Via Politico.com:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) plans to celebrate his 72nd birthday on Aug. 29 by naming his running mate at a huge rally in the battleground state of Ohio, Republican sources said.

That’s a week from Friday, and the day after his rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, accepts the Democratic nomination at a 70,000-person spectacular in a Denver stadium.

The campaign has begun building a crowd of 10,000 for Dayton, Ohio, according to an organizer. McCain is scheduled to appear with his running mate at a large-scale event in Pennsylvania shortly thereafter.

The New York Times reports:

Senator Barack Obama’s campaign announced today that he took in more than $51 million in July. His campaign had $65.8 million on hand, according to the press release, compared to Senator John McCain’s $21.4 million in the bank at the end of the month.

Though neither Mr. McCain’s intake ($27 million in July) nor his bank balance is as robust as Mr. Obama’s, the presumptive Republican nominee has greater flexibility to spend what he has now, because he can count on an infusion of $84 million in public funds after the Republican National Convention. Mr. Obama has chosen to forgo public financing, so he has greater spending flexibility, but he must collect every cent himself. The Republican National Committee is also likely to be substantially more helpful to Mr. McCain than its Democratic counterpart, which has struggled with fund-raising, can be to Mr. Obama.

Politico.com reports:

There are plenty of tea leaves to read: Obama’s schedule next week takes him through the home states of a few possible contenders: He’s spending Monday in New Mexico (Governor Bill Richardson) and Wednesday in Virginia (Governor Tim Kaine and former Governor Mark Warner).

Saturday, Obama cited former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn, 69, as a particularly wise advisor, touching off a wave of speculation.

There’s also a chance that the Summer Olympics, which run through next Sunday, could push the campaign to delay the move until the beginning of the Democratic National Convention the next day.

When presidents and those who'd like to become president zip across Ohio, they tend to be attracted to some of the same places across the state. The Dispatch highlighted them Sunday.

Columbus' hotspot was Katziner's Deli in German Village:

Katzinger's Delicatessen, Columbus

Fun fact: There's a sandwich named for Bill Clinton.

A few hours before President Clinton arrived at Katzinger's Delicatessen in German Village on Feb. 15, 1994, his "professional taster" stopped by.

"He said the president doesn't eat cheese, he doesn't eat chocolate and he doesn't like to drink coffee from a paper cup," deli owner Diane Warren recalled.

So when Clinton ordered hot corned beef with Swiss cheese and spicy brown mustard on pumpernickel, Warren, at the register, blurted out, "But you don't eat cheese."

Clinton's confused look left Warren wondering whether the so-called taster was for real.

Clinton is one of the many politicians to visit the deli at 3rd Street and Livingston Avenue, making it one of Columbus' most popular campaign spots, along with Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant, where McCain stopped last month.

The deli was standing-room-only when Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry came in for an egg-salad sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole wheat during his 2004 presidential bid.

On the GOP side, Katzinger's has fed Voinovich, as well as presidential twins Barbara and Jenna Bush.

While Warren remembers them all fondly, only Clinton prompted an addition to Katzinger's menu of 76 sandwiches: No. 59, President Bill's Day at the Deli, $9.25.

 

The New Republic's brilliant Seyward Darby has published a piece on the history and present of party platforms. 

What follows is Darby's reportage on the goings-on in 2008 for both parties:

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN 2008?

 

-- WHO'S WHO: The Democrats' drafting committee is chaired by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. The principal author, however, is Karen Kornbluh, Obama's policy director. The full platform committee is headed by National Platform Director Michael Yaki, an Obama aide and member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Both committees are comprised of others close to the Obama camp, as well as Hillary Clinton supporters. The GOP platform committee is co-chaired by North Carolina Senator Richard Burr and California Congressman Kevin McCarthy. The executive director of the committee is Stephen Duffield, a former aide to John McCain's fellow senator from Arizona, John Kyl.

 

-- ENGAGEMENT: Both parties introduced new public outreach efforts in writing their platforms. The Democrats held caucus-style meetings around the country and included sidebar statements from average Americans in the platform draft. The GOP created a website through which anyone could submit plank proposals. Experts generally agree, however, that these efforts won't affect the platforms substantively. "The more outlets you provide, the more people who think that they matter, and that helps you in the general election," Georgetown's Wayne said.

