Jim Messina, the campaign manager for the Obama-Biden re-election campaign, came to the Ohio delegation breakfast Wednesday morning telling delegates that they know they will be outspent in Ohio, but that the Obama campaign will turn out the voters.
"We need to make the 2008 from-the-ground-up election look like Jurassic Park,'' Messina told the delegates and guests gathered for the daily delegation breakfast at the Oasis Shriners Lodge.
"We have our 104th field office opened now,'' Messina said. He was referring to the opening of another Obama-Biden campaign office in Colerain Township today.
While the Romney-Ryan campaign may have the money edge when it comes to buying TV commercials, Messina said, one-to-one contacts with voters will be the key in Ohio, a key battleground state, will be most important in what is expected to be a close contest.
"At some point this fall, people are going to pick up their TVs and throw them out their windows as far as they can throw them,'' Messina said, drawing a laugh from the Democrats. "That is going to be the point when they look to their neighbors, to the the neighborhood (Obama-Biden) team leaders for guidance. That's where you come in."
Everyone in the room, Messina said, is an influential Democrat in his or her city or county in Ohio, and can make an enormous impact by one-on-one contact, especially with undecided voters.
After his speech, Messina told reporters that the Obama-Biden campaign "will absolutely have the best ground game in Ohio ever. They do have an advantage in money, but we can overcome that with organization."
