How will Obama leaving the campaign trail for several days affect the election?

NOTHING is more important than getting elected at this stage of the campaign. His grandmother is either going to die and then there is nothing to do about it anyway, or she is going to live and he can see her after the election. It's just too risky to do this at this time...not only could it cost him, but it could minutely impact down tickets as well. The only time I could possibly see curtailing campaigning at this stage is maybe for the death of a spouse or child and even then, I'd have to think about it. When you at this level...it has to consume you!!! Nothing else in the world should matter other than winning the campaign! I know I am going to get a lot of flak for that statement...but come election day...I hope this doesn't come back and haunt the Democrats.

his possibly dying grandmother would be spun by the Republicans. He's cold, heartless, calculating, etc.

Don't worry -- Biden, the Clintons, and their other allies will keep things going for him.

said about his taking off for Hawaii at this stage..ie going over there to forge a passport etc. I think most business people and those that calculate...would come down on the side of keep going and if she dies, make a good press announcement to garner some sympathy and then have the funeral the election.

Obama's presence would be necessary in Hawaii in order to carry out some nefarious birth certificate plot.

but we have an awful lot of fucking idiots voting in this country...I have heard strains of that myself as I have door belled around the country.

It's the reasonable people among the Independents that we're aiming for, and they should respond to logic.

:eyes:

I don't think Obama is calculating (except in a good way -- i.e., smart and analytical). He's certainly not calculating about his grandmother. But Rethugs would SPIN it that way, if he failed to visit a dying grandmother.

my message was to the OP, not you. i actually agree with you and did all along and i understood you as well. it was the OP and his message in this part of the thread i disagreed with.

:hi:

I went to a rally at UCLA with Michelle, Carolyn Kennedy,Oprah and other stars.

It was wonderful!

They could always show a video of Obama speaking to them from Hawaii.

would understand that this woman helped to raise him.. this is his surrogate mother. His father, mother, and grandfather are dead. Its his last "parent" left. Having a heart and a soul is what attracted so many to him in the first place. His supporters understand.. I don't care what the crazies in the pug base have to say.

polling is still coming back up from a dip, Powell's endorsement will have an impact, McCain will do its best to shoot its other foot.

and Obama's huge advertising budget will continue to push support up.

LOL!!!

You know the drill.

It will NOT hurt him in any way.

If anything, it may show Americans that he's more of a mensch than they already thought. Family first!! It's just a couple of days. It sounds as if she may pass, and he needs to see her before she does. I think even hardcore 'pubs could understand that. He's never winning the birth certificate/he's a secret muslim weirdos, who obviously have no idea how their government works, so who gives a flying squirrel for them. It may actually help with undecideds, those who stumbled over the "all consuming ambition" ploy they like to trot out on successful progressives. It's either zero or positive impact, IMO. Either way, it doesn't matter.

:shrug:

They're their own worst enemas.

it's his Grandmother.O8) My prayers go out to the whole family

They're saying that the hawaii courts are about to open up Obama's birth records. When Obama stays at his grandma's side and doesn't even visit the courts, voters will see that he's genuine about his close relative.

and the negative effect from not campaigning will be about equal.

She will inspire him to take it to the limit, to win this election with all her love and blessings. She'll be the wind beneath his wings (not to be trite).

Somethings are even more important than campaigning.

I don't think it's going to matter a lot, unless the McCain campaign decides to do some dirty campaigning while he is away.