That was one of the main goals of Howard Dean when he started the 50 State plan. He said by working as Democrats in every state we would force the GOP to defend and spend their money on races they always considered safe. He said his plan would take years to really take hold.
Others are starting to see that by forcing the other party to drain its resources, you are at the same time building up your own.
I saw this statement today and said to myself "oh yeah she gets it."
Added Democratic pollster Celinda Lake: "I think the 50 state strategy put in play a lot of western states that are extremely good for Obama, because they are change oriented and increasingly Democratic. Though no one noticed it, the west is purple."
Obama's task, however, is not just to flip states into his column, but rather to make enough areas competitive so that McCain and the Republican Party are forced to drain their resources. In this regard, Dean's vision may prove more successful.
Draining the GOP resources.This was a very important article at US News and World Report in October 2006. I posted it in my journal, but journals are down today....so luckily I found the article.
It is called a New Map Out West.
The GOP has ruled the Rockies, but demographics give Democrats new hopeOverall, service and professional jobs are multiplying throughout the West as farming and mining employment, economic staples for years, have declined. Demand is growing for public services such as mass transit, healthcare, and schools, making the Democrats' pro-government image more appealing and the GOP calls for lower taxes and less government more problematic. Increasingly pragmatic voters also appear less interested in the "values issues" that have tended to help Republicans, such as same-sex marriage, abortion, and gun control.
Add it all up, and Democrats hope a new day is dawning. "We intend to contest Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada as a unit next time in the presidential because we think we can win there," Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean told U.S. News. Dean's theory is that, with a combined total of 29 electoral votes, those four states would make it unnecessary for the Democrats to win Florida, with 27 electoral votes, which they have lost in the last two down-to-the-wire presidential elections. "Bill Clinton won every single one of those states at one time or another," Dean added.
Big brother.
Dean said the key to the Democratic resurgence lies in what he sees as the rightward, interventionist shift of the national GOP. "The Republican Party has become the big-brother party, and this is a very libertarian part of the country. ... (Westerners) don't believe it's the government's place to tell them what to do with their personal lives, and this is a government that specializes in telling people what to do in their personal lives."
By working in all the states, the strategy has been to build our party. But as a side effect, it is meant to hurt the Republicans who had so many states all to themselves for years.
Even on some close races ultimately lost by the Democrat, the GOP had to spend vast sums of money on seats they haven't had to defend in years.
Here is one example I found. They dumped over 200,000 into Idaho to prevent a rout by Democrats.
From 2006:
GOP dumping at least 200 thousand in IdahoWith several polls showing Grant nipping at Sali's heels, the NRCC has dumped almost $200k into this state in order to prevent a Democratic rout in Idaho, according to the latest FEC filings. And they're not done yet: the Club For Growth has scurried back into the fray, pumping in an emergency transfusion of $180k for oppositional TV ads against Grant earlier today. And knowing the Club For Growth, they're going to be leaving their kid gloves at home. Grant is within striking distance of costing them a crucial ally in the House, and they're not happy about it.
I think the Democrat in this race eventually lost, but the Republicans knew the Democrats had been there. And they had to open their wallets for a very "safe" state.. which is not safe any longer.
When Democratic Chairman Howard Dean sent Idaho Democrats the money to double the size of the state party’s tiny staff, it seemed a vainglorious gesture. Silly. Stupid, even. Few states are as Republican Red as Idaho.
Dean’s critics, and there are many here, call his “50-state strategy” to direct a chunk of the party’s treasury to states that don’t routinely elect Democrats a colossal waste of resources.
States like this may not be in the win column for Democrats yet, but Dean's goal of making Republicans spend their money is working.
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