Obama’s quippy Ohio campaign stop: 5 times the former president went after Republicans
Obama's sharpest line in Cleveland mocked the Pentagon chief's focus on soldiers' looks and testosterone. That kind of humor fires up a base while making the other side roll their eyes. Both parties do this, and it works.
What makes this stop worth watching is what it says about the midterm playbook. Obama is one of the Democrats' most reliable messengers, and deploying him in Ohio signals the party sees real races there. Brown's Senate seat and Acton's gubernatorial bid are the kind of contests that decide which party controls the narrative next year.
I'd want to know whether the jokes land with undecided voters or just preach to the converted. Humor rallies the faithful, but it rarely moves the middle. The test will come on election day, when we see if Obama's quippy style translates into actual turnout.