The Powers That Be in Obama's "anti-establishment" campaign

[Straight Shooter]

A DU member wondered recently who are the people that are behind the scenes of political campaigns, the ones you never hear their names mentioned.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/candidates/barack.obama.html

David Plouffe, Campaign manager
Former executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and senior aide to House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt

Pete Rousee, Chief of staff
Former chief of staff to Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle

Jim Margolis, Senior advisor
A media strategist with close ties to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Robert Gibbs
Communications director
A former communications director at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

What do we know about these people, really? We do know Robert Gibbs was responsible for the smear attack ad which morphed Dean into Osama. How clever. And how devastatingly effective it was. How did this heinous excuse for a human being end up as a crucial element in Obama's campaign?

===============

Considering that Lieberman is Obama's mentor, considering his endorsements from high-profile members of the Kennedy Dynasty, I think we can safely lay to rest the notion that Barack is anti-establishment. Barack is simply an ambitious politician with a very powerful machine working for him, and to believe anything else is to fall for the Audacity of Hype. Rove elevated the technique of smoke and mirrors to a whole new level, but Barack's handlers, with the power of an increasingly sophisticated Internet audience, have brought the art of political stagecraft to a state of near perfection. If only they had the power to produce holograms.

A vote for Barack is a vote for Harry Reid, for Lieberman, for Daschle, for McCaskill, and it will be interesting to see how their propping of Barack fares against the Kerry/Kennedy/Leahy faction of the machine, and the other assorted and sundry players who remain faceless yet deeply involved in creating this candidate.

I'm sure that a little digging will reveal much more about the wizards behind Obama's curtain. But I've seen enough to verify that all that glitters is not gold.

[tabatha]

1. I have not seen the connection between that ad and Gibbs.

DO you have a link?

[Straight Shooter]

3. Here it is.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/16/politics/main588924.shtml

Also see in_cog_ni_to's post on this issue:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4385168

[kelligesq]

2. What scares me about him is all the Reagan and Republican talk coming

out of him - Mc Caskill voted with the republicans, on the abortion bill he was missing in action..his statements that he's going to bring republicans into
his administration.

So now we have republican leaning Obama and DLC (republican leaning) Clinton.

If they weren' republican leaning we'd have impeachment

Since the MSM picked our candidates, there's no one to vote for between those two.

I'm still voting Edwards, and he can be drafted at the convention if we vote in
enough people and delegates.

I just spoke to an attorney at our local Democratic Executive Committee.

He says John Edwards wording of "suspending" was highly unusual.

(he thought John didnt have the money, but he does and more to come
with matching funds in March. He's for Hillary but mentioned John
has the best health plan!)

"Yes, it means he could come back in" he says

So "Suspended Not Ended" is the accurate slogan

He also advises that delegates at the convention could draft John Edwards -

so its more important than ever that we get on those phones TODAY,if you dont

know how to get dem phone numbers - email me -

And remind people they can vote for John Edwards, he's on their ballot,

get JOhn Edwards the votes to get him delegates at the convention who will draft

him.


Anybody who has access to the States Forum on DU, please copy and print to each

state or your own state.


Pledge your vote for John here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Go Edwardians for John Edwards, For Populism, For This Country, For Your Family

and Yourself :bounce:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4370221&mesg_id=4370221

[Straight Shooter]

4. My problem with McCaskill is she's pro telecom immunity.

It's in the talkingpointsmemo.com archives.

No way was Obama going to actually stand with Chris Dodd and blast telecom immunity. It would have gone against a major force in his machine, Harry Reid.

[mopinko]

5. 'scuse me, but

last i heard his campaign manager was david axelrod, the man who brought us harold washington, chicago's first black mayor. barack has many connections to washington administration people. many. don't suppose that means a lot to too many here, but i assure you that there has not been a more progressive city govenment since milwaukee had a socialist mayor and was named the best run city in the country ('20's)
he also has bill daley, brother of current chicago mayor daley. and before anyone makes anything out of that i will remind them that he got 70% of the vote last year.
there are several other chicago stalwarts on his campaign, including many that helped bill get elected in the first place. hmm.

there have been many sneering comments about chicago politics around here, but i got a flash for y'all. this is still the city that works, and the people here bleed blue. perfect? no. better than all the rest? yes.

[Straight Shooter]

6. You are correct about Axelrod. Gibbs is his communications director.

The Communications Director is a critical component. I was trying to find a definitive description for you, but basically that person is the one who shows the "face" of the candidate, and his/her policies, to the public., to the best of my knowledge.

[Straight Shooter]

7. Where's Toto when you need him.

Okay, not many interested in looking behind the curtain.

If anyone posts I won't be able to respond, I'm off to work. :)

[stillcool]

8. Yikes!!

Christopher Hayes is the Washington, D.C. Editor of The Nation.

This article was originally published on February 1, 2007 for The Nation.
Obama's Media Maven

Even though he lives 1,000 miles from the notoriously clubby world of political consulting, Axelrod has become one of its most successful and respected practitioners. Mark McKinnon, who produced George W. Bush's ads in the last cycle and now works for John McCain, calls Axelrod "the best media guy out there who doesn't have a ring." With his quick wit and knack for soundbites ("The Icon gets hoisted," Axelrod said of the media's treatment of star candidates, "and then it becomes a piñata"), the onetime Chicago Tribune political writer is a favorite of reporters seeking quotes. Charming as he can be with journalists, those who have worked with him say, he can be "aggressive" and "extremely difficult" in the trenches of a campaign. Colleagues point out that he's uncommonly idealistic for someone in his line of work, though a veteran Chicago reporter noted that this has its limits: "He's a principled guy, but he's not a philanthropist. The candidates he's worked for have been well funded, and he's made very good money doing what he does."

