Party building

by kos [courtesy of Daily Kos]

This is the reason I supported Obama in the primaries.

Barack Obama will focus his resources largely in 14 states George W. Bush won in 2004, his chief field operative said Tuesday, hoping to score upsets in places such as Virginia, Indiana and Georgia.

But winning the White House won’t be his only goal, deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand told Politico: In an unusual move, Obama’s campaign will also devote some resources to states it’s unlikely to win, with the goal of influencing specific local contests in places such as Texas and Wyoming.

"Texas is a great example where we might not be able to win the state, but we want to pay a lot of attention to it," Hildebrand said. "It’s one of the most important redistricting opportunities in the country."

For a party that has been incapable of looking past the next election (read: Terry McAuliffe), it's refreshing to have a new team in town which realizes that the presidency isn't the be-all, end-all.

Texas Democrats are five seats away in each chamber from control of the state Legislature, which will redraw congressional districts after the 2010 census.

In Wyoming, Democrat Gary Trauner, running for the state’s sole congressional seat, lost narrowly against an incumbent in 2006 and is now seeking an open seat.

"If we can register more Democrats, if we can increase the Democratic performance and turnout, maybe we can pick up a congressional seat," Hildebrand said.

The plan apparently is to restrict television advertising to the closest states while investing in a ground operation pretty much everywhere else. That's a solid approach. Orange to Blue candidate Gary Trauner in Wyoming won't be helped so much by Obama ads in his state, but by staff working on voter registration and GOTV. And for a candidate who came within 1,000 votes of winning in 2006 and currently leads narrowly in the polls, this increased groundwork will be golden.

This is party building at its finest, and what has been sorely lacking in our party for far too long.