Running the Campaign

We have heard (mostly from the Clinton campaign) about what it takes to become President. Hillary had the nerve to rank John McCain more prepared to become president than fellow Democrat Barack Obama. Personally, I think all this talk about what it takes to be President is all BS. I think a better barometer of what kind of President the candidates could become is how they run their respective campaigns. And boy, how the Obama and Clinton campaigns are ran differently. Politico has a great article today about how the Obama campaign has been solid under grave and pressure.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9891.html

After primary losses and negative media, Obama campaign shows no signs of internal struggle. Photo: AP

After Sen. Barack Obama’s third major primary loss and endless media coverage dedicated to dissecting the apparent weaknesses of his candidacy, one of the most striking elements of his campaign this week was what’s missing: any hint of internal upheaval.

At Obama headquarters in Chicago, hundreds of miles removed from the Beltway bubble, advisers held steadfast in their adherence to The Plan, a blueprint devised 15 months ago by the same inner circle that runs the campaign today, supported by the candidate and carried out by a tight-knit staff.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s operation could not be more dissimilar. Her campaign, ensconced in a Washington suburb, has experienced two major staff shakeups fueled by high-level staff rivalries, shifting strategies and an unusual degree of finger-pointing.

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“In a parallel universe kind of sense, there are real similarities” between Obama and Bush, said Jim Jordan, a Democratic consultant who left the top post in Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign amid a shakeup.

“Intense loyalty to and belief in the candidate,” Jordan said, citing the similarities. “Simple, clear lines of authority with real discipline among the staff and consultants. Deep, talented teams. Maybe most importantly, candidates who trust their campaign, who understand what they’re doing, who deliver as well as demand loyalty, who intuitively relate to and handle their campaigns with just the right touch.

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One of my favorite quotes from that article is from David Axelrod, political consultant for Obama. Talking to Obama's would-be media consultant Jim Margolis:

“There are no assholes,” Axelrod responded. “There are going to be no assholes on this campaign.”

There are many reasons why Obama has ran such a successful campaign, but that quote by Axelrod shows what type of campaign it is. In the article, they mentioned that many of the top brass in Obama's campaign are colleagues and close friends. From the beginning, Obama's campaign has not been plagued with infighting, bickering, and existing rivalries. More importantly, there has been no major shakeups in his campaign, minus Samantha Power resigning due to her 'monster' comment towards Clinton. Other than that, it has been relative calm from Obama headquarters.

What is important to note is that Obama has surrounded himself with people who share the same values as him. Obama and his top aides knows who are the line of power runs through and a strong intolerance towards infighting. I truly believe that how he is running his campaign is a prelude to how he would run the white house. He would not tolerate infighting and would want to make the White House run as effectively as it can. How would Hillary run the White House? Just look at her campaign.