InfoAnda - Obama retools campaign machine

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Fatah endorses Abbas as party leader | 9 August 2009
Taliban: 1 missing US trooper dead, other captured | 25 July 2010
Cellphones may protect brain from Alzheimer's | 7 January 2010

Britis quarantined in China over swine flu | 19 July 2009

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Obama retools campaign machine

Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Search Search: Obama retools campaign machine AFP - Saturday, January 31 WASHINGTON (AFP) - - Three days before setting foot in the White House, Barack Obama flipped a switch and set in motion what may prove to be one of the boldest political moves of his presidency. Rather than turning over his Web-powered campaign machine to the Democratic Party or disbanding it, Obama began retooling it as a grass roots activist group to work alongside the White House in promoting his legislative agenda. In a YouTube video as well as an email to the 13 million supporters on his mailing list, the president-elect announced the transformation of "Obama for America" into a new organization, "Organizing for America." "You've built the largest grass roots movement in history," Obama told his backers. "And the movement you've built is too important to stop growing now." Both Democrats and Republicans have been forced to stand up and take notice of the political gambit, which analysts say has the potential to reap enormous rewards but is not without risk or controversy. David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, has stressed that Organizing for America is not aimed at twisting the arms of members of Congress but meant to keep activists engaged on issues such as health care, energy and the economy. "This has obviously never been undertaken before so it's going to be a little trial and error," he added. Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN, a progressive think tank here, likened Organizing for America to former president Bill Clinton's attempt to build a grass roots pressure group on health care reform but agreed that "there really hasn't ever been anything like it before." "Barack is not like any other candidate," he said. "He comes to Washington with more supporters and more modern tools than anyone in history. Barack is going to reinvent the presidency the way he reinvented the campaign." Plouffe's assurances that Organizing for America will not engage in congressional arm-twisting do not have everyone convinced. "Republicans are scared that he's going to turn this thing on in legislative battles, something like health care" said Soren Dayton, a former staffer on the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain. "They've got a 13-million-person list," Dayton said. "They can crash the Capitol Hill phone system anytime they want. "Deploying it in 2010 is another scary thing for Republicans," he said of the mid-term congressional elections. Erick Erickson, editor of popular right-of-center blog RedState.com, said Democrats who get in the way of Obama's agenda may actually be the ones with the most to fear. "It looks like he's going to use this group to push his own party in his direction because it's not going to work (with Republicans)," Erickson said. He said Organizing for America, which will work out of the offices of the Democratic National Committee, threatens to "blur" the "boundaries between the political and the presidential" and could "blow up in his face." "There comes a downside if members of Congress feel like they are being bullied by the president through these means, at which point he may face a backlash within his own party," Erickson said. He also wondered how much even the most hardcore Obama supporters have left to contribute after a grueling primary and presidential campaign. "They run the substantial risk of burning these people out over time," he said. For Republican strategist Joshua Trevino, a co-founder of RedState.com, "Organizing for America is quite explicitly the continuation of the Obama campaign apparatus. "Though cloaked in the rhetoric of volunteerism and community service, it is nothing more than an attempt to maintain, organize, and direct pressure groups as needed by the Democrats at the local levels," he said. "From a tactical standpoint, this is smart politics," he said. "Whether it's good for America is another matter. Community volunteerism and service are not traditionally partisan activities in the United States." Garrett Graff, who worked for Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean in 2004, said there is definitely a re-election campaign aspect to Organizing for America even if its "scale, scope and ambition" are "up in the air." "When you go back and look at politics 50 years from now the 2008 race will be the dividing line between pre-Internet and post-Internet politics," said Graff, who teaches digital politics at Georgetown University. "You can no longer just turn it off the day after the election the way that we are used to in presidential campaigns," he said. "Obama's already built a fundraising machine that is unparalled," Graff added. "If he can double it by 2012 there's not going to be a single person in America who can catch him. "Does anyone think there's a Republican out there who can raise a billion dollars to run against a sitting president of the United States?" Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Technology Obama retools campaign machineAFP - Saturday, January 31 Apple gadget ecosystem plants new rootsAFP - Saturday, January 31 US-TECH SummaryReuters - Saturday, January 31 Hitachi warns of $7.8 billion loss, to restructureReuters - Saturday, January 31 Dell plots smartphone foray, eyes Apple: reportReuters - Friday, January 30 Enlarge Photo A woman watches a message from Barack Obama on his Presidential Exploratory Committee website, in Washington, DC in 2007. Rather than turning over his Web-powered campaign machine to the Democratic Party or disbanding it, Obama began retooling it as a grass roots activist group to work alongside the White House in promoting his legislative agenda. Related Photos Slideshow US elections 2008 Most Popular – Technology Viewed US House approves massive economic stimulus bill Financial crisis bringing global economy to standstill: IMF Soldier suicides hit record in 2008: US Army Merkel and Brown call for global economy rules Boeing to cut 10,000 jobs after loss View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular

