People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Is Barack Obama pulling his old Hillary Clinton trick in early voting? -- His ground game finished Hillary, now Romney may suffer

Posted on Monday, October 22, 2012 at 08:44 AM

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President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Recent early voting trends in the presidential election make me think Barack Obama is pulling his old Hillary Clinton trick.

Pollsters reports show that in Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Ohio the early voting pattern is very clearly in Obama’s favor because of all the groundwork done.

Sound familiar? Back in 2008 when running against Hillary Clinton, the overwhelming early favorite, Barack Obama invested massive resources in getting out the vote efforts while Clinton was apparently cruising towards victory in meaningless polls.

Sure, Hillary had leads in all the major states but the Obama folks did an incredible job ferreting out victories in obscure caucuses and primaries all over the place in states like Idaho where no one had bothered to contest in the past.

It was enormously frustrating for Hillary supporters when the battle began and Hillary victories in major states were being offset on a regular basis by Obama victories in obscure caucuses.

It was an amazing job by the Obama people and I get the sense they are doing it again this election.

Romney was so preoccupied with a lengthy and consuming primary fight that he did not have the resources or time to set up early voting scenarios in many of the closest run states.

Obama’s folks, on the other hand, with no primary opponents, were able to focus on the long game and put the early voting strategy in place.

That is why pollsters are reporting early gains for Obama in key states with early voters.
In a razor thin election like this it could make the difference.

Ask Hillary Clinton.

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4 comments

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eiriamach | Nov 07, 2012, 07:46 AM EST

How does *Hilary* Rodham Clinton spell her name--one "L" or two in "Hilary"? The Dems had an onerous task to get out the vote in the wake of all the vote-suppression measures that Republican administrations put in place. Republicans did their very best to give Romney/Ryan an unfair advantage by curtailing early voting opportunities in Florida and elsewhere. People are not likely to forget Republican efforts to keep them from voting in this crucial election.

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seanomelb | Nov 06, 2012, 05:47 PM EST

Volunteers are been castigate by Jetsnoone for performing a civil duty for the elderly and the infirmed.

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jetsnoone | Oct 22, 2012, 05:50 PM EDT

Oh, I used to see it in new jersey, paid demcocrat operatives would drive the old folks to the polls....yes, good that they get to vote, but can you imagine if some old person said they voted Republican --- they'd be thrown from the van on the ride home....Also may Dems vote both in New York and Florida too, snowbirds that have two addresses....Democrats don't respect the US Constitution at all, see Barry O...

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jerrydonovan | Oct 22, 2012, 11:10 AM EDT

On the first day of early voting in Ohio I went to cast my vote .There were lines out the door waiting to vote.A few days later I took my grandson over to vote,again lines out the door.On the last day of voter registration I was at the board of elections. They said that they had registered over 400 new voters whom they said also voted at the same time. By their estimates it was running about 9-1 in Obama's favor.If what the pollsters say is correct and it all comes down to a turn out the vote issue ,then I believe that Obama wins Ohio.

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