There’s been talk of it for weeks. We first shared it with you in August. Barack Obama is not very confident that he can win Ohio next year.
And now there’s more evidence of it from National Journal.
Mr. Obama could lose Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Indiana and still win re-election — though that would mean having to win just about every other state he won last time…
Mr. Messina also said the campaign would focus on holding on to the “New South” states of Virginia and North Carolina that Mr. Obama won last time. It has gone all-out with its plan to have the Democratic convention in Charlotte in September.
Boy, that sure sounds like Obama is confident that he has lot of paths to victory. And that’s exactly what they are trying to project: Confidence.
But who are they kidding? Do they really think Obama could lose Ohio AND Pennsylvania, but still win Virginia and North Carolina?
In 2008, Obama squeaked a win in NC by 14,000 votes. He won OH and PA by 207,000 and 606,000 votes, respectively. Those were decisive victories.
Today, it’s a much different story. His policies have created a swath of destruction across the country. There’s been a lot of change, but there isn’t much hope anymore, especially in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Just last week, PPP Polling found that of all the states that Obama won in 2008, nowhere has he fallen further than in Pennsylvania.
President Obama’s approval rating in Pennsylvania has deteriorated to the point that there is no state he hopes to win next year which sees him worse. 42% approve and 53% disapprove of his job performance in the Keystone State, a nine-point decline from the 46-48 PPP measured less than five months ago. That puts the state and its views on the president in league with tough-to-win states like Missouri and Montana, both of which Obama’s campaign played in in 2008, but neither of which he won, and neither of which he will likely win next year.
Obama is tied with Mitt Romney in PA, and that’s with PPP’s usual suspect sampling in favor of Dems. In 2008, Obama won the independent vote by a huge 19 points, but today is losing it.
So, their strategy is they can lose over 200,000 votes in Ohio, but not lose ANY in NC? If Obama is playing defense in Ohio and Pennsylvania, there’s no way he wins states like Virginia and North Carolina. Obama can’t run on his record, because it is a record of abject incompetence, failure and broken promises. Get ready for his entire campaign strategy to be one of completely tearing down the other side. In fact, they’ve already started it here in Ohio. Sheesh, go away Ted.