Writing The Book On The Obama Camapaign

The AP reports that David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, will have a book coming out in 2009:

Barack Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, is writing a book about the historic election victory and has retained Washington attorney Robert Barnett, Obama's literary representative, to shop the proposal to publishers.

The book has been tentatively titled, "The Audacity To Win," a reference to Obama's million-selling "The Audacity of Hope." Having helped manage one of the most sophisticated and highly praised campaigns ever, Plouffe plans not only an inside look at the Obama run but also advice for how to manage a large organization.

"Hopefully, there will be some lessons on how to put together a three-quarters of a billion dollar operation," Plouffe said Wednesday, adding that the book would be high on tactics, and low on gossip, with an inevitable critique of the rival campaigns.

"I don't have a huge interest in scoring points, but there was a difference in strategy and approach," he said of the organization of Republican John McCain.....

Plouffe, whose wife recently gave birth to a girl, said he remains in touch with his former colleagues and that Obama is aware of and approves of the book.

"His only advice to me was `Don't damage your reputation by writing a bad book,'" said Plouffe, who besides writing his book, plans on working as a consultant and spending time with his family.

Georgia Senate Race, Preview Of 2010?

Some interesting post-mortem in the blogasphere today:

From FiveThirtyEight.com

I tend to think that we should not be too dismissive of Saxby Chambliss's win in Georgia tonight. Although the outcome was expected, and although runoffs and special elections sometimes behave in idiosyncratic ways, moving from a 3-point margin of victory on November 4 to a 15-point margin of victory a month later is a significant accomplishment..........

(snip)

While proportionately lower black turnout tells part of the story, Chambliss also appeared to gain with white voters. In certain ways, this is an awkward time for a Democrat to be running for office. On the one hand, with the imminent end of George W. Bush's term in office, and the fact that Barack Obama has effectively been serving as shadow present -- Obama is generating between two and three times as much news coverage as Bush according to Google traffic metrics -- it has already become harder for Democrats to pin our country's problems on the Republicans. Yes, Bush did damage to the Republican brand that will last for years to come, but it's the Obama brand that's strong more so than the generic Democratic one. On the other hand, because Obama hasn't actually been in office, the Democrats do not yet have any accomplishments to point to. The Democratic message in 2010 will essentially be one of two things...

1. Obama's accomplished X, Y and Z and showed the country the way forward, let's give him leaders in Congress who can continue to deliver for the middle class, or,

2. Obama accomplished X, but he couldn't accomplish Y and Z because the Republicans obstructed those measures to protect the special interests ... let's put partisanship behind us and elect leaders in Congress who can represent the common good.

And a contrarian view from D-Day:

It's a little funny to see Republicans claiming momentum in the country after an incumbent Senator wins a low-turnout runoff election in Georgia. Lots of us were hopeful that Jim Martin could steal the race, but let's face it, he was running uphill the whole time. Especially because Chambliss ran almost entirely on the concept of "divided government" and obstructing Barack Obama's agenda, which works among Republicans in a red state. They had to have this race and they spent millions to keep it. In Georgia.

I'm supposed to be upset? What's notable is that the race was close enough to go to a runoff at all.

Yes. Democratic prospects in 2010 will rise on fall on them delivering for the American people or calling out the obstruction. Martin had no access to these messages, and was making them, again, in GEORGIA. While Chambliss' "I'll obstruct everything" message is operative. This is what you can take out of this race - the plain fact that Republicans aren't ready to make nice, that they will block whatever they can block, and that Democrats had better start strategizing ways to get things done.

Georgia Senate Race Called For Saxby Chambliss

As I write this, with 92% of precincts reporting, incumbent Republican Senator, Saxby Chambliss is leading the Democratic challenger, Jim Martin, 1,113,017  to 809,974.

From MSNBC.com

Turnout was light throughout the state Tuesday. A spokesman for Secretary of State Karen Handel predicted between 18 and 20 percent of the state's 5.75 million registered voters would cast ballots — far less than the 65 percent who voted in last month's general election.

Martin made the economy the centerpiece of his bid, casting himself as a champion for the neglected middle class. He also linked himself at every opportunity to Barack Obama and his message of change. The Democratic president elect was a no-show on the campaign trail in Georgia but did record a radio ad and automated phone calls for Martin.

In the end, Martin, a 63-year-old former state lawmaker from Atlanta, wasn't able to get Obama voters back to the polls in large enough numbers to overcome the Republican advantage in Georgia, which has become an increasingly a reliable red state since 2002.