Axelrod is known for becoming close to his candidates, and indeed, he has become Obama's closest political adviser, talking strategy daily and producing the two videos recently posted to Obama's website. Reclining in a chair in his Chicago office the week before Obama announced the formation of his presidential exploratory committee, Axelrod was subdued, seemingly exhausted, but intense and hyperarticulate. Like Obama he speaks with what can seem a refreshing frankness, though just a few hours later, going over my notes, it was clear that he had remained scrupulously on message.

Axelrod's firm, AKP Media, which he runs with his partners John Kupper and David Plouffe, has handled a series of high-profile national and state campaigns, from John Edwards's 2004 presidential run to Tom Vilsack's and Eliot Spitzer's gubernatorial races; but for much of its two decades the firm's bread and butter has been mayoral races, with a particularly strong track record in electing black candidates. Indeed, ever since working on the re-election campaign of Chicago's Harold Washington in 1987, Axelrod has developed something of a novel niche for a political consultant: helping black politicians convince white voters to support them. With Obama's bid for the presidency, Axelrod's skill in this area will face the ultimate test.
Christopher Hayes is the Washington, D.C. Editor of The Nation.
http://www.chrishayes.org/articles/obamas-media-maven/

• • Build a national political organization, probably based in Chicago.

Obama's inner circle will grow and diversify. He will need to develop a cohesive and efficient staff. Chief potential rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has a deep bench of battle-tested loyalists. Clinton, a veteran of her husband's 1992 and 1996 presidential contests has vast experience running national campaigns.

The core Obama players -- all experienced in national political strategy -- are Chicago media consultant David Axelrod and, in Washington, David Plouffe, an Axelrod partner; communications chief Robert Gibbs; chief of staff Pete Rouse, and Hopefund political director Alyssa Mastromonaco.

Obama's team has talked to potential staffers but has made no offers, Axelrod told me. They have plenty of time to put together a good campaign, even though others have a head start
http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/154692,CST-EDT-sweet30.article

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. What's the "yikes" about?

Are any of those supporters tainted?

It looks like he tapped into a good organization.

[stillcool]

15. Not unless you think...

someone who worked for John Edwards, Elliot Spitzer, Deval Patrick and others is worthy of vilifying. There's no telling around here these days...

[mopinko]

13. by yikes, you must mean

what a smart guy to put together such a talented team, right?

[stillcool]

14. Yup...

There always seems to be more to the story, when vilification is the goal.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. But none of them are named Mark Penn. nt

[VolcanoJen]

10. You know, with Mark Penn at the helm of the Clinton ship...

... it strikes me as unwise to just now start wondering, "Who are these people?" :eyes:

[blm]

11. BULLSPIT. Clinton-Lieberman wing of the party has its establishment that supports BushInc

and the Kennedy-Kerry wing has its establishment.

The difference is that Kennedy-Kerry wing RAIL AGAINST the establishment DC powerstructure while Clinton-Lieberman wing has long supported and PROTECTED the DC powerstructure establishment.

Clintons deep-sixed all the outstanding matters in IranContra, Iraqgate, BCCI and CIA drugrunning for the powerful elite in the DC BushInc powerstructure while lawmakers like Kerry were UNCOVERING and EXPOSING their crimes and corruption.

The establishment in DC ostracized Kerry - he was an open government Democrat and that made him an OUTSIDER.

Kerry and Kennedy may be progressive establishment but it is ABOUT DAMN TIME that progressives even HAVE a progressive machine to counter the Clinton-Lieberman TRAITOR DEM wing of the party.

[kelligesq]

16. That's crazy. Kennedy 47 year in the Senate is not the establishment?Yikes

is right.

They're all the establishment kerry, Clinton, lieberman, including Obama who votes with the establishment-the established republicans -

Yikes.

[kelligesq]

17. You dont see Kennedy n Kerry yelling for Bush impeachment, dya

[blm]

19. Name ONE lawmaker who has uncovered more government corruption the last 30 years

than John Kerry has.

TRY.

Kerry uncovered and exposed more government corruption than any lawmaker in modern history and THAT is why the REAL powerstructure players despise him and smear him in the media and have for decades.

If he HAD played the game and promised to protect secrecy and privilege then he would have become president long ago.

What Dem president DID deep-six that BCCI report he was handed when he took office?

[blm]

18. BULL. Kerry had establishment against him since he uncovered IranContra, and

then when he unraveled BCCI and it swept up most of the DC powerstructure he was ostracized for years by most of DC.

YOU really don't know reality of DC and the level of the corruption Kerry uncovered there do you, sunshine?

[bvar22]

20. The only candidate MORE "establishment" is Clinton.

Is anyone shocked?

BOTH Democratic candidates are conservative Democrats, well financed by BIG ESTABLISHMENT MONEY.

Neither will rock the boat, or change much of anything in Washington.

Campaign 2008 was a crushing defeat for Liberal/Progressives.