BROOKFIELD, Wis. (AP) - February 19, 2008
Senior aides to the GOP's likely nominee emerged from a weekend
strategy session with McCain in Arizona acknowledging they have a
mound of work ahead of them as they seek to turn a slimmed-down
primary operation into a general election behemoth. And McCain said
the meeting was just the beginning of discussions over the next few
weeks to lay the groundwork for the fall race.
"We haven't secured the nomination," the Arizona senator
reminded reporters traveling with him this week as he campaigned in
the Midwest. He seemed to punt every question about the weekend
meetings and, in effect, buy time before he has to answer for his
general election strategy.
"We need to see what other candidates went through," McCain
added, suggesting his team is studying the transitions of past
presidential campaigns for guidance.
While few details are known about how McCain's team will
proceed, he and his advisers clearly view the next few weeks as a
critical period. McCain's expected to reach the 1,191 delegates
needed to officially secure the nomination early next month while
Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are likely to
still be fighting for their party's nod.
Political analysts say the change in mind-set and mechanics from
the primary campaign to general election can be daunting for the
candidate as well as the political professionals guiding his
course.
"The tasks expand exponentially and, at the same time, you have
lots of people coming at you who want roles in the campaign," said
Christopher Arterton, dean of The George Washington University's
Graduate School of Political Management. "It's quite a diplomatic
task as well as a management task."
Among the top nuts-and-bolts chores McCain's team has to tackle:
Determine precisely how to use George W. Bush. He's unpopular
with the electorate as a whole but rank-and-file Republicans still
adore him. He's a prolific fundraiser and a skilled campaigner who
could be a powerful surrogate to turn out the base. "I'd be
honored to be anywhere with him under any circumstances," McCain
said repeatedly Monday. But whether that translates into joint
campaign events remains to be seen.
Take over the Republican National Committee, including
management of the national nominating convention in Minneapolis-St.
Paul. By precedent, the party's nominee assumes control of the
national committee. That body typically engages in the bulk of
voter-contact and get-out-the-vote efforts and supplements the
campaign's fundraising and opposition-research. This will be tricky
for McCain, who is viewed skeptically by many RNC establishment
Republicans.
Develop a strategy to reach the 270 electoral votes needed. His
advisers argue that McCain's broad ideological appeal could put
more states in play for the GOP than in previous elections. But
much of the strategy will depend on whether Obama or Clinton wins
the Democratic nomination. "We're not just going to focus on a
certain number of states," McCain says, though the campaign budget
and political landscape certainly will factor into whether that's
ultimately the case.
Energize the fractured GOP behind the candidacy of a man who
has a conservative Senate voting record but also a long reputation
for bucking the party and working with Democrats. That will require
rhetoric and events designed to rev up the GOP base to take on an
energized Democratic Party. "We need to unite our party. We're
going to face a tough competitor," he says daily now. While he's
made progress on this front over the past two weeks, he has much
work to do.
Begin the vice presidential search. "We have not started a
process," McCain said, insisting there was plenty of time to do
so. Candidates typically select one person to develop a short list
of candidates and begin a thorough vetting of prospects for the
ticket. It's unclear whether McCain's team would follow that model
or use a different method.
Formulate a tight message. McCain already has started making
his general election pitch. He casts Obama and Clinton as
big-government, soft-on-security Democrats and argues he alone has
the experience necessary to be a wartime commander in chief and to
reform Washington. "I don't expect the themes to change," McCain
has said, but he needs to crystalize his stump speech into a clear
and concise theme.
Bolster the campaign's fundraising. With the Bush family's
blessings, McCain now can incorporate the Bush dynasty's vast and
deep network of big-time donors into his own loyal money machine.
Some Bush backers already have signed on, including Mercer Reynolds
in Ohio. McCain's team also must find ways to encourage small
contributors in a year when Democrats hopefuls have far out-raised
Republicans.
Among other tasks: create an orderly a surrogate operation to
spread the message, establish outreach to coalitions like
anti-abortion activists and gun-rights proponents, decide how to
handle debates, determine how best to use his Senate platform - and
hire more campaign staff to accomplish these and other goals.
Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