Chambliss' argument that he's needed as a firewall to Democratic dominance in Washington resonated with some voters.

Murray Gottlieb, 54, a caterer in Savannah, said he voted for Chambliss because he doesn't want complete Democratic control of the Senate.

"I support Barack Obama now. I hope he's the best president we've ever had and we get out of the funk we're in, but I don't want to give him that much power," Gottlieb said after casting his ballot at a church in Savannah.

The race is already being picked apart and analyzed as Republicans and Democrats look towards 2010

From FiveThirtyEight.com:

A disappointing night for Democrats. On November 4th, Democrats became the de facto ruling party ... circa 2006 or so, the Dems got very good at figuring out what sort of messaging works when you're in the minority, but that's very different from the sort of messaging you have to do when you're in the majority. There's going to be a temptation in some circles to write this one off to poor African-American turnout or whatever, and that certainly is a large portion of the story. But I think the Democrats need to think carefully about what went wrong here as they begin to gear up for 2010.

Obama X-Files

From Politico.com:

A "million fax on Washington" directed by the head of the Extraterrestrial Phenomena Political Action Committee (X-PPAC) to demand that Obama "demand 

a full briefing from your military services and intelligence agencies regarding what they know and what they are doing about extraterrestrial related phenomena" and "formally acknowledge the extraterrestrial presence and finally end the truth embargo after 61 years."

X-PPA

C's executive director, Stephen Bassett, writes in his own open letter that he believes that the transition chief is a secret ally in this:

If you are in need of counsel to assist you in these matters, you have but to turn to your transition co-chair, John Podesta. His efforts to end the truth embargo and release all relevant government documents date back to at least 1993 and the Rockefeller Initiative. PRG believes he is fully aware of the extraterrestrial presence and is committed to creating more open, transparent governance. In this he is in sync with the chief financial backer of his Center for American Progress think tank, George Soros.

So, I do a google search with "Obama/ Extraterrestial", hoping to find some goofy photo of a space alien with Obama's face, and I run into this instead:

Sean Hannity had on his show Prof Gunderson, who has done research on Obama's blood chemistry and its extra-terrestrial origins. Dr Michael Savage has had on his show TWO bio-chemists who have made similar enquiry, and determined that Obama has three chromosones of non-human origin. And then, on Coast To Coast we have learned of the stunning evidence that Obama actually admitted in private conversation, years ago in Chicago, that he is "not of this Earth". He has even admitted it! He must be impeached!! We must continue to amass evidence that not only was he not born in the US -- he wasn't even born on this planet.

Seizing our guns is only the beginning. He will soon be going after our time crystals, our ray guns, and our special shelters. This is only the beginning of his Infamy.

Sean Hannity is right. There is no limit to what Obama will do to this planet. Why? BECAUSE HE WAS BORN ON ANOTHER PLANET.

You can't write this stuff.

Obama Healthcare Team Responds To Public Comments

Last Friday I posted that Obama's transition team had started a "conversation" on it's Change.gov site about the state of healthcare in this county, by asking for the public to answer this question,

"What worries you most about the healthcare system in our county?"

Nearly 4,000 responses later, members of healthcare transition team, including former Senator, Tom Daschle reviewed the comments over the long weekend, then posted a YouTube video today with their reactions:

Conservatism By Any Other Name is McCarthyism

Interesting opinion piece in the LA Times today, authored by Neil Gabler:

The creation myth of modern conservatism usually begins with Barry Goldwater, the Arizona senator who was the party's presidential standard-bearer in 1964 and who, even though he lost in one of the biggest landslides in American electoral history, nevertheless wrested the party from its Eastern establishment wing. Then, Richard Nixon co-opted conservatism, talking like a conservative while governing like a moderate, and drawing the opprobrium of true believers. But Ronald Reagan embraced it wholeheartedly, becoming the patron saint of conservatism and making it the dominant ideology in the country. George W. Bush picked up Reagan's fallen standard and "conservatized" government even more thoroughly than Reagan had, cheering conservatives until his presidency came crashing down around him. That's how the story goes.

But there is another rendition of the story of modern conservatism, one that doesn't begin with Goldwater and doesn't celebrate his libertarian orientation. It is a less heroic story, and one that may go a much longer way toward really explaining the Republican Party's past electoral fortunes and its future. In this tale, the real father of modern Republicanism is Sen. Joe McCarthy, and the line doesn't run from Goldwater to Reagan to George W. Bush; it runs from McCarthy to Nixon to Bush and possibly now to Sarah Palin. It centralizes what one might call the McCarthy gene, something deep in the DNA of the Republican Party that determines how Republicans run for office, and because it is genetic, it isn't likely to be expunged any time soon.

