Senate Democrats face difficult political background to retain Senate; defending 23 seats vs. Republicans 10.
By Bernie Becker - The Hill
President Obamas campaign manager huddled with Democratic senators Thursday to brief them on the campaigns grassroots strategy according to lawmakers in attendance. Speaking to reporters afterward Obama campaign manager Jim
Messina said he walked lawmakers through the campaigns ground game and did not spend much time on other hot-button issues like the private equity experience of presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
Democratic senators gave few details about the meeting but said it was a wide-ranging talk that covered how the campaign stood in a variety of states. A number of Democrats have criticized the Obama campaigns recent attacks on Romneys business background while Republicans have cast them as attacks on capitalism.
The subject is sensitive with some Democrats because they could be viewed as critiques of private equity a source of campaign contributions for both Obama and congressional Democrats. Obama has said his criticism is that Romney has learned the wrong lessons from his background and his ads are not an attack on the private equity sector.
Tensions also exist between congressional Democrats and Obama over the degree to which Obama will raise funds for Democrats. Obama has only signed on to do one fundraising event for each of the House and Senate Democrats campaign committees. In some swing states Obama and congressional Democrats are sharing resources.
Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) said Messina outlined how the Obama campaign could help Senate Democrats this fall but declined to discuss the specifics of what the campaign manager said. Senate Democrats face a difficult political background to retain the Senate; they are defending 23 seats and Republicans are defending only 10.
Of course" Begich said when asked if the topic of campaign assistance came up. But do you think I can say that?"
Messina said the Democratic lawmakers understood that the Obama campaign was facing free-spending outside groups as the president sought a second term and suggested that the Obama teams success would trickle down to the congressional level.
They understand that were building the best grassroots campaign in modern American political history and thatll help all Democrats up and down the ticket" Messina said.
The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee has so far been able to outraise the Romney team and the Republican National Committee. But Democratic-aligned super-PACs have been outmatched by their GOP counterparts so far and Obama this year started encouraging his allies to help outside groups supporting him.
We have to battle that" Messina said after the Senate Democratic lunch. Weve got several super-PACs currently spending unprecedented amounts of money against us. And thats the situation."
It is always interesting to listen to folks who have to analyze the electorate and be prepared for a campaign" said Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) whos running for reelection this year. It was really just a report on where he sees things right now.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) who also goes before voters this year said the topic of Romneys tenure at Bain Capital was not discussed much. It was a positive report on the campaign and whats going on" Klobuchar said. It was more about different states and what they were doing on the ground."
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said there were mutual expressions of support during the meeting. There was a declaration of brotherhood there" Lautenberg said. You know what happens here happens there."
Begich said the lunch discussion delved into the campaigns message including how to lay out efforts from the Obama administration and
Congress to buck up the auto and housing industry.
You look at all the data and thats clearly what its saying. And I think that is the message. We have moved the economy from where it was three-and-a-half years ago which was miserable to a better shape while we stillve got a road to go here."
Casey also said the plan did seem to be for the Obama re-election team to invest heavily in a grassroots campaign with those efforts than trickling down to help downballot candidates in individual states.
I think itll impact different states in different ways" he said. But they seem to have invested a lot. And that should be good for everybody."
Ben Geman and Jeremy Herb contributed to this story.
