We've all heard tons of well deserved praise for David Axelrod.  Here's a nice feature article about Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe.

 

 

www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-plouffe-obamajun09,0,2235451.story

chicagotribune.com Obama's campaign chief: low profile, high impact

By John McCormick

Tribune reporter

6:22 PM CDT, June 8, 2008

 

Baseball and politics are two of David Plouffe's passions. So it was natural that his love for one game reinforced something that proved crucial in the other: Singles can score runs.

As Sen. Barack Obama's campaign manager, Plouffe was the mastermind behind a winning strategy that looked well past Super Tuesday's contests on Feb. 5 and placed value on both large and small states.

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What I want to know is how anyone could believe McCain is a "straight talking" maverick.

 

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May 10, 2008

The New York Times 

Check Point

On McCain, Obama and a Hamas Link By LARRY ROHTER

In the clearest indication yet of how he intends to confront Senator Barack Obama on foreign policy issues in the general election, Senator John McCain on Friday again portrayed the Democratic contender as being the favorite of Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, and implied that he would also be friendly with Iran, a Hamas ally.

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The site of the April 5th Legislative District Caucus for the 43rd LD will be at Garfield High School which, due to construction, is currently located at Lincoln High School in Wallingford. The address is 4400 Interlake Ave. N., 98103. Further details will be announced soon.  Google Map to Lincoln School

Many of the other Seattle area LD caucus locations have been announced and can be found at http://barackobama.meetup.com/133/ .  Though not required, you can go to http://barackobama.meetup.com/133/ to RSVP, and to see who else is attending your LD caucus.  We're updating caucus locations and times as we become aware of them.  Thanks.

Dae

For anyone who hasn't yet read Dreams From My Father, this is a Cliff Notes discussion of Senator Obama's mother, and the influence she had on her son.  For some reason I don't see many articles about his mother.  Knowing more about his family helps to give another dimension to the man.  I highly recommend both of Senator Obama's books to anyone who hasn't yet read them.  (I've written an annotated overview of his second book, which can be found on my blog:  http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/Dae/gGg5Bb)

Dae   Read More »

The main purpose of the LD caucus is to elect delegates to the state convention and Congressional District Convention.  (There may also be discussion of resolutions which is the emphasis of the county conventions.)  The LD caucus is similar to a precinct caucus, though with approx 1,000-1200 attendees. 

Delegates spend perhaps an hour signing in, and indicating their candidate of choice.  Each side gets to address the entire body for perhaps 2-3 minutes.  Delegates can then switch teams.  After the recount of support, Obama and Clinton delegates break off into their own groups.  Obama people who want to go to the state convention (and Congressional District Convention) give speeches to fellow Obama supporters, and there's a written ballot for delegates and alternates.  (It's at the Congressional District Convention that most of the pledged delegates are selected for the Democratic National Convention.)  Then the Obama/Clinton groups rejoin to discuss resolutions.

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The morning of the caucus, I was at Kinkos, printing/photocopying news articles, talking points and brightly colored flyers to circulate/post at the caucus.  Since I was wearing one of my Obama t-shirts, several other Obama supporters came up to me throughout my Kinkos visit, to say hello, share ideas, exchange literature, flyers, etc.   Read More »

I've tried to faithfully summarize Senator Obama's 364 page book into 13 pages.  The feedback I'm getting is that while people are glad they read this overview, it helps to print it out first.  It sounds like people are then writing their own thoughts in the margins of my overview.  I want to thank Kurt Peppard for proofreading and formatting many of my posts, including this one, and converting them to pdf format.   These pdf files should be available shortly.

This overview is not intended as a substitute for buying and reading Audacity of Hope; in fact, my hope is that reading this summary will motivate supporters to read both of his books.  In the interest of brevity, I've reluctantly decided to omit several significant sections of his second book.  (The parts I omitted are interesting but unlikely to be useful while canvassing undecided voters.)  For the same reason, I've intentionally deleted many of the nuances of his arguments, though hopefully, without changing his underlying message. 

 Audacity of Hope is written in Obama's own voice, and as such is an impressive display of the depth and breadth of this man's brilliance.  It exceeded my expectations, and confirmed what I knew:  Senator Obama is a rare find; an honest politician, brilliant scholar, patriot, citizen of the world who identifies with every region of the country and every ethnicity; he is the once in a generation leader who draws out the best in every American whose heart and mind are open.

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This post summarizes a presentation I gave to about 80 Barack Obama supporters at the Seattle meetup for Barack Obama in February of 2007.  The day before the meetup, I had been asked to talk about Senator Obama's 10 years in the Illinois and U.S. Senates.  Since my presentation, I've received several requests to write down and post a summary of my presentation.  Here it is.

