Obama won’t play by the book: Is his campaign "error-prone" or "unconventional"?

[DeepModem Mom]

The Hill: Obama won’t play by the book
By Sam Youngman
May 30, 2007

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) isn’t playing it by the book.

As other White House hopefuls for the Democratic nomination scramble to attend every major event in key primary states, Obama picks and chooses.

And while Democratic candidates court their liberal base, Obama has not been afraid to offend influential constituents in the Democratic Party.

Some have labeled Obama’s campaign as error-prone; others simply call it unconventional.

Obama will be the only Democratic presidential candidate who doesn’t attend at least one of two major state Democratic functions in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire this Saturday.

While half the candidates will spend time in both places, flying out from the New Hampshire Democratic Convention in the morning to join the rest of the field to help the Iowa Democratic Party raise money it needs to host its caucuses, Obama’s campaign has cited a scheduling conflict.

Scheduling conflicts are a roadblock every candidate must face, but Obama has run into more than a few in the early going, particularly when they involve early-voting states....

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-wont-play-by-the-book-2007-05-30.html

[Donnachaidh]

1. Now this is a new form of spin

Hasn't Clinton and Guiliani been ragged on because they've already stated they may pass on some of these same events?

But Obama *picks and chooses*? He's special because he's *unconventional*?

Wow. He's hired some real spinmeisters for his announcements. The candidate of CHANGE using the same sort of spin as everyone else?

[DeepModem Mom]

2. I actually don't think this article is a favorable one for Obama. nt

[mckeown1128]

3. really...

Who has attacked clinton for the same thing.... please tell. Oh and I would like to see a link.

[NoPasaran]

4. It all depends whether it's successful or not n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

5. I think you hit the nail on the head! nt

[rinsd]

6. Yup. (nt)

[brentspeak]

7. His campaign is "premature"

By several years.

[Ethelk2044]

11. I disagree

He is going where the votes are. He needs to be out meeting people. Getting to know people in the community.

[SoxFan]

8. Obama is on to something

The NH Democratic Convention is a complete and utter waste of the candidates time. The room is filled with insiders, 95% of whom have already picked a candidate; the party chairman is a scandal-plagued character who you don't want next to you in a photograph; and the party staff are all with either Clinton or Dodd, and would probably have scheduled Obama to speak either at 7AM or 4 PM.

I've been to a dozen of these things over the years, and believe me, wherever Obama is on Saturday is a better use of his time.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. Thanks for your NH perspective! nt

[SoxFan]

10. You're quite welcome!

Obama's campaign is doing a lot of the little things right in NH. There's a sense of excitement about his campaign. He's drawing support from a broad spectrum of Democrats, from erstwhile Deaniacs who like his anti-war history, to more centrist Dems like me (I like his work on non-proliferation efforts and his attempts to rein in pork barrel spending). A lot of the people backing Hillary seem to be doing so because they are "supposed to", ie, because the Senate President, the Shaheens, and the like are leaning on them to do so.

[mckeown1128]

12. kick-a-poo