Read the rest here. It's worth it.

60 Minutes For 60 Seats

We're only two days away from a gaining a 60-seat filibuster-proof Senate majority.

On Tuesday, December 2nd, the good citizens of Georgia will go to the polls for the second time in less than a month to chose their next Senator in an unexpected run-off election. Currently Democractic challenger Jim Martin trails Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss by only a few percentage points. But the polls mean nothing. Turnout means everything.

We need your help to get out the vote. Will you commit to taking 60 minutes out of your busy schedule between now and 3pm on Tuesday, Dec. 2nd?


Just click here to get started making calls.


Why do I say we're only two days away from a gaining a 60-seat filibuster-proof Senate majority? Because with Al Franken projected to eek out a victory in a drama-filled Minnesota recount, the only thing standing between advancing Barack Obama's ambitious agenda to reform our health care system, create 2.5 million new jobs with much need infrastructure and green technology programs, get our economy back on its feet with a responsible fiscal policy, and develope alternative energy programs that will wean us off foreign oil is Saxby Chambliss, a one-term Georgia disgrace, who only got his Senate seat by smearing a triple-amputee war hero as a friend to terrorists.


Just click here to get started making calls.


If you're not already a member on mybarackobama.com, just create a new account. It will take you all of five minutes. Then log on and follow the directions to make calls from your home or office.

The feedback we've gotten so far has been amazing. Every voter we've contacted has committed to making their voice heard on Election Day. The more voters we contact, then better chance Jim Martin has. Remember, the polls mean nothing, turnout is everything.

We hardly had to tell that to 108 year-old Nannie Haygood from Culloden, GA, a life-long Democrat who proudly told a volunteer she'd be driving herself - and 4 of her best friends - to the Culloden City Hall and Fire Department to vote on Tuesday.


Just click here to get started making calls.


Can you commit 60 minutes? Especially on Election Day? Georgia is 3 hours ahead of us and their polls are open from 7am to 7pm local time, so the best time would be to call first thing in the morning before you go to work.

Can you commit to waking up an hour earlier than normal Tuesday so you can make phone calls? How about shifting your morning workout to the evening?


Isn't healthcare reform, a clean environment, 2.5 million new jobs and sustainable, renewable energy worth an hour of your time?


Just click here to get started making calls.

Governing 2.0

From MyDD.com:

In what is a first step toward Barack Obama's promise to have an open government and one that is more of a 2-way conversation, Change.gov has gone interactive. The first topic President-elect Obama's transition team is asking our input on:

What worries you most about the healthcare system in our country?

There are already more than 3,000 comments.

Check it out for yourself here.

Enough

In the last few months, in my work on the Obama campaign, I've had a lot of folks ask me why I was supporting him.

Back in April, 2007 I was a delegate for the California State Democratic Convention - not the national convention in Denver - just the state party. The convention that year was a high-profile event, all the Democratic contenders were there to give speeches and work the crowd - everyone from Hillary Clinton to Mike Gravel.

Clinton was the first to speak, and gave a competent red-meat speech that definitely fired up the crowd. She assured us she would fight for us and take that fight right to the Republicans. She was, she told us, the only one who could.

Obama was next. He started his speech by introducing himself as the candidate with the funny name and the big ears. And then he did something extraordinary. He didn't talk about himself for the rest of his speech. He talked about us.

He talked about how it was in our power to take back our country. About how we needed to look after one another, how we needed to talk to one another as neighbors. As Americans. Even if we stood on opposite sides of the political isle. He talked about how we had to take responsibility if we wanted to change our country, because it was beyond the ability of one man or one woman to do so.

In a sea of candidates who talked about what they would do for us and how they would take the fight to the Republicans, Obama was the only candidate offering us a partnership in his campaign, the only candidate who offered co-ownership, who asked us to do the work, so that together we could prevail.

I never looked back.

One of the really awful byproducts of eight years of Bush/Cheney has been a Darwinian (ironic, I know ) emphasis on selfishness. When 9/11 hit, Bush could have asked anything of us, and we would have done it. Drive less to reduce our dependence of foreign oil? Sure. Reconnect with our neighbors, so that we'd be there for each other in a time of national emergency? Absolutely!