 

-- COMPROMISES: The Democrats' draft includes a few compromise elements. Clinton's camp managed to get the phrase "[the party is] united around a commitment to provide every American access to affordable, comprehensive health care" into the draft--

language that embraces Clinton's support for universal health care. A section on gender equality was also added, thanks to lobbying by Clinton supporters. Lastly, pro-life Democrats influenced language supporting a reduction in the number of abortions. (For more on that fight, click here.)

 

On the GOP side, there could be disputes between McCain and the party since he diverges from the Republican mainstream on some issues, including ANWR and stem cell research. But don't expect to hear much about them. "There is sufficient anxiety [within the party] to move in the direction of trying to quell a platform debate before it reaches the convention," said Timothy McCarthy of the Kennedy School. Platforms, after all, no longer reflect tense debate about a party's direction; they're campaign ads.

 

The New York Times reports on Cincinnati and Columbus' desires for streetcars:

 

A hundred miles north, Mayor Michael Coleman of Columbus, Ohio, has come to the same conclusion and is pushing to build a $103 million streetcar network along the city’s High Street connecting Ohio State University with the downtown business district. The loop would be paid for through a 4 percent surcharge on concert tickets, sporting events and downtown parking and a $12.5 million contribution from Ohio State.

“It is directly tied to economic development, and when times are tough in Ohio, we need an additional tool to create jobs,” Mr. Coleman said.

While critics question whether scarce city money would be better spent elsewhere, Mr. Coleman argues that streetcars are important to the city’s growth.

“We have to plan for the future,” he said. “I believe in 10 years, we would ask, ‘Why didn’t we do this?’ It will be 10 times more expensive, and the cost of gas will be unaffordable.”

Final Fours are a boon for the economies that host them.   

Press release from Ohio State:

Columbus has been named a finalist to host the Women’s Final Four between 2012 and 2016, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced Wednesday.

The Ohio State University, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and Nationwide Arena submitted a bid to the NCAA and the Women’s Basketball Committee on June 2. The bid included more than $2.5 million in public and private support for the event, which would be played at Nationwide Arena.

The Local Organizing Committee will now prepare to host an official site visit with NCAA staff and Women’s Basketball Committee members between mid-September and mid-October. A final decision is expected by late November.

Quoting Ohio State and Columbus leaders on NCAA announcement.

"I am delighted we are being considered to host the NCAA Women’s Final Four basketball championship. The event gets stronger and more exciting each year. Should we be selected as the host institution, it will be a great opportunity to showcase all that the University and the Columbus community have to offer.”
– E. Gordon Gee, Ohio State University president

“The University, the athletics department staff and many others from the city of Columbus and its sports commission have worked extremely hard to get to this point in the process. I know our department is looking forward to welcoming the women’s basketball Final Four to Columbus. We appreciate the NCAA for considering Ohio State and Nationwide Arena as hosts for this event. I’m confident basketball fans, the NCAA and those teams fortunate to advance to the Final Four will enjoy their experience in Columbus.”
– Gene Smith, Ohio State University director of athletics

“This is a great opportunity to show off the City of Columbus. In a lot of ways this is the perfect city for an event of this magnitude. There is so much to do within walking distance of Nationwide Arena. Over the years I have noticed that the Finals Four’s are most memorable when they allow the participants and fans to enjoy a wide-range of entertainment and opportunities in a smaller and easily accessible community. Columbus is one of the best-kept secrets in the country and an opportunity to host a women’s Final Four will allow us to show the kind of diversity and entertainment that exist in Columbus.”
– Jim Foster, Ohio State head women’s basketball coach

”The City of Columbus is very proud to be a finalist to host the women’s Final Four and we look forward to welcoming the NCAA and the Women’s Basketball Committee to Columbus for an official site visit. The best way to understand and appreciate everything our city has to offer is to see it first hand. We look forward to the opportunity to showcase Nationwide Arena, the Arena District, downtown hotels and our entire community to the selection committee.”
– Michael B. Coleman, Columbus mayor

“On behalf of the Blue Jackets and Nationwide Arena, we are very pleased that the NCAA has selected Columbus as a finalist city to host an upcoming NCAA Women’s Final Four. Hosting an event of this nature would be another example of how our city continues to increase its presence on the national sports landscape. Having already welcomed events like the NHL Entry Draft and NCAA men’s tournament action to Nationwide Arena and the Arena District, the NCAA Women’s Final Four would present a great opportunity to continue to showcase all that Columbus has to offer to fans from across the country.”
– Mike Priest, Columbus Blue Jackets president

