David Plouffe is back in town. And he is "all in" for Alexi Giannoulias.
In between Plouffe's duties as the head of President Barack Obama's political arm, Organizing for America, Plouffe is here on a mission.
To preserve President Obama's old Senate seat for the Democrats. And that means to give support to Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.
And to answer the false rumors that the President Obama is lukewarm about Giannoulias' candidacy.
I am here to tell you that the President is "all in" concerning Alexi Giannoulias. By the way, the expression "all in" is a favorite saying of the President, using this poker, Texas hold 'em analogy. He plays a mean game of poker, as many members of the Illinois state legislature will attest. And the Republican members of Congress have learned during the last eighteen months.
But I digress.
President Obama will be in town August 5th for a series of fundraisers, including one for Alexi Giannoulias. Vice Preisdent Joe Biden will be back here in the fall.
And as I mentioned earlier, David Plouffe is "all in" too for Alexi Giannoulias.
David Plouffe is here to campaign for Alexi Giannoulias, and if the President didn't approve or David Axelrod didn't approve, he simply would not be here.
And here is what he is doing. In a conference call to reporters, Plouffe presented the case in Giannoulias' favor.
``The numbers suggesting Alexi can win this race,’’ said Plouffe. He noted the latest polls showing a dead heat (good news for Giannoulias, who was previously trailing). But he also acknowledged that the mid-term slumps that affect most incumbent presidents, including this one, are very much in play in the Land of Lincoln.
``We’re going to have to close the enthusiasm gap that exists about the country – it exists in Illinois, too,’’ said Plouffe. ``You’ve got Republican enthusiasm at a very high level . . . Democratic enthusiasm is trailing. The question is how much can you grow it.’’
Beyond that, Plouffe's comments were mostly about Kirk's allegiance to former President George W. Bush's policies, some tweaks at the resume'-inflating that Kirk has been getting criticized for lately (``Congressman Kirk has shown himself to be a fan of fiction'') and other familiar talking points.
It is important to tie Mark Kirk to the failed Bush policies and the reluctance of Kirk to denounce them. Kirk voted for the Bush tax cuts that nobody asked for. And Kirk is in support of extending the tax cuts into perpetuity. And why. Because the interest of the small group of wealthy Americans is Mark Kirk's constituency, not the majority of middle America. He is a spokesman for the wealthy and Alexi Giannoulias is an advocate for the middle class.
For the life of me, there is no good reason to support Kirk. He cannot be trusted. Whether it is his military service, nursery school experiences, life-changing events that didn't happen, Mark Kirk cannot be taken at his word.
Writer's note: Alexi Giannoulias needs your help. So I am placing a donation button below. Please help me raise some serious money for our friend, Alexi Giannoulias. The deadline is near to send a message to Mark Kirk. Donate today to my personal fundraising page for Alexi titled, Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots for Alexi Giannoulias. Or if you feel more comfortable, donate today directly to the campaign here, or donate on Act Blue here.
It is important that this seat remain in Democratic hands for many reasons. First, the symbolism of keeping "Obama's old seat" is an important campaign tactic for the Democrats. Republicans will gloat and then think they can snatch the White House too.
They cannot.
With your help, we can win this blue state and keep it away from the Republicans.
And I will tell you from my personal experience. Alexi Giannoulias is a good and decent man. And I promise to write a more detailed diary that will spell out why I feel that Alexi is the best person to serve and represent us in the United States Senate.
Please give and give generously (and often). Thanks so much.
Again, to donate. Click here at Act Blue, Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots for Alexi Giannoulias. Help Alexi fight so he can fight for you.
Chicago City Hall Examiner and The Chicago Grassroots Political Examiner. John is the author of a book published by The Elevator Group Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots: How Barack Obama, two Bookstore Owners, and 300 Volunteers did it. Also available an eBook on Amazon.