By campaigning in general election states at the expense of the next primary contests, the Obama campaign could be making the same mistake that Clinton's campaign made in February, when she did not go all out in states with imminent contests, such as Wisconsin and Maine, instead choosing to invest time campaigning in states with future primaries - Ohio and Texas. This, of course, led to a shift in momentum as well as a large delegate accumulation by Obama.
Even though Clinton's popular vote argument seems ridiculous to me and many others, it seems to be gaining traction and a degree of legitimacy in the mainstream press. The fact that she has been closing the popular vote gap is due, in part, to Obama's lack of attention to West Virginia and Kentucky. If he had spent more time in those states, her margin of victory would not have been as great and Obama would still have the popular vote lead under every conceivable scenario.
More importantly, the blowout losses were an embarrassment that gave the Clinton campaign justification for staying in the race, and an opening to make their case once again to superdelegates, the public and the media. This may explain a recent shift in the polls that show Clinton doing better than Obama against McCain nationally and in some states.
This is why I feel it is imperative that Senator Obama spend most of his time this week campaigning in Puerto Rico, South Dakota and Montana. I see from thepage.time.com that while he will be visiting New Mexico today, Senator Clinton and her husband will be making FOUR campaign stops in Puerto Rico. (I know that Obama was in Puerto Rico on Saturday, but his number of campaign stops there overall will be far fewer than the number by Senator Clinton and her prolific-campaigner husband.) I think it is a grave error for Obama to cede Puerto Rico to her!
In my view, Obama should fight for every vote and every delegate by campaigning in the remaining primary contests before making trips to other states. After all, if Clinton manages to win big in Puerto Rico and makes a respectable showing in SD and MT, it will add fuel to her popular vote argument, increasing the liklihood that she will stay in the race until the convention.
If that happens, spending precious time visiting general election states this week will certainly be viewed in hindsight as a major mistake. Furthermore, the fact that Obama is acting like the presumptive nominee before he has actually gained enough delegates angers Clinton supporters, making it more difficult to bring them over to our side once the nomination is settled.
Finally, Obama needs to make the case more strongly that, with regard to Michigan and Florida, her attempt to change the rules after the game has begun is outrageous and disingenuous and sets a bad precedent for future Democratic primary contests. I have seen stories, (here and here, for example) that the Clinton campaign is planning on bussing people in to demonstrate outside the hotel where the May 31 meeting of the Rules and Bylaws Committee will be held. I would be happy to travel to DC from my home in New Jersey to support our side, and I'm sure many others would do the same if asked.
By the way, this is my first-ever diary. I've been a lurker for quite some time, but finally worked up the courage to say something publicly.