In the final days of the campaign, progress is rarely made based upon some last minute pitch or new policy stance. At this point, votes are won or lost based upon the ground game.
What counts now are the efforts of thousands of volunteers and campaign staff members to capitalize on all the work done so far, and get out the vote.
As Barack Obama has emerged as a candidate in February 2007 that many of his opponents in both parties saw as too young and inexperienced, it does seem to me that he has excelled in a way that his opponents overlooked. His experience as a community organizer has been reflected in the way he has run his campaign, in his success in the primaries and the general election, and hopefully in the way he will run the country.
He has won the ground game over and over again.
And now its time for one more repeat performance.
As I watch the steady influx of polling data showing Obama ahead in key swing states, I am impressed with the way this candidate has run a smart campaign.
The other side has had lots of unforced errors, and the Obama campaign has been sure and steady.
In these final days, I also just wanted to say a word of thanks to the thousands of volunteers who over the past months have made this happen. The news is full of talk of possible victories in places like Virginia, and perhaps North Carolina and Indiana. Blue states have stayed blue, and red states are changing.
I have contributed to the campaign, and volunteered some time. But I have met so many people who have devoted many more hours, have traveled great distances, and have made this campaign part of their lives.
We all owe a great debt of thanks to those of you who have done so much.
I know its not over yet, and that these coming days are crucial.
But I also want to make explicit what perhaps too often goes unstated.
All of us owe thanks to those of you who are making the ground game work. This is the kind of effort that makes democracy work.
Hang in there. The finish line is just around the corner.