    In this post, I've tried to pull the best from several hundred news articles.  A lot of the news articles were mostly fluff, and/or redundant.  As Senator Obama notes, it's not that he hasn't given substantive speeches on nearly every major political issue, and written two best selling books that outline his political philosophy in greater detail than any of the other candidates.  The problem is that the press would rather write about how he looks in swim trunks than to actually review his speeches and political platform.  In this post, I've also referenced a few key themes from Audacity of Hope.  I've also quickly reviewed his voting record in the U.S. Senate, compared it to Hillary Clinton's voting record, and will touch on some of the key votes, below.  I've saved approximately 60 news articles that I've relied upon in writing most of this post, and will try to post them in the next 1-2 weeks.  

    (This post was written in February of 2007.) 

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Below, you'll find the pitch I used at my caucus in Seattle, Washington.  It was extremely well received. 

Please feel free to use any of my words without attribution.  You deserve full credit for taking the time out of your very busy schedules to stand up for your beliefs.

Good luck to everyone next week.

---Daewoo Kim

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The press is finally being to make the argument that Clinton may not be ready on day one, if she can't even comptetently manage her campaign as well as Obama.

 

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The audacity of hopelessness By Frank Rich
Sunday, February 24, 2008

When people one day look back at the remarkable implosion of the Hillary Clinton campaign, they may notice that it both began and ended in the long dark shadow of Iraq.

It's not just that her candidacy's central premise - the priceless value of "experience" - was fatally poisoned from the start by her still ill-explained vote to authorize the fiasco. Clinton then compounded that 2002 misjudgment by pursuing a 2008 campaign strategy that uncannily mimicked the disastrous Bush Iraq war plan. After promising a cakewalk to the nomination - "It will be me," Clinton told Katie Couric in November - she was routed by an insurgency.

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Obama: It Takes a Knockout

The Washington Post 

By Alec MacGillis

COLUMBUS -- Illinois Sen. Barack Obama fired back at Sen. Hillary Clinton this afternoon, defending campaign mailers she decried earlier in the day, and declaring that, because of her entrenched status in the Democratic Party, it would take her being "knocked out" to drive her out of the race.

In a news conference at an Ohio State University hospital, Obama was asked whether he thought he would be facing more pressure from senior Democrats to concede the race than Clinton now is, had he lost 11 straight contests, as she has. "Yes," he said bluntly. "But look, I'm the challenger, I'm the upstart, I'm the insurgent. She's the champ, she's part of the Democratic network in Washington, and if you're the title holder then you don't lose it on points. You've got to be knocked out."

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As usual, the WSJ has the most fair and balanced coverage of the latest dispute between Clinton and OFA.  The last two paragraphs of this article are my favorite!

 

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Clinton Adopts Harsher Tactics
In Fight for Ohio, Texas By AMY CHOZICK

The Wall Street Journal 

February 23, 2008 6:42 p.m.

DAYTON, Ohio -- Sen. Hillary Clinton ratcheted up her attacks on Sen. Barack Obama today, comparing his campaign tactics to those of George W. Bush and urging Ohioans to see past his momentum.

"Enough with the speeches and the big rallies and then using tactics that are right out of Karl Rove's playbook," Mrs. Clinton told reporters at a press conference today.

She clutched two negative fliers sent to Ohio voters by the Obama campaign that she says make false claims about her position on health care and trade agreements. "Shame on you Barack Obama. It is time you ran a campaign that is consistent with your messages in public. That's what I expect from you," Mrs. Clinton said.

Mr. Obama quickly fired back. "These are accurate," he said of the fliers. He also accused his rival of hypocrisy in denouncing the negative campaigning. "We have been subject to constant attack from the Clinton campaign, except when we were down 20 points. And that was true in Iowa. It was true in South Carolina. It was true in Wisconsin. And it is true now."

 

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I want to thank everyone who gave me feedback and/or words of encouragement.  I'll try to respond to everyone, but if I miss some people, please be assured that I read each email carefully, and that I very much appreciated the effort you took in writing.  Thank you.

Please feel free to use any of my words without attribution.  You deserve full credit for taking the time out of your very busy schedules to stand up for your beliefs.

Good luck to everyone tomorrow.

---Dae
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Obama has 11+ years as an Illinois and U.S. Senator.  In just two years, he sponsored 780 bills - of which 280 became law. He has a 100% approval rating from Planned Parenthood.     Read More »

NOW Again Attacks Obama's Illinois Voting Record on Abortion Bills

By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 5, 2008; A08

A national women's rights group supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) distributed an e-mail yesterday accusing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) of being soft on abortion rights, revisiting an eleventh-hour attack that some analysts credited with swaying female voters in New Hampshire.

The e-mail from Rosemary J. Dempsey, president of the Connecticut National Organization for Women, told members that Obama's record during his time in the Illinois Senate included several instances in which he voted "present" instead of yes or no on abortion-related legislation.

