Why is Biden Going to Tacoma ?
Some late night musings as I procrastinate.....
And for the record, I have convinced myself that, after November 4, I will procrastinate about 90 percent less than I currently do.......
Why is Biden Going to Tacoma ?
I just noticed that the Obama campaign has scheduled a rally with Joe Biden in Tacoma, Washington on Sunday, October 19.
A look at all the "Other Events" listed indicates that Barack, Michelle, Joe, Jill, and Hillary are making appearances in several swing states over the next few days, but Tacoma, Washington sticks out, at the bottom of the current list, as a stop in a "non-swing" state.
A glance over at fivethirtyeight.com shows that recent polls have Obama leading McCain in Washington state by 10 and 16 points, respectively. The website projects that Obama is 100 percent likely to win the state.
I'm sure Tacoma is a lovely place this time of year, but time is finite - why is Biden going to Washington state when he could go to a more "purple" state like Montana, North Dakota, etc.?
If the campaign is going to send Biden - or Obama, or any of the major surrogates - to states that aren't going to be competitive at the end of the day, I guess I'd prefer that they be "red" states like Idaho, or Oklahoma, or Alabama, both as a thank you to the volunteers and staff in those states who have been working hard but probably to little avail, electorally speaking, and also to let all residents there know that they're going to be part of the change an Obama-Biden administration will represent, even if they don't contribute to the margin of victory on November 4.
Maybe they're thinking that a visit to Washington state could help tip the balance of a close race between Gregoire and Rossi (and it looks as though Gregoire will be at the event in Tacoma). I think there's wisdom in that, but this would then be an indication that the Obama-Biden camp is pretty confident that they have enough disposable time that they don't have to focus just on the presidential race, and that's telling.
A check of the wikipedia page on U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Tacoma) shows that Smith endorsed Obama for president as early as April 2007, when it was far from clear that Obama would wind up as the Democratic nominee. So maybe a Biden visit is, in part, a "thank you" to Smith for the early support. All indications are that Smith should win re-election handily over challenger James Postma, so it's not as though Smith's campaign needs a boost.
Any ideas?
Maybe there's a big fund-raiser that evening in Seattle that I'm not aware of, which Biden needs to attend. Or maybe there's a trip that day or the following day to the 8th congressional district to support Darcy Burner!
(Oops...I just Googled "Biden Tacoma" and found a note at seattlepi.com indicating that Biden has two big fund-raisers in Seattle. The first is a $1,000-a-head reception at the Seattle Sheraton, which will apparently feature Dave Matthews, and the second is $10,000-a-head dinner.
Joe - We love ya, champ! Congrats on raking in all the big bucks, but when you're done, go see what you can do for Darcy! We need her in Congress!