But instead he told us to go shopping. Shopping.

So on some level, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it's come to this:

WORKER DIES AT LONG ISLAND WAL-MART AFTER BEING TRAMPED IN BLACK FRIDAY STAMPEDE

by Joe Gould
NY Daily News
Updated Friday, November 28th 2008, 11:58 AM


A Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island store Friday morning, police and witnesses said.

The 34-year-old worker, employed as an overnight stock clerk, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.

Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him.

"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too...I literally had to fight people off my back."

The unidentified victim was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m., police said.
The cause of death was pending.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was knocked to the floor during the mad rush. She was hospitalized for observation, police said.

Three other shoppers suffered minor injuries, cops said.

Before police shut down the store, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the store clerk's life.

"They were working on him, but you could see he was dead, said Halcyon Alexander, 29. "People were still coming through."

Only a few stopped.

"They're savages," said shopper Kimberly Cribbs, 27. "It's sad. It's terrible."

I hope with all my heart that one of the byproducts of an Obama administration will be the chance that this kind of horror won't likely happen again. 

A girl can dream.

Walmart security camera caught the stampede

Giving Thanks For A Brainy President

From the Washington Post:

Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan were certainly not intellectuals, but they understood the power of the presidency and they knew how to impose their agendas on their political partners and rivals.

By contrast, Jimmy Carter was a whiz at policy analysis and Bill Clinton grasped the connections among issues almost intuitively. Yet neither of them left the White House with a record of great achievements.

So for several years, I have been arguing that there are traits much more important to the success of a president than brainpower. Self-confidence, curiosity, an eye for talent, the ability to communicate, a temperament that invites collaboration -- all these and more rank higher on the list of desirable presidential traits.

I am not ready to abandon that view. But I am struck by how lucky this country is, at the moment, that the president-elect is a super-smart person like Barack Obama........

Even in the emotional maelstrom of his election victory, and even with the pressures of assembling his administration, everything points to his managing to focus on the policy choices looming in the economic field.

I have talked to two people on the fringe of the transition team -- both members of Congress with major responsibilities in the economic area. Both have been asked for input by Obama, and both say that the quality of his questions -- and his follow-ups -- were a measure of the depth of his knowledge of the situation.

Read the rest here.

Obama's Thanksgiving Day Address

The Devil Goes Down To Georgia

The Republicans are turning up the heat in Georgia. First, it was announced that Sarah Palin would be criss-crossing the state on Monday, now the National Republican Trust PAC -- the conservative group that ran national ad campaign hitting Obama over Reverend Wright -- is out with an attack ad going after Jim Martin.



From TalkingPointsMemo.com:

The ad -- a sign of the conservatism of Georgia's electorate if there ever was one -- also assails Obama over his "spread the wealth" comment and claims that a vote for Dem Jim Martin is a vote for "Obama's radical agenda." It implores that voters "stop Barack Obama."

Rick Wilson, a consultant for the National Republican trust, says that the group will have spent close to a million airing that and another earlier spot by runoff day next week.

Saxby Chambliss, is an ultra right-wing conservative who has voted with the Republicans 94.4% of the time. He is a sure vote in a filibuster situation. But a win in Georgia would make the Senate nearly filibuster-proof.

With Alaska going blue, the Democratic majority in the Senate up to 58, and Democratic candidate Al Franken is only a few dozen votes away from winning in Minnesota pending a recount.

A win in Georgia would bring us up to the magic number 60, and that would mean Obama will have a much better chance of being able to enact real change.

Folks, this is all about turning out the base. The GOTV effort on the ground will make or break this effort.

Here's how you can help:

PHONE BANK THIS WEEKEND

Saturday, November 29

11am to 3pm

Pot Luck Phone Bank With A View!

Ingrid van Eckert and John Blumenthal's place

401 california Ave # 8

Santa Monica, 90403

(park in the public garage on 4th 

street between California and Wilshire)

Bring your cell phones, your chargers, and your leftover Thanksgiving feast! 

We'll provide the drinks!

PLEASE RSVP HERE

Sunday, November 30

12pm-3pm

Pot Luck Phone Bank and Hot Tub Extravaganza 

at Marta and Warren's

758 Palms Blvd., Venice, CA 90291

Bring your cell phones, your chargers, your bathing suit and your leftover turkey trimmings. We'll supply the drinks and hot water!

PLEASE RSVP HERE

PHONE BANK FROM HOME

Click here to get started