Obama Camp To Hit McCain Hard In Ohio On Job-Killing Deal
The Obama campaign signaled today that they'll be making a major issue of job losses in the big swing state of Ohio -- and aggressively tying John McCain and his campaign manager Rick Davis directly to the problems hurting voters there.
Earlier today the Obama campaign released a radio ad to run in the Cincinnati area, regarding the closure of a DHL facility in Wilmington. "It was McCain who used his influence in the Senate to help foreign-owned DHL buy a U.S. company and gain control over the jobs that are now on the chopping block in Ohio," the ad said.
The issue at hand involves Davis' work back in 2003, when he successfully lobbied Congress -- winning McCain's support -- to approve a buyout of Airborne Express by DHL. Five years later, DHL is planning to shut down the old Airborne Express hub in Wilmington, which would lead to the loss of 8,000 jobs.
On a conference call with reporters earlier today, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe made it clear that he thinks this issue will be haunting McCain's efforts to win this state: "His appearances in Ohio were completely overshadowed by this. And by November 4 in the Cincinnati and Dayton markets this is something that is going to be known by every voter in this area."
Plouffe also sees an opening to chip away at John McCain's clean image. "He was there a month ago in this community and was asked a question about this DHL issue and did not say one word about his role in this or the role of his campaign manager," Plouffe said. "That is the furthest thing from straight talk that we can imagine."
The McCain campaign has been trying to portray Obama as "grand" and out of touch with working folks because he's a "celebrity." The Obama campaign has its response: McCain's own campaign manager profited directly off lobbying that led to a job-killing deal in your state. Which will carry the day?