”Hosting the women’s Final Four would be a tremendous opportunity for Central Ohio. We are excited to be one step closer to bringing the NCAA women’s basketball championship weekend to Columbus and Franklin County. We look forward to hosting the site-selection committee and showing them why we are becoming one of the leading sports destinations in the United States.”
– Marilyn Brown, president of the Franklin County Commissioners

Early voting is crucial in the 2008 election in Ohio this year, particularly because of the vast difference in could make for both parties: good for the Dems, bad for the Republicans.  The AP reports:

Ohio has created a window in the election calendar that would allow residents instant gratification — register one minute, vote the next. It's also given the campaigns of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain a chance to bank thousands of first-time voters during that Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 window.

The move will benefit Obama, who enjoys a 2-to-1 lead over McCain among 18- to 34-year-olds, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released last month. If Obama's campaign were able to tap into college campuses with one-stop voting, it would add thousands of votes to his tally in a state where, in 2004, John Kerry lost to President Bush by only about 118,000 votes, putting Bush over the top in the electoral count.

Of the more than 470,000 students enrolled in Ohio's public colleges and universities in 2006, the most recent figures available, nine out of 10 were Ohio residents, the state Board of Regents said. To register to vote in Ohio, a person must be a resident of the state for at least 30 days immediately before an election.

 

According to RealClearPolitics.com, aggregate polls indicate the following:

In Ohio, Obama's lead has dwindled to just +0.5.

In Florida, McCain is now up 1.2. Virginia is a dead-heat. Obama leads Colorado and NEvada and Indiana by less than 2 points; McCain has overtaken Obama in Missouri and North Carolina  by small margins.

Indeed, if the election were held today, Obama would win 309 electoral votes to McCain's 229. But if McCain continues to close--particularly in Ohio, Colorado and Virginia--this race will get a lot more interesting.  

Courtesy PolitickerOH.com:

Strickland and Pickrell (who ran the governor's 2006 campaign) said Obama will use the playbook of the Strickland and U.S. Sherrod Brown (D-Lorain).

Strickland said he told Obama campaign leaders in Chicago that there are two ways to run statewide in Ohio: the Kerry strategy, focused on the metropolitan areas, or the "Strickland-Brown" strategy of focusing on all parts of Ohio, specifically suburban cities and counties as well as the rural areas.

"I believe the fact that the Obama campaign has already deployed the field staff they have, and the fact that every part of this state is being targeted, means that Senator Obama will not repeat the Kerry mistake," Strickland said. "I have never seen a presidential campaign in Ohio come anywhere close to where this campaign is, organizationally and in terms of having actual man and woman power in the field."

To reach out to rural and suburban areas, the Obama campaign is recruiting "neighborhood team leaders" to build networks of local volunteers to persuade voters on face-to-face, instead of relying on television advertisements alone. There is one leader for each of the designated 1,200 neighborhoods in Ohio, which contains 5 to 10 precincts, according to Pickrell.

First, the team leader assembles a neighborhood volunteers and then sends them to knock and call on homes to persuade voters. Pickrell said this operation is the heart of the Ohio campaign.

"This is really the crux of it," Pickrell said. "The neighbor to neighbor approach is exactly the way we need to go about it here to win."

Pickrell said office openings in far-flung areas have attracted great enthusiasm from locals, like the 300 who turned out in Lima for the Obama office opening.

For all of the enthusiasm, Strickland said Obama won't win every county, but that isn't the absolute goal.

"I want to be candid with you," Strickland said. "Is Senator Obama going to win every county? Is he going to win every region? Probably not, but in some of these heavily Republican counties, we can go from 29 percent to perhaps 38 percent. And in some counties we can go from 38 percent to 44 percent. So I'm confident that the strategy that's being followed here will be effective because it's going to be an attempt to reach every voter in every part of Ohio."  

However, Strickland said later that he expects Obama to win Hamilton County, a Republican stronghold for decades.

Organizationally the campaign has field directors for each of the 23 regions the campaign has designated in Ohio to ensure a tailored approach to different cities that were once lumped together in the same reason. For instance, Pickrell said, Portsmouth and Cincinnati are not treated as parts of one region but are now dealt with separately.

Hildebrand said Ohio's votes are critical to winning the necessary 270 electoral votes to make Obama president.

"We view Ohio as a very important part of our puzzle to get enough electoral votes to win the presidency for Barack," he said.