Get Out the Vote
In “The Audacity to Win,” David Plouffe explains why Iowa, the first primary/caucus in the cycle, is so important to a presidential race. In a conversation with David Axelrod, he says, “we were running against such a formidable front-runner that if she won the first few contests, the race would be over. We would never be able to erase her big leads in the latter primary states, and at that point, her organizational and financial advantages would really kick in, as she looked to be the all-but certain nominee and we campaigned states where we had spent little time and resources. As Ax told me over a breakfast in Chicago on day during this period, ‘I really don’t think we have a choice. It’s Iowa or bust.’” (44)
He did just that. After winning in Iowa, the campaign took off and Obama was now to be taken seriously. On January 23, 2008, Obama won Iowa, defeating Clinton and Edwards in the first major primary. He lost the New Hampshire primary but bounced back in South Carolina, winning by thirty points. (45) Obama took more states than Clinton on Super Tuesday but he trailed in terms of the popular votes and Clinton maintained a slim lead. Throughout this time the field, fundraising and technological data gathering continued to grow as the campaign moved from state to state. Obama was able to counter every obstacle put in his way. He weathered the storm of Samantha Powel’s comments on Hillary Clinton, where she called the senator a monster during an off the record conversation, successfully sidestepping his former foreign policy adviser’s comments and while staying focused on his main objective. (46)
When he was questioned about his connections with Reverend Wright, Obama and his speech writers countered with “A More Perfect Union,” an uncannily calm composition that answered the question from critics from all angles. This could have ended the candidate, but instead, Wrights comments fueled an already hot fire in the field, helping to raise funds and interest for Obama and his campaign. Calm and collected, the Illinois senator continued to remain in control of his emotions and the campaign, bowling a 37 in Altoona, PA and finally winning the Democratic Nomination after the North Carolina Primary. In June, with a surge of 40 new super delegates’ endorsements, he officially took the democratic nomination.
The infrastructure that had been created during the primaries supported the weight of the general election with ease as the candidate’s popularity and piggy bank continued to grow. According to the Washington Post, “3 million donors made a total of 6.5 million donations online adding up to more than 500 million. Of those 6.5 million donations, 6 million were in increments of $100 dollars or less.” (47) This financial support help led to an unprecedented amount of adds, yard-signs, buttons etc. Not only was McCain outspent, he was, more importantly, out-strategized by Obama’s tactician at every measurable point. In the end, more than 69.4 million Americans cast their vote for Obama, while some 59.9 million voters chose McCain. (48) The end result was an Obama victory with 365 votes to McCain’s 173.
Although the candidate got most of the praise for the victory, it was in fact the strategic ground game led by college students, interns, ordinary citizens from big cities and small towns, people from every color, belief system and income level, all of whom were willing to sacrifice their time and energy to a call bigger than themselves. Change doesn’t happen by accident, it occurs through the consistent and intentional moves of believers in an idea that is rooted in strategy, proper and deliberate organization and implementation. The Obama ‘08 campaign serves as an example of what’s possible when things are properly planned and acted upon.
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