Subject: fyi: summary of daschle meeting today
From: "Dan Weiss" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], "Carol Browner" <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:49:59 -0400

Highlights of the meeting

 Steve Hildebrand was the presenter

Said that Obama is up by a small amount in MI OH PA CO VA, down by 2ish in
MO

 There was lots of angst and hand wringing, as you can imagine. Carol said
it was a "cranky" crowd.  Very white male audience.
Main concerns (with source if I can ID them):

 * Kerry: need to characterize McCain as risky or some other unacceptable
trait that is hammered over and over again; need a coherent
frame/narrative/message.

* Kerry also reminded folks that he was 11% down post GOP convention.

* Tim Roemer suggested that Obama needs to get back to emotional connection
with working class that he had during IN primary campaign

* Obama seemed ill prepared for Rick Warren interview, and was off message
with Stephanopoulos appearance.

* Obama should not be suckered into triangulate w/Dems as George S was able
to get him to do

* a general sense that he has not been well prepared or energized for media
and public appearances.  Someone said "he sounds like a constitutional
scholar."

* Howard Gutman made an appeal to raise money for DNC and other funds but
was scoffed at because of hard feelings due to the ban on lobbyist money,
which would still apply to these funds.

 Some specific campaign suggestions:

 Obama should go after McCain for his opposition to Clinton accomplishments
(eg: 1993 budget deal)

   -  ignore Palin, focus on McCain
   - Wendy Sherman suggested that Obama do some campaign stops surrounded by
   women senators + speaker.  She told me after that they are ready to do
   this, but the campaign hasn't responded to their offer.

   - Do at least one farm and one gun event.  The latter would help with
   union households.
   - Support leniency for Jonathan Pollard to increase Jewish support.  (I
   think this idea is meshuggah…)

Some of the Big Wigs in attendance:

Harold Ickes

Jim Johnson

Robert Barnett

Mike Berman

Carol Browner

Wendy Sherman

Steve Richetti

Steve Elmendorf

Sen. Kerry

Sen. Daschle

Richard Holbrooke

Don Riegle

Jim Blanchard

Bruce Reed