Message, Method Are Behind Obama's Climb

[babylonsister]

Message, Method Are Behind Obama's Climb

By Shailagh Murray and Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, December 22, 2007; A06


DES MOINES -- Steve Hildebrand, the veteran political operative selected to plot a victory for Sen. Barack Obama in Iowa, drew a deep breath and began his pitch.

At the other end of the phone line was a 27-year-old schoolteacher from a town northeast of Des Moines. The man had attended at least four Obama events, and his wife was an Obama precinct captain. But he still was not ready to commit.

"Give me a sense of where your head is at," Hildebrand said calmly.

"Today, I've probably gone from Edwards to Obama to Richardson back to Edwards to Obama," the man responded. When Hildebrand hung up 22 minutes later, he had scribbled a list of position papers to send to the potential supporter to review, on topics including nuclear power, new coal technology and school testing.

It was scarcely 15 months ago that the young senator from neighboring Illinois, billed as "a rising star in Democratic politics," appeared as the guest speaker at the annual steak fry sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democratic Party's highest-profile event of the year. Today Obama is drawing among the largest crowds in Iowa caucus history and is among the front-runners. His bid for the 2008 Democratic nomination seems less improbable by the day.

Obama's strategy is one part message, one part elbow grease, following the Iowa maxim "organize, organize, organize, and get hot at the end." Obama will spend the campaign's final days rallying Democrats in gymnasiums and auditoriums. But behind the scenes, the onetime Chicago community organizer has dispatched an army of paid staff and volunteers occupying a record 37 offices across the state to wage a more personal battle for support, one wavering teacher at a time.

"We feel strong and positive, but urgent at the same time," said Hildebrand, who ran Iowa for Al Gore in 2000. "We know we've got a lot to do. Barack has to close the deal, our operation has to produce, and if we do both of those things, there's a good potential that Barack could come out the winner."

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/21/AR2007122102402_pf.html

[ClarkUSA]

1. To think Obama built everything from scratch with no institutional ties or past support...

And is now competitive... amazing. I remember when no one gave him a chance earlier on in the year. Thanks for the article.

Did you see this one? "Clinton gets lots of help from her friends: More than any other Democratic candidate, she's drawing
support from outside organizations -- money, direct mailings, even Google ads targeted to female voters in Iowa."
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-emily22dec22,0,5964961.story?coll=la-home-center

That's the power of psuedo-incumbency. According to the above article, Edwards has some outside help from unions while
Obama has very little from anybody.

[babylonsister]

5. Thanks for that article.

It does beg the question what all those 'friends' will want in return. Quid pro quo?

[annie1]

7. good point. i'm curious, what is it about him that has this effect?...

i personally am not real into him, what is it?

[polichick]

2. I'd add MADNESS to that message and method...

Obama was drafted by Americans who craved a new rock star ~ without their madness, the rest wouldn't matter.

[babylonsister]

3. Rock star? You're so off-base it's not funny. I want someone

who might make a difference after the hell this country has gone through the past 7 years. Obama is that person in my opinion. Go cheerlead for your candidate, but don't take insipid swipes at mine.

[polichick]

4. Good grief, it's well known that he's seen as a political rock star...

That wasn't a swipe, but an important part of the story ~ it's the biggest reason people are drawn to him, the very reason they drafted him in the first place.

[Vinca]

6. I'm drawn to Obama because he would recognize the Constitution

if he saw it. Given the shredding that has taken place over the past few years, that's of utmost importance.