In Vermont, the story is in the details

Given the current contours of the Democratic presidential race, the outcome of Vermont's March 4 primary seems a no-brainer. Even though the state's black population is miniscule, the well-educated, progressive nature of much of the Democratic electorate makes it prime turf for Barack Obama.

Still, a story in today's Burlington Free Press provides the latest example of the degree to which Team Obama has taken nothing for granted and out-hustled Hillary Clinton's campaign in a national battle in which grabbing every delegate possible is key.

The paper reported that Clinton would be dispatching ...

three paid staff members to Vermont this week and that they would be opening an office.

"We know the state is considered an Obama state, but we think Hillary also has support here. We're not writing it off," said Clinton backer Madeleine Kunin, who served as Vermont's first -- and so far only -- woman governor from 1985-91.

Here was the telling information in the article, however. Obama's campaign already has "seven paid staffers in the state, four storefront offices and is running television ads for the Illinois senator."

You can read the rest of the piece here.

The article also mentions but, regrettably, does not picture the two "ObamaMobiles" that Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, founders of the ice cream company bearing their first names, donated to the candidate of their choice. (Cohen is on the rebound -- he previously backed John Edwards, memorably doling out free ice cream samples on his behalf during the walk-up to the New Hampshire primary.)

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Peter Wakeman]

Tthe change that I see and hear is Obama's voice, speech,....showing he is on a roll. Looking at his web site he already is a $100 million man based on money he as had to date. Is the the Rep. frontrunner in for another "near miss" of the White House?

With oil prices going to reach for the sky until it all runs out, I did view that Gore had the ideas to go forward with expensive oil well before most of us became aware.

Looking at the UK and Germany using tax money to support the banking system means a free market is not working. In free market you do not set intertest rates. Who ever wins it appear that money governs us but it is nature that can not accept cash to give us life.

We must take control of the money supply for the people, rather than let private banks create money for their shareholders, inorder to save planet earth and ourselfves.

[Luke]

Doesn't the fact that Hillary waited until now to open any kind of campaign office in Vermont mean that they have already "written it off?"

Don, Andrew, what are your thoughts on Hillary's chances should she lose in either Ohio or Texas? Will she finally stay dead this time? Or do you think she'll drag this thing out to the convention?

[pgo]

Barack Obama's ability to organize, manage and lead this campaign is something that no savvy political operative saw coming.

He created it from scratch, besting (so far) the entrenched power, money and organization of the former president of the United States and his senator wife with her 35 years of experience and their millions of dollars and big money contributors.

The campaign is an unconventional, broad based solution addressing the problem of winning elections. He has out thought, out worked, out performed and out fundraised all of the opposition. It takes excruciating attention to detail coupled with a broad vision and the ability to communicate. It takes a compelling message and the ability to be flexible. This is no trivial accomplishment. Those are leadership skills. This is not the case that merely running a campaign is tantamount to running the country, but this is an example of what it takes to solve a problem from the ground up. It is a blueprint for how he plans to lead the country.

The campaign demonstrates kind of ability and intuition it will take to solve the country's problems. The idea is to build a broad spectrum coalition of Americans to tackle the issues facing the country in unconventional ways. The big rallies are not window dressing. They get voters together and energize them to get more voters. It helps get people to caucuses. And the idea is to keep the collation together and involved after the election to bring pressure to bear on entrenched interests that stifle reform. The politics of gridlock can be at least shaken up, if not overcome, by constituent pressure. One of the reasons Obama has been successful is that he has been adept at building a strong organization in every state in the union from the ground up, linked by a dynamic web-based community.

But I think that the untold story of his campaign is that he has created the model for voter-based financial support. I predict that future successful campaigns will use this model since it frees the candidate (of whatever political leaning) from having to go hat-in-hand to lobbyists, whose interests are pretty much at odds with most citizens.

If you think Obama is under the illusion that everything will be rosy, if he is elected, listen again. In every speech he emphasizes that this will be hard. That people have to participate, that parents have to take responsibility for helping kids learn. That the entrenched interests will fight every step of the way. That young people who are helped out with college costs must give back to the country with service. Americans, whatever their politics or religion or race or gender, are more alike than not. That is the premise of the organization. Meet on common ground, think differently and chart a different course. The goal is to tap the best of a wide variety of political ideas once the taboo of talking with your political opponents is set aside. Obama speaks to what a sizable number of people feel in their gut. Things are very broken and we can't just keep plodding along down the same old trails.

Obama's success doesn't happen by accident. Many supporters may not make the connection between the leadership it takes to do what he has done in such a short time frame and the executive management that underpins it. If all he did was make good speeches, he would not have come remotely close to this level of success.

Hillary and McCain are trying to paint him as shallow and inexperienced. But they are both smart political people and they know for a fact that it is just the opposite. He is a critical thinker and a master strategist. You don't get to be President of the Harvard Law Review by being shallow. And you definitely don't get to this level of electoral success by just having a good speech. His opponents are hoping (ironically) against hope that they can convince the public on those two points, but he has (so far) been three steps ahead. Their attacks don't sell to the voters because Obama has built a staggering ground/online organization and voters can easily connect to the campaign. He doesn't need a firewall. He has hundreds of back burn fires already lit nationwide. That organization is more impressive than the public speaking.

Political operatives are (and will be) studying his campaign in detail. Theoretically, any of the candidates could have mounted a similar operation from a technical point of view. It's not magic. But to do it, it takes insight and foresight, dare I say, from day one!