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The Democratic Strategist

Political Strategy for a Permanent Democratic Majority

Creamer Outlines 5-Month Action Plan

Democratic consultant Robert Creamer, author of this campaign’s political strategy “it” book, has an insightful HuffPo article, “Ten Key Steps to Put Obama Over the Top In November.” In one of the most interesting steps (#5), he urges:

…we also need mass mobilization that relies on “chain reaction contact” — where campaign activity explodes virally — geometrically — to involve millions and millions of self-initiating campaign activists. We need a campaign where millions of Americans wear Obama buttons, where people self-report to walk precincts and use online voter contact tools in droves.
Obama’s primary campaign provides a model, but now that model needs to explode into a social movement that defines the identity of its participants in the way the civil rights and anti-war movements did for an earlier generation. When they consider their role in this campaign, activists need to think about their participation the way volunteers in the civil rights movement thought about their roles at Selma — that they will proudly tell their kids and grandkids that they were there — that they played a part — in the transformational 2008 presidential election.
Obama has an inspirational message, and his campaign has a culture that could actually seed that kind of movement. And it is that kind of movement that could change the electorate so fundamentally that it makes states that are unthinkably Red into Blue states this fall.

A provocative idea, and one which plays to a unique Obama strength — and to a huge blind spot of our adversaries, as James Vega pointed out in a recent TDS post. Creamer’s article has several other ideas that merit support.

One comment on “Creamer Outlines 5-Month Action Plan

  1. Jon on

    Very good article, thanks for the link. [With the 50-state voter registration drive and summer organizing fellows, I think the Obama campaign’s way ahead of Creamer on “Nationally, the campaign must create a mass movement” :-)]
    The only one I disagree with is “Obama should not even think about opting into the system of public financing for the general election.” I don’t know what the right answer is, but he certainly should *think* about offering to opt in if McCain does. If McCain says no, it really calls his “straight talking” and maverick image into question, as well as one of his bipartisan achievements (McCain-Feingold) and long-term commitements (campaign finance reform). On the other hand, if McCain says yes, the Obama gives up what would be a huge fundraising advantage … but he’ll still have an even larger advantage in terms of the number of volunteers he can mobilize, so this is arguably equally favorable turf.
    Hard to know; but it certainly seems a mistake to reject it without even thinking about it.

    Reply

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