I told you he was a campaign ninja.

Yesterday, the Kasich for Ohio campaign tweeted the following:

@KasichForOhio: KFO Team wrapped up its final regional mtg in Tiffin. 12 regions, 88 counties and over 200 leaders ready for a new way!

For those without much campaign experience, this kind of massive grassroots organization while still 11 months out - is good.

Real good.

And it exemplifies exactly what I was talking about waaaay back in February in one of this blog's most popular posts - John Kasich: Campaign Ninja.

302 days ago, there was some minor fretting from some wondering if Kasich was even going to enter the race. Even a facebook group (with a grand total of 36 members) was created with design to pressure Kasich into announcing his candidacy earlier than planned. Interestingly enough, it still exists today - some of you folks may want to change your membership status.

My post in response to this fretting was designed to calm those nerves. Here are a couple excerpts:

Beginning in 2007 and through March of 2009, Kasich has spoken or will have spoken at 45 County Lincoln Day Dinners or similar Party activist events. Attendance at these events has averaged out at about 400. That's 18,000 people. What's important to note is that these 18,000 aren't just regular voters. These are Party leaders, grassroots coordinators, fundraisers and combinations thereof. The very people that need to be inspired to work hard to make sure victory is assured in November of 2010.

It would be easy to say that these people can be counted on already. There is no need to waste time courting folks that will already help you, just as they help each campaign cycle, right? But as a campaign veteran I can tell you there is a ginormous difference between Party activists who feel obligated to help you and Party activists that WANT to help you.

[...]

This 'flirting' [...] is so much more than that. It is the establishment of a campaign firmly rooted in inspired Party activists who will work their asses off at the grassroots level and into the development of a well-networked fundraising base.

Well, one thing is unequivocally clear - with Kasich's solid grassroots organization already in place, it is certain that these are the kinds of "inspired Party activists that will work their asses off". And it's in large part due to John's efforts going all the way back to 2007 in visiting with Party members across the state to gauge their interest in his campaign and to communicate his vision for Ohio.

Will the fundraising come with it? Well, I'm reasonably optimistic - but that's another post that must wait a little less than a month.

But without question - Kasich's strategic vision has worked perfectly.

While Strickland suffers under the glare of a failing state, Kasich has taken the time to prepare and motivate a massive groundswell of grassroots activists ready to take advantage of the perceived voter enthusiasm gap expected for 2010.

And they're waiting for their signal: