Obama campaign on the Ohio battlefield

The Barack Obama campaign is focusing in on "battle ground" states and making sure what happened to John Kerry's presidential bid in Ohio in 2004. "Ohio has the third most electoral votes of all the battleground states," said Steve Hildebrand a deputy campaign manager for Obama during a call with the media. Hildebrand and Ohio campaign director Aaron Pickerell discussed the base that had been laid by the successful bids of Democrats Sen. Sherrod Brown and Governor Ted Strickland in 2006.

Pickrell said that the campaign is spending more time in traditionally Republican districts, following the strategy of Brown and Strickland to target the whole state instead of urban and suburban areas. Much like the Obama campaign organized in Iowa the Ohio strategy involves 1200 neighborhoods organized by resident neighborhood team leaders. Pickrell said that this campaign can build on the foundation of increased Democratic voting rates built by Strickland and Brown.

Strickland said that the manpower Obama has placed in the field will make a major difference. He also said that he is impressed at the efforts to court Clinton supporters and that he, along with Hillry and Bill Clinton, will do "anything and everything" he;s asked to do to support the Obama campaign.

Strickland said that Obama won't win every region of the state, but he won't repeat "the Kerry mistake." Strickland said that he thinks that these effors in Ohio will increase the percentage of Democratic votes in some counties by 10 to 12 percent. Strickland will be a speaker at the upcoming Democratic National Convention; he said his speech will focus on the economy.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announces themes for the DNC

"We have plans not only to include voices from across America, but also people from across America who have never had a chance to participate before", said Kansas Governor, and Democratic Vice Presidential hopeful, Kathleen Sebelius at a conference call discussing the nightly themes for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. She went on to say, "We felt that the Democratic Convention was a great way to kick off the momentum for change."

Sebelius said that the overall theme for the convention will be "America's Townhall", and that each night would have a theme of its own marked with a keynote speaker. Monday's theme will be "America at a Crossroads", with the speaker being Sen. Barack Obama's wife Michelle. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is scheduled to speak on Tuesday night when the theme will be "Renewing America's Promise", which will deal with economic issues and access to health care. On Wednesday, Sebelius said the theme will center around the contributions of veterans, as well as those currently serving in the US military, with the speaker being Obama's Vice Presidential running mate, who will be selected before the convention. Sebelius also stated that the theme for Wednesday does not necessarily imply that Obama's Vice President will have a substantial background in veterans' affairs, though the selection will definitely be knowledgeable in the area.

When asked if she had been vetted by the Obama campaign for the Vice Presidential slot, Sebelius responded by saying, "I have made it clear since I enthusiastically endorsed Senator Obama that I would be enthusiastic about doing anything I can to help him be elected to the president of the United States [...]". She added that all information about Obama's selection for Vice President would have to be answered by his campaign.

Anita Dunn, Senior Campaign Advisor for Sen. Obama, responded to a question as to whether Elizabth Edwards, the wife of former Sen. John Edwards would be speaking in light of recent news regarding his extramarital affair by saying neither will be attending the convention.

Tire pumps & gas receipts: Republicans use their imaginations

"Pelosi challenged Republicans to use their imaginations. And they are," Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) said at a news conference held by House Republicans to discuss their party's ongoing floor speeches. He and others continued their call for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to call an emergency session of Congress to address America's high energy costs. Sessions went on to pull out a large tire pump, stating that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama (D-Ill.) suggested using the mechanism as a solution for America's energy problems. Sessions referred to a recent statement from Sen. Obama in which he stated that properly inflated tires and regular vehicle maintenance are important for maximizing fuel economy.

"This isn't a red problem. This isn't a blue problem. This is a red, white and blue problem," said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), after showing a photograph of a Texas woman carrying a small bag filled with gas station receipts. From his pocket, he then pulled a handful of receipts he gathered from members of his district, and vowed to send each to Speaker Pelosi's office.

Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said that when asking American citizens, who joined him on the House floor this afternoon, who they felt was OPEC's best friend at the moment, the crowd pointed to Pelosi's chair at the head of the room.

Blunt (R-Mo.) returns to Washington to join GOP protest

The protesting House Republicans held another press conference calling for an immediate vote on their American Energy Act, despite Congress being out for a five-week vacation. House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) returned from Missouri to participate in the protest. Blunt said it takes only five minutes for a representative in their home state to realize that the most important and urgent issue is the economy.

The Congressmen at the news conference posed with tire pressure gauges to mock Senator Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) new push for Americans to properly inflate their tires for better gas mileage. In contrast to that plan, Congressman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) said the Republicans' American Energy Act is a comprehensive bill that would not just drill for oil, but also reward people for conservation, fund renewable energy, and maintain traditional energy.

Congressman Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) said his office created a new e-mail address to handle the massive influx of complaints from citizens all around the country, PainAtthePump@mail.house.gov. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said that Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) attempt to "shut us up" the House Republicans has only energized them to continue their protest. Blunt said that although he is not sure there will be a vote soon, there will be one in November. He anticipates the gas crisis turning into a complete energy crisis in the next 90 days once the winter heating bills arrive at American houses. Garrett said that since Pelosi is unwilling to step up and lead on the energy issue, the Republicans are.

McCain has chosen his running mate: Exxon Mobil, says Gov. O'Malley

Gov. Martin O'Malley kicked off his new campaign at press conference in the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters. His campaign, called "Exxon-McCain '08," mockingly refers to big oil companies as Senator John McCain's (R-Az.) running mate in the 2008 presidential election, and O'Malley plans to take the campaign through cities across America.

"All of this is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek way of underscoring a very, very serious problem that is facing all of us as Americans," O'Malley said.

At the front of the room sat an oversized check made out to McCain. The amount of money on the check, $2 million, symbolized how much money McCain has received from oil companies during the election season. According to a DNC document from the conference, McCain has received almost $55,000 in contributions from Exxon employees and Exxon's political action committee.

Outside of the DNC headquarters, two members of the Republican National Committee held up their own mock-check made out to Barack Obama for $2.8 billion, which is an attack on Obama's 2005 vote on an energy bill that gave tax breaks to oil companies.

O'Malley said Barack Obama is going to use oil company funds to give people emergency energy rebates at $1000 per family and $500 per individual. McCain cannot do this because of his interest in oil companies, O'Malley said.

When the floor opened up for questions, one man asked O'Malley if the Democratic Party has received any money from oil companies. Brad Woodhouse, Communications Director for the DNC, said he did not know the answer, but would get back to the man about it.