The e-mail quotes Bonnie Grabenhofer, the president of Illinois NOW, as saying that "voting   Read More »

(Half of this is new, half is from my posts of a year ago.  Whenever possible, I try to note when I'm using my old material.  I only use old material when it's still highly relevant to the current political situation, including appealing to Edwards' supporters, and how Obama does against McCain.  Obviously, you're not going to be able to say 25% of this outline at your caucus, but you need to be prepared to respond to concerns raised by Clinton supporters. You could bring my outline to the caucus, and underline the 4-6 big themes you want to feature.)

Edwards, Obama and Clinton are all liberals.  There is almost no light separating their positions, and with a few notable exceptions (e.g. Clinton authorizing war in Iraq, Clinton giving Bush political cover in Iran, Clinton supporting the bankruptcy "reform" that oppresses countless working Americans), it's silly to otherwise paint a candidates as a Reagan-admirer or Republican-lite.  They all have very liberal voting records and unequivocal endorsements from all the usual liberal interest groups.  

(Repeat from prior post.)  He has an 82.5 liberal rating in 2005 by the National Journal.  On votes in the U.S. Senate that were decided largely along party lines, Senator Obama sided with the Democrats 97% of the time.  And he had a liberal voting record in the Illinois State Senate.  In 2006, he received 100% approval rating from:  The League of Conservation Voters (he opposed drilling in ANWR, and in parts of Gulf of Mexico); AFL-CIO  (he sponsored legislation blocking overtime restrictions by the Bush administration); Planned Parenthood.  The National Education Association gives him an "A" on their most recent scorecard.)  At one point in Audacity of Hope, Obama describes himself as a progressive, though only when two adjacent sentences are read together.  Audacity of Hope, at 60.

Even a polarizing Hillary Clinton could eke out a 51% victory against McCain. 

But that misses the point entirely.   Read More »

 

Jimmy Carter believes that Senator Obama could carry some southern states if he becomes the nominee.  Carter also says that Obama would almost automatically be a healing factor in our country and government.

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Carter Stays Neutral in Race,
But Praises Obama's Oratory

The Wall Street Journal 

By DOUGLAS A. BLACKMON
January 30, 2008; Page A4

PLAINS, Ga. -- Former President Jimmy Carter lavished praise on Illinois Sen. Barack Obama during an interview at his home on Monday, though he won't formally endorse any candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination.

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At the end of this article, the Washington Post says Patty Murray may endorse a presidential candidate within the next few days.  Please contact Patty Murray and urge her to endorse Senator Obama.

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Obama Ready on 'Day One,' Kennedy Says

By Anne E. Kornblut and Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, January 29, 2008; A07

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy delivered a highly prized endorsement for Sen. Barack Obama yesterday as well as a pointed rebuttal to the main lines of attack used against him by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband, Bill Clinton.

In a clear reference to the criticism repeated by the Democratic senator from New York and the former president that Obama (D-Ill.) does not have the experience for the White House, Kennedy -- borrowing one of the Clintons' favorite phrases -- said Obama is "ready to be president on Day One."

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Please email Senator Cantwell, and remind her of Senator Obama's fundraising efforts for her, and urge her to do as Senator Boxer is doing:  respect the will of her constituents by supporting whichever Democrat wins the upcoming state caucus.

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January 28, 2008 In Open Nomination, ‘Superdelegates’ May Hold Key to Victory

The New York Times 

By CARL HULSE

WASHINGTON — Not all Democratic presidential convention delegates are awarded like door prizes in the primaries and caucuses being so fiercely contested around the country.

National party rules give special status to a select political group, including members of Congress, governors, members of the Democratic National Committee, past party officials, and former elected leaders like Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and their vice presidents, Al Gore and Walter F. Mondale.

 

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This is the NY Times' best elaboration on an excellent point Senator Obama made at the last debate:  Senator Clinton can't win against Senator McCain by running as McCain-lite.

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January 27, 2008 Op-Ed ColumnistThe New York Times  The Billary Road to Republican Victory By FRANK RICH

IN the wake of George W. Bush, even a miracle might not be enough for the Republicans to hold on to the White House in 2008. But what about two miracles? The new year’s twin resurrections of Bill Clinton and John McCain, should they not evaporate, at last give the G.O.P. a highly plausible route to victory.

Amazingly, neither party seems to fully recognize the contours of the road map. In the Democrats’ case, the full-throttle emergence of Billary, the joint Clinton candidacy, is measured mainly within the narrow confines of the short-term horse race: Do Bill Clinton’s red-faced eruptions and fact-challenged rants enhance or diminish his wife as a woman and a candidate?

 

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In her endorsement, I love how Caroline Kennedy says, "Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign."  That seems to be a statement of contrast with another candidate.

I also like how Ms. Kennedy says that Senator Obama may be the first leader in a generation to inspire Americans the way her father did.  Again, that's intended to be a clear contrast to the Clintons. 

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A President Like My Father

By CAROLINE KENNEDYThe New York Times 

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

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