Obama Draws McCain Contrast, Sees No Poll BounceAxelrod Says Jonathan D. Salant
Aug. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Barack Obama successfully used his convention speech to lay out the stakes for the November election and draw a contrast with Republican John McCain, though he may receive little or no bounce in the polls, the Democratic nominee's chief strategist said.
ADVERTISEMENT
``He believes that we are in a tipping point really in this country both in terms of our policies here, economic policies, and in foreign policy,'' strategist David Axelrod said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's ``Political Capital with Al Hunt'' to be broadcast today. ``I think he made that case.''
Because the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, begins just four days after the conclusion of the Democratic gathering last night, Obama isn't expected to get a bounce in the polls, Axelrod said.
``I wasn't looking for a huge bounce,'' Axelrod said. ``I don't think there's a lot of play in this electorate.''
Axelrod said that Obama's criticism of McCain, 72, was stronger than in past speeches, and defended the harsher language. In his 45-minute speech last night in Denver, Obama criticized McCain's judgment on the war in Iraq, the economy and his support of President George W. Bush.
``The American people are willing to tolerate fair contrasts,'' Axelrod said. ``If they feel you are being fair, they don't mind you being tough.''
Loyal Bush Supporter
Axelrod said Obama, an Illinois senator, successfully portrayed McCain as a loyal supporter of Bush rather than the maverick he campaigned as when he first sought the White House eight years ago.
``He's been living off the fumes of 2000,'' Axelrod said. ``St. Paul underwent a conversion on the road to Damascus and John McCain underwent a conversion on the road to St. Paul.''
The Republican argument has been that Obama, 47, does not have the experience to serve as president. Axelrod noted that the Republicans ran a similar campaign against Bill Clinton in 1992.
Axelrod said the former president would be campaigning for Obama, though he wouldn't say whether they would campaign together. Obama is targeting 18 states, including several that traditionally have been inhospitable to Democratic presidential candidates and ``we welcome having high-level surrogates so we can fan out across the country,'' Axelrod said.
Also accomplished, Axelrod said, was unifying the Democratic Party, which had been split during the long campaign between Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton. He praised the speeches by the two Clintons.
``I was thrilled with what both Clintons did at our convention,'' Axelrod said. ``The big question going in was, `Are we going to be united?' I don't think anybody is asking that question now.''
Obama wrote the first draft of his convention speech, and it was twice as long as the address he wound up delivering, Axelrod said. Axelrod and other advisers helped whittle it down, and the material that didn't make into Thursday's speech will find its way into other campaign addresses, he said.
``We certainly have some material to use going forward,'' Axelrod said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan D. Salant in Denver at jsalant@bloomberg.net .
