Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/obama-camp-seeks-to-redefine-battlegrounds-focus-on-policy Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript With the general election now in full swing, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are busy shaping their campaign strategies. David Axelrod, a top Obama adviser, discusses how his team is approaching the trail. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JUDY WOODRUFF: Since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee three weeks ago, Barack Obama has spent most of his time in battleground states. Today was no exception.Obama visited Nevada, which follows stops in New Mexico, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia.Obama has also stepped up his advertising presence in those states and nine others, a total of 18, airing a new television spot that focuses on his personal history. Among those are 14 states that President Bush carried in 2004, including typically Republican strongholds such as Georgia, Montana, and Alaska.SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), Illinois: America is a country of strong families and strong values. My life has been blessed by both. I was raised by a single mom and my grandparents. We didn't have much money. But they taught me values straight from the Kansas heartland where they grew up. JUDY WOODRUFF: But Obama has also been put on the defensive in recent weeks over his decision to opt out of the federal system that funds presidential campaigns. For months, Obama had suggested he would abide by the system's limits if his Republican opponent agreed to do the same.But last week, Obama announced that he would pass on $85 million in public funds, deciding instead to raise the money on his own with no limits on the amount he can spend.Just hours after the announcement, McCain rebuked Obama.SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), Arizona: This election is about a lot of things, but it's also about trust. It's also about whether you can take people's word, because when you campaign for the highest office in the land, you make certain commitments to the American people.And if you're not even willing to keep one that is as impactful in a political campaign as his decision to finance his own campaign and completely contradict his solemn pledge, I think should be disturbing to all Americans. JUDY WOODRUFF: Obama also faced criticism last week when campaign volunteers at a Detroit rally barred two Muslim women from sitting behind the podium, effectively ensuring their headscarves would not appear in photographs or video with the candidate.Obama later phoned the women and apologized, but the move has raised questions from Muslim supporters.