Obama's two-pronged strategy to win the election

Can Obama win the necessary share of white voters? Certainly. After all, even Kerry and Dukakis matched or exceeded 40 percent of the white vote. Will Obama win the necessary share of the white vote? That is tougher to say, but two articles on RealClearPolitics by John Ellis and David Paul Kuhn contend that Obama stands beneath the threshold for national victory among white voters and that the outstanding white vote may deliver Romney the presidency…

With Obama all but assured an overwhelming share of the non-white vote, the Obama campaign has two tasks: capitalize on demographic changes by rekindling the enthusiasm of Obama’s young and diverse coalition, and prevent Romney from assembling enough white voters to overcome. Regardless of whether the Obama campaign succeeds, there is no question that the Obama campaign’s tactics are driven by these two imperatives. Indeed, most of the Obama campaign’s early efforts fall into two corresponding categories: depicting Romney as a corporate raider and adopting policies enthusiastically supported by young and Latino voters. Obama wins reelection if Obama can prevent Romney from consolidating the undecided white vote, maintain his current share of the white vote, and capitalize on favorable demographic trends. Chicago knows it.