Running out of time and options to appeal to Democratic voters, the White House is remaking President Obama.
An emerging, grasp-any-straw strategy has Obama doing rare conference calls with reporters, a string of events aimed at young voters, and targeted messaging for Hispanic voters and women.
With Democrats leaving no constituency unattended, science enthusiasts also get a stroke — Obama’s heavily hyped upcoming appearance on the Discovery Channel’s “Mythbusters.”
“I taped a special guest appearance for their show, although I didn’t get to blow anything up,” Obama said this week at the White House. “I was a little frustrated with that.”
The president’s extreme campaign makeover is a little scattered, and possibly tardy, but some think it may be helping.
“It’s belated, but I think it’s smart to go to venues where the voters with whom you really need to connect are likely to see you,” said Clark Ervin, a political expert at the Aspen Institute who served on Obama’s transition team. “If he had not done it, it would be worse.”
In addition to being more visible, Obama’s new ubiquity has a built-in aim to address some key criticisms leveled at the president.
Widely noted for appearing arrogant and aloof, Obama recently spent more than an hour with the New York Times for a lengthy magazine piece in which the president fretted over his communications and decision making.
“He wants to get back to being the friendly football coach, to remind people why they liked him and the elements of his personality and character they first responded to,” said Cal Jillson, a Southern Methodist University political scientist.
After polls showed young voters disenchanted with Obama and disengaged from midterm politics, the president turned up in Rolling Stone magazine, at an MTV town hall and at rallies on college campuses.
Obama next week will appear on Comedy Central’s “Daily Show,” his first sit-down with host Jon Stewart since becoming president.
“It’s a standard White House response — when things are bad, don’t just stand there, do something,” said Stephen Hess, a presidential scholar at the Brookings Institution.
Running around plugging electoral holes, while necessary, does appear “rather haphazard,” Hess said. “It’s no secret what they are trying to do.”
After a recent spate of headlines showed that black voters would be critical to Democratic election hopes Nov. 2, Obama did an unusual conference call with 30 journalists from African-American news outlets. He also sat down with a group of black columnists, and held a summit with black bloggers.
Stung by criticism from Hispanics about the lack of progress on immigration reform, Obama this week signed an executive order aimed at improving education for Hispanics.
Obama also appeared on the widely popular Spanish-language variety show “Sabado Gigante” and on Telemundo’s “Enfoque,” a Sunday public-affairs show.
Women also are getting attention, with a special report from the White House detailing how Obama’s economic policies benefited them. This weekend, he’ll headline a women-themed town hall in Seattle.