Other News on Saturday, 31 January 2009
Iraq encouraged by US reassurances, minister says
Iraq in lockdown on eve of provincial vote
U.S. envoy warns of setbacks ahead in Mideast talks | International |
Obama retools campaign machine
Iraq on high alert after election candidates shot dead
Amanda Bynes Sued Over Multi-Car Pile Up Accident
Spotlight on vote-buying on eve of Iraqi ballot | International |
Apple gadget ecosystem plants new roots
Merkel and Brown call for global economy rules
Facts about Saturday's Iraqi election
Exxon notches 45.22 billion dlrs record profit
Turkish PM defends Gaza outburst
Zimbabwe opposition will join government
Hamas wants new leadership for Palestinians
Congo children branded as witches, abducted: U.N. | International |
Georgia's Saakashvili names fifth PM in five years | International |
Priests' comments on Jews, Muslims embarrass Pope | International |
North Korea warns South on rising tensions
UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari to visit Myanmar
Sri Lanka rejects ceasefire with Tamil rebels
Two auto workers die in clash with Venezuela police
Indonesia to repatriate Myanmar 'economic migrants'
Oil wavers on economic data from Commerce
Thousands Still Without Power In Parts Of Kentucky
Broke Pennsylvania Town Asks Police, Employees To Continue Working
PA State Survey Finds 1 Million People Without Health Insurance, Many Of Them Employed
Update: White House Launches Task Force Headed By Biden To Strengthen Middle Class
Economy Shrinks The Most In 3 Decades; White House Calls For 'Aggressive' Stimulus
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin To Dine With President Obama During Annual Banquet
Report: Republican Senator Being Considered By Obama As Commerce Secretary
India's Tata Motors losses $54 million in quarter
India's Tata Motors reports Q3 net loss of 53 mln dlrs
Rapper DMX sentenced to 90 days in jail | Entertainment |
Taylor Swift launches first headline tour | Entertainment |
Miss America hopes to see Super Bowl champ crowned
Bacon exhibition to open at Madrid's Prado
Franco-Mexican mini matador aims high
Rome University offers master's in teaching the Holocaust
Golden age of archaeology in China
Yes we can: Schools, streets renamed for Barack Obama
Thought things were bad? US survivalists await worse
New photo exhibit pictures black America in racially riven US
ABC's 'General Hospital' getting a makeover
Bollywood's 'Victory' in Colombo
Broke Pennsylvania Town Asks Police, Employees To Continue Despite Lack Of Paychecks
Smokers In California City Face $100 Fine For Smoking In Apartment, Condo
Monster.com Hacked For Third Time
President Obama, Formal Rival Gov. Palin To Dine Together At Annual Banquet
Iraqis vote as violence begins to fade | International |
Islamist looks set to be new Somali president | International |
Hamas needs to be part of peace process: Blair | International |
Security Council reform talks to start in February | International |
Ex-Fannie Mae programmer says not guilty of virus | Technology |
Broadband link to U.S. jobs exaggerated: experts | Technology |
Paul McCartney to headline Calif.'s Coachella | Entertainment |
Rapper DMX sentenced to 90 days in jail | Entertainment |
Italian writer raises case against Button | Entertainment |
Broadway bids to woo audiences amid recession | Entertainment |
De Niro's restaurants to pay $2.5 million in tip case | Entertainment |
Killing of Iraqi candidates highlights dangers
British protests against foreign energy workers spread
Iraq on high alert for election day violence
Brazil will not bow to Italy to extradite Battisti: Lula
U.S. envoy warns of setbacks ahead in Mideast talks
Major political forces in Iraqi elections
Cyprus searches suspected Hamas-arms ship
Obama addresses global trade imbalances with Hu
Obama places call to China's president
US-TECH Summary
Ex-Fannie Mae programmer says not guilty of virus
Data theft from firms topped a trillion dollars in 2008: study
US economy down 3.8 pct, not as bad as feared
Broadband link to U.S. jobs exaggerated: experts
NYC Mayor Bloomberg Announces Major Budget Cuts
Michael Steele Becomes First African-American Republican Chairman
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Italian writer raises case against "Button"
Q&A: `Virtuosos' talk about film awards season
De Niro's restaurants to pay $2.5 million in tip case
Paul McCartney to headline Calif.'s Coachella
Tempers flare in New York horse war
UN confirms special envoy's visit to Myanmar
Bollywood promoter sentenced in bank fraud scam
Strick named director of Nasher Sculpture Center
Liberal Groups Take To Airwaves To Strike Back At Rush Limbaugh
Wall Street Dips On Concerns Of 'Bad Bank' Delay
Yushchenko warns against 'social catastrophe'
S.Korea downplays N.Korea's vow to drop peace pact
Iraqis vote behind barbed wire, testing security | International |
Iraqis vote behind barbed wire as violence fades
Islamist leader wins Somali presidency | International |
U.N. envoy arrives in Myanmar, reform hopes slim | International |
Sputtering Wall Street awaits Obama stimulus
U.S. senator says missile shield could boost U.S.-Russia ties
Obama urged not to backburner climate change
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,236
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 573
U.S. judge says will likely rule for Micron | Technology |
Oxfam says new U.S. strategy needed in Afghanistan
Blackwater's Iraq deal not to be renewed
U.S. eyeing plan for fifth brigade in Afghanistan
Tour Bus Accident Near Hoover Dam Kills 7 Chinese
U.S. State Department Not Renewing Blackwater Contract For Iraq
FDA To Ban Painkiller Linked To Suicides
Florida House Speaker Temporarily Quits Amid Illegal Dealings Probe
Jan 30 Highlights Of Low Points In U.S. Economy
Free online game lets players be Hudson River hero pilots
After Idol, Doolittle Coming Back to spotlight | Entertainment |
Classical fans build vacations around music | Entertainment |
Classical fans build vacations around music
Japan PM set to announce huge aid package: reports
Prosecutor: Polanski defense motion is 'frivolous'
US economy slumps as world crisis tightens grip
SMU's museum opens exhibit of Etruscan artifacts
New Airbus joint-venture with China announced
Spears gets restraining order on Lutfi, Ghalib
After "Idol", Doolittle "Coming Back" to spotlight
India: 5 newborns killed in hospital fire
China's Hu urges Obama to resist protectionism
Endangered Sumatran tigers kill Indonesian farmers
UN urges safety of civilians as Sri Lanka presses for victory
Six dead after tour bus crashes in Arizona: police
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01