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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: Obama’s team shows shades of Rove (Winning by bringing out the Democratic base) Ann Arbor, Mich. – There are probably very few Democrats who would ever admit to being fans of Karl Rove, the political strategist who successfully led George W. Bush through two presidential elections. But Sen. Barack Obama’s team seems to have studied the campaign efforts of Mr. Bush’s former adviser and is putting the lessons learned to work. For proof, simply take a look at the corner of Liberty and First Streets here in Ann Arbor. There sits an Obama “Campaign for Change” office in all its Rove-ian glory. What does an office in this extremely left-leaning college town – as well as those in other “Campus and Careers” communities – have to do with the well-known Bush aide? Plenty. In 2000 and particularly 2004, Bush won the White House by bringing out the Republican base – driving up votes from reliably Republican areas. Going into the 2008 race, most thought “the base” strategy was over. Bush’s low approval numbers meant that the Republican nominee, whoever he was, would have to run more to the center to pick up moderate voters who had turned against the president. But on the other side of the ideological street, the Democrats are not in such a bind, and the Obama campaign knows it. Thus, even as the Illinois senator plays to the middle (and the middle class) in speeches and proposals, he is devoting more effort to bringing out his base. And if this town is any kind of example, it’s working. If there ever was a place that Senator Obama didn’t have to worry about, it’s Ann Arbor. College towns (most centered in “Campus and Careers” counties) are reliable turf for him, and that’s certainly true for this well-known liberal bastion. In 2000 and 2004, neither Vice President Al Gore nor Sen. John Kerry bothered opening a shop here. The Washtenaw County Democratic Party is well organized. But the fact that Team Obama has its own office here is a sign of two things. One, his campaign is flush with cash. And two, he wants to drive up the vote in these places big time. Ann Arbor Democrats currently estimate, according to the city’s mayor, John Hieftje, that 97 percent of eligible voters are registered in the city and 95 percent in the county – at least in the Democratic strongholds the party has been canvassing. “On a recent Saturday morning, we had canvassing time set up, and more than 200 people showed up to pick up clipboards and knock on doors,” Mayor Hieftje, himself a Democrat, says. “Our challenge has been finding enough places to send all the volunteers we’ve had. We’ve gone west and east, as far as the Detroit suburbs.” One odd thing in Ann Arbor is the relatively low amount of Obama signage. At first look, the campus does not seem overrun with Obamamania. But Andrew Grossman, editor of the student-run Michigan Daily, says that is partly because “it’s just so obvious how the campus is leaning.” Up until Oct. 6 – the deadline for registering to vote in Michigan – “you really couldn’t walk four feet without someone asking if you were registered,” Mr. Grossman says. “They were everywhere.” In 2004, Senator Kerry won Washtenaw County 63 percent to 35 percent. But Grossman and many others here think Obama’s registration/turnout machine will boost the Democratic margin. Obama’s collegiate base strategy is well represented in Michigan. His campaign has opened offices in East Lansing (home of Michigan State U.), in Mount Pleasant (home of Central Michigan U.), in Ypsilanti (home of Eastern Michigan U.), and in Kalamazoo (home of Western Michigan U.). Obama even opened up offices in the distant Upper Peninsula in Marquette (home of Northern Michigan U.) and in Houghton (home of Michigan Tech.). On the GOP side of things, supporters for Sen. John McCain have been dispirited by his campaign’s decision to pull out of Michigan earlier this month. Senator McCain’s departure from Michigan sent a signal to the college Republicans here, says Jane Coaston, executive editor of the conservative Michigan Review. “They see the writing on the wall,” she says. But the group was never hugely behind McCain, Ms. Coaston acknowledges. “A lot of them say they want a real Republican,” she says. Whom they mean – from Rep. Ron Paul to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney – depends on who is talking, of course. But with the election less than three weeks away, the down mood means that Obama’s base strategy is likely to pay big dividends in Michigan. And if the organization here is a sign of what’s happening in other “Campus and Careers” locales, it may be enough to have a significant effect in other battleground states as well.
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