Edwards slow in shaping California campaign

[Colobo]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070518/ap_on_el_pr/on_the2008_trail_53

[Colobo]

1. Nobody has a take on this?

[NCarolinawoman]

2. My take would be that it's very early.

There's time. I worry that all the candidates are becoming exhausted.

There will be no let-up and whoever becomes President will be so tarnished and tired they will not know whether they are coming or going...... let alone, how to run the country.

[sandnsea]

3. Post some snips

Otherwise it's just Katzenkavalier smearing Obama opponents again.

[Colobo]

5. Two things

1) Do you have any examples of me smearing Obama opponents? 99% of what I post are news about Obama, not about anyone else.

2) Some snips:

LOS ANGELES - John Edwards says California will play "a huge role" in determining the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee, yet he's running a shoestring campaign here compared with his top rivals.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has appointed a campaign manager, political director and field organizer in the nation's largest state, and she has a Los Angeles office devoted to fundraising.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) is leasing an office for a four-person fundraising team in Los Angeles, and he's hired a national consulting firm from Pasadena.

Even New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who will officially announce his candidacy in Los Angeles on Monday, has a small paid staff in the state.

By contrast, Edwards, the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential candidate, has no campaign office or paid political staff in the state, though two fundraising firms are on his payroll.

It's still relatively early in the race, but for Edwards the situation suggests a tricky political calculus: win or at least make strong showings in earlier primary and caucus states — notably Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — then use that momentum to create a surge of donations to mount an airwaves campaign in California.

The first presidential caucus state is Iowa, and Edwards has a robust campaign in the state. He finished second there when he was a presidential candidate in 2004 and leads in polls this year.

However, Democratic consultant Bill Carrick, who's worked on presidential campaigns for Bill Clinton, Dick Gephardt and Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), said if Edwards stumbles in Iowa "he won't have a California campaign."

Carrick said that even while concentrating on the earlier states Edwards must establish a campaign in California if he is to take advantage of early momentum.

Carrick recalled that in 1988 Gephardt, the former Missouri senator, won Iowa and finished second in the New Hampshire primary, but he didn't have the organization in other states to be competitive and fell out of the race.

[sandnsea]

6. Thanks for the snips

What is your take on Edwards' California campaign - since you're the one that posted it.

[Colobo]

8. I think it's kinda risky

He's my second choice, so I'm also monitoring his progress. I would say the move is kinda risky given his position right now. I would like him to have a more "safety-first" approach (similar to what Obama is doing), but maybe this will payoff big time...

I'm kinda puzzled, to be honest...

[sandnsea]

10. Here's a strategy

Can he win without it? If he doesn't think he can do well there, maybe he's better off just not even trying. Let's see, he could start some buzz that California is going to be "bought" and consequently won't represent the people, California Dem voters don't represent the heartland who always cost us the General, all kinds of things to explain why he isn't going to a) run there, b) do well there. Concede it up front, kind of like Hillary thought about doing with Iowa. Why spend money there if you know you can't even place? Maybe that's his thinking.

See? Wasn't that better than just posting a link that made it look like you were taking any advantage to post something negative?

[Cameron27]

4. I don't have a take on it.

He's counting on wins in Iowa, NH and SC for momentum, but what's going on with the super-duper, Tuesday? I don't have a clue at this point.

[Adelante]

7. He's been fundraising there

I hadn't thought about his organizing. He seems to be putting most of his effort into Iowa right now. But there's a ton of time to go, so I don't think too much of it.

[FrenchieCat]

9. He may remember the '04 situation when it was the momentum that

made the difference.

However, this next election won't be quite the same, but it is very early still....and so I do believe that there is a lot of time.