

[Brandonmark]

What’s the price of gas in FL?

According to GasBuddy.com the Florida average gas price is $3.662 per gallon: FloridaStateGasPrices.com

[Vaduz]

Thousands of volunteers = ACORN/SEIU

[GQuagmire]

If the GOP loses FLA, the only way they’ll win is by taking PA, OH, VA, NC, IN, IA, NH, CO and a clean sweep of Neb which splits electoral votes.( one to Obama in 2008). This current crop of candidates I don’t think can bring back all those other states from 2008....

[ilgipper]

Fl should be no issue for the GOP, but we must not take it for granted. We need to make sure we match their grassroots efforts. We got killed on the ground in 2008. The tea party has to evolve to meet this need. The party can never execute well enough to pull this off.

[ngat]

Are we to assume the high price of gas automatically translates into defeat for Obama?

[tbpiper]

What’s the price of gas in FL?

Up.

[AtlasStalled]

I seriously doubt Obama can take Florida . . . unemployment, foreclosures, collapsed housing market are still big issues in the state . . . and if Rubio could be the VP nominee (or better yet at the top of the ticket in a brokered convention) then the Sunshine State is the GOP’s in a landslide.