Phasers Are Locked, Captain

8:38 pm EST June 4th, 2008 | News | 8 Comments

Engage.

Less than 24 hours after securing the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama is putting in place six teams of campaign consultants that will handle advertising, polling and direct-mail efforts for the general election campaign.

Much of the expanded structure is built on an existing core of consultants Obama has relied on throughout his primary bid, although the expansion is significant and includes many (although not all) of the up-and-coming firms on the Democratic side.

I love this stuff. This is the kind of thing I once admired about the Clinton organization and have come to admire about the Obama team. I truly hope the petty, trifling fighting amongst consultants we have seen in past presidential campaigns – Kerry, Gore, Bill Clinton – doesn’t come out with Sen. Obama (Hi, Bob Shrum). I’ve seen no indication for months now that that will be a problem.

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8 Responses to “Phasers Are Locked, Captain”

  1. J.W. Hamner says:
    June 4, 2008 at 9:15 pm

    I don’t know… it seems that competing messages from different groups is what leads to leaks, which is something it seems the Obama campaign has mainly avoided. Wouldn’t you say that HRC’s campaign was at least partially undermined by the fact that they had multiple strategic visions that caused whoever lost that day’s argument to run to the papers in a huff? If they can offer their opinion and maintain message discipline then the more the merrier… if not, then I’d be happier if they got jobs as cable news pundits I could ridicule.

  2. Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle says:
    June 4, 2008 at 9:31 pm

    Haha!! I think Bob Shrum has finally become persona no grata in Democratic circles(just like Mark Penn will become). I could never understand why someone would let Shrum near their campaign. I always wondered why Hillary had Mark Penn run hers and not someone like Carville.

  3. Oliver Willis says:
    June 4, 2008 at 11:13 pm

    Well, as the Post reports, they’ve had these people in place but it hasn’t leaked out until they pushed the story now with the nomination secure. Plus, it seems to follow Obama’s method of picking the right tool for the job. If a firm specializes in black media, youth media, direct mail, etc. get the best team for the job. All indication is that the overall message will come from the main Obama team – Axelrod and company – as it has so far. If the Obama team screws up media strategy, trust me I’ll be the first to bitch since its right in my wheelhouse. I’m okay with giving them the benefit of the doubt for now. They’ve earned it.

  4. SaveFarris says:
    June 5, 2008 at 7:31 am

    J.W. Hamner is close, but the biggest drawback is that you have different teams sending out contradictory messages to different groups of voters. You could very well wind up with a NAFTA situation, where one group is being told Obama is going to re-work the agreement, with the other saying Obama backs it and no changes are imminent. In the age of the internets, it’s almost impossible to be all things to all people.

  5. christie says:
    June 5, 2008 at 9:02 am

    Less than 24 hours after securing the Democratic presidential nomination Barry has changed his position on Israel and Iran.

    Changey!

  6. Duros62 says:
    June 5, 2008 at 10:25 am

    Prove it.

  7. Quaker in a Basement says:
    June 5, 2008 at 10:49 am

    christie, haven’t you learned yet that Hannity lies?

  8. christie says:
    June 6, 2008 at 7:52 am

    Obama at Decemberists gig: “Iran…doesn’t pose a serious threat.”

    Obama at AIPAC: “…The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat.”

    Reuters:

    Facing criticism from Palestinians, Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged today that the status of Jerusalem will need to be negotiated in future peace talks, amending a statement earlier in the week that Jerusalem “must remain undivided.”

    http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0547673120080605