Opinion: Hillary Clinton’s campaign talking points for tonight
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If you talk to a Hillary Clinton supporter tonight, ask him or her about Georgia -- and see how close the answer follows the topics outlined below. This is a release sent out a short time ago to the media. We suspect it was a mistake; this is the kind of e-mail the campaigns usually prepare in advance and then send out as needed to surrogates -- supporters likely to talk with others, especially the media. Other e-mails for Tennessee and Oklahoma are pasted below the jump. You get the idea. The campaign didn’t respond to e-mails seeking clarification of whether they were just trying to be ironic. If they do respond, we’ll update.*
The subject line was ‘Surrogate Alert: SUPER TUESDAY TALKING POINTS.’
TALKING POINTS February 5, 2008 SUPER TUESDAY TALKING POINTS SUPER TUESDAY We’re excited by what we’re seeing.We have 21 states that are still outstanding where we expect to pick up a significant number of new delegates.To be sure, both campaigns have a long night ahead of them -– but we feel very good about the numbers that we’re seeing. It’s very important that people in the states where the polls are still open get out and vote. GEORGIA Unlike the Obama campaign, the Clinton campaign never dedicated significant resources to Georgia.Sen. Obama spent over $500,000 dollars on ads on television and radio; we never went up on TVThe Obama campaign has 9 offices in Georgia. The Clinton campaign only has 2.Sen. Obama has had staff and significant campaign operation across the state for 8 months. Sen. Clinton only deployed staff to the state in the last couple of weeks.Polls have consistently showed Sen. Obama with wide lead over Sen Clinton. That lead has only widened over time.
So now you can follow along at home and see who sticks to the script. ... and the talking points for Tennessee and Oklahoma are after the jump....
-- Scott Martelle
* Intro has been updated from earlier posting.
OKLAHOMA / TENNESSEEWe’re very excited by our strong victories in Oklahoma and Tennessee.These are the first two states where both candidates competed fiercely.For months, the Obama campaign has been spinning that they have a monopoly on red states; tonight we showed that they don’t.With these first two victories, Hillary Clinton has demonstrated that she can compete and win in red states. SUPER TUESDAY GENERAL We’re excited by what we’re seeing.We have 17 states that are still outstanding where we expect to pick up a significant number of new delegates.To be sure, both campaigns have a long night ahead of them – but we feel very good that we won the first truly competitive contests and the remaining numbers that we’re seeing.It’s very important that people in the states where the polls are still open get out and vote.