'Yes We Can' Redux

Well, Obama's back on the campaign trail. I wasn't expecting to have to write that for at least another two years. But it's true. The president is headed to Indiana today and Florida Tuesday to pitch his economic stimulus. Over the weekend Obama's "grassroots' network was reactivated, calling for "stimulus parties" on his website BarackObama.com One supporter in San Jose, Madalyn Perrine, is so excited she is calling for the Obama campaign offices in California to be reopened, "...so we can call the voters, the Obama supporters to tell them to make these calls." And apparently 800 people are waiting in line right now at the Harborside Events Center in Fort Myers for tickets to Obama's townhall Tuesday. The Chicago Sun Times has a fairly good breakdown of the whole mini-campaign operation. The Washington Post, in their article today titled Echoes From The Campaign Trail, they describe Obama as being in full tilt campaign mode:

In a fiery speech before a gathering of House Democrats in Williamsburg on Thursday night that took place even as he was searching out GOP support for his stimulus package, Obama blasted Republican policies that "for the last eight years doubled the national debt and threw our economy into a tailspin." He then led Democratic members of Congress in a familiar chant: "Fired up!" he declared. "Ready to go!" they returned -- a call and response that became a trademark of his campaign.[SOURCE]

I say this is both a genius PR campaign and a somewhat sad escapist adventure. The president is tapping the excitement and energy of his presidential campaign, and staging the first real test of his supposed "grassroots network." But, it runs the risk of looking desperate, too. And using the townhall style (a Clinton and McCain trademark event), something he was generally against on the campaign trail, is a sneaky move. Sure, maybe the townhall will be used to answer questions and push his agenda, but they are more a chance to attract media attention than anything else, and to get pictures of fired up supporters on the news in embattled districts.

You'd think his presidency was riding on this or something...