Who is David Plouffe?

Cedrick J Alexander, Dateline Alabama Political Analyst

David Plouffe may be considered the man single-handedly responsible for orchestrating one of the greatest moments in American history. It is the hard work of Plouffe and many others than made the realization of Barack Obama becoming the 44^th President of the United States. His wit and skills are second to none in understanding politics, and that is realized in our nation’s first multiracial president.

Barack Hussein Obama made history by recently being inaugurated as the 44^th President in the history of the United States. The event marks a number of milestones in the nation’s history and means something to everyone. People came out in droves to see his inauguration and it has been documented as one of the largest scale events in the history of inaugurations. People from all over the country came out and participated in balls and parties to usher in the newest member of the presidential cabinet. The Obama era has begun and has ushered in, with it, a new age of politics.  Though Obama, the man is historical in the context of history in the United States, one has to wonder how we made it to this point in history. Yes, we are in an economic recession, one of which is also historical in its shape and form, causing numerous layoffs in the human resource department, melee in the banking and automobile industries, and a severe collapse in the housing market as well. Yes, we are in a war; a war that many do not see coming to a peaceful end, and that others do not agree with it. This war is costing the US trillions of dollars to date, and military officials are still trying to figure out how to get out without so much collateral damage. Yes, domestic policy in the US is not the best, with Bush initiatives such as Homeland Security and the Patriot Act that seem to invade the rights of the individual in this country. However, given all the circumstances, were these factors really enough to cause this turnaround in our country? Were these factors what led to the first Democratic president in eight years, or the first African American president in the history of our country? Not as much as people may think. What really caused this part of living history was the people that made it happen; the people with the campaign strategies, the community organizing capabilities, the voters and the ability to get everyone involved. Enter David Plouffe.

Who is David Plouffe you may ask? Let me introduce you. David Plouffe is the chief campaign manager for Senator Barack Obama. Plouffe has long acted as a Democratic political strategist, and aligned with the consulting firm, AKP&D Message and Media in 2000.  A graduate of St. Mark’s High School in Wilmington, Delaware, Plouffe went on to major in Political Science at the University of Delaware from 1985 to 1988. A breed of those like Michael Dell and Bill Gates, Plouffe opted to leave college early to begin his career in politics.

David Plouffe began his work with Senator Tom Harkins 1990 re-election campaign. In that same year, Plouffe worked alongside John Olver, and his first re-election bid in Western Massachusetts Plouffe would later go on to help organize the campaign for Delaware Attorney General Charles M. Oberly, who was unsuccessful against Senator William V. Roth. In 1995, Plouffe worked extensively with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and managed Bob Torricelli’s successful campaign to win the New Jersey Senate seat a year later. 1997 and 1998 found Plouffe working with Dick Gephardt’s Deputy Chief of Staff. Two years later, Plouffe worked again as the executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, leading a national campaign responsible for raising $95 million, a house race record. In 2003 and 2004, Plouffe and David Axelrod began working on Senator Barack Obama’s Illinois Senator Campaign. In May 2008, David Axelrod praised Plouffe, stating he had "done the most magnificent job of managing a campaign that I've seen in my life of watching presidential politics. To start something like this from scratch and build what we have built was a truly remarkable thing."After winning the election on November 4, Obama credited Plouffe in his acceptance speech, calling him "the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the . . . best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America." The Chicago Tribune writes, "Plouffe was the mastermind behind a winning strategy that looked well past Super Tuesday's contests on Feb. 5 and placed value on large and small states."  Plouffe has not been appointed to a position in the Obama administration or presidential transition though he does intend to publish a book entitled The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory. The book will detail tactics and discuss management strategies he used throughout the campaign. The book is set to net him a seven-figure fee. He also signed with the Washington Speakers Bureau to give paid speeches, and plans to engage in non-government consulting work.

David Plouffe’s manipulation of the internet and viral communication led to the grassroots movement that provided a unification of Obama voters around the country. Plouffe utilized techniques that would bring the campaign right into your living room. He engaged a new younger voter base that utilized YouTube, Face book, MySpace, and other social networks that were taboo in previous elections. A genius in noticing this neglected demographic, Plouffe noticed trends, and the effect these tools had. Therefore, he used them to the advantage of the Barack Obama campaign. The rest is history…..literally. 

Doing What Matters For Tuscaloosa's Children

Wednesday I attended the Doing What Matters For Tuscaloosa's Children Conference held at the Bryant Conference Center. The conference comprised of leaders in all fields of education and touched on a broad range of topics ranging from Advocacy for Education in the Legislature to Budgeting and financing education in the state of Alabama. The conference was held throughout the afternoon from roughly 10a to 3p CST. I had the opportunity to sit in on a powerpoint presentation from John Gilbert, a lobbyist for RISE. Gilbert's depiction for Alabama's education system was very bleak. The main issue as is the case for many issues was money. In the state of Alabama there is a lack of understanding in how to manage its finances especially in terms of the education system. Budgets are made with no real backing of where the money is coming from and as a lobbyist Gilbert finds that he has little power in an administration that has so many conflicting opinions. However, Gilbert did express some hope in that of the constituents and the people. The emphasis of his lecture was to show how the constituents had the real power to make a change. Legislators and public officials are forced to run for their position every two or four years, and therefore to maintain their position they need to appease their constituent body. A very good point indeed. Gilbert touched on four points that could make the situation better in the state of Alabama:

• Build relationships

Gilbert expressed to visit your congressman or legislator so that you that you are familiar with one another. That way he or she is more likely to listen to you, and get a better understanding for the pulse of the community. Likely how you feel is indicative of the community as a whole, though this may not be the case all the time.

• Invite legislators to your functions

Gilbert expressed that inviting your congressman or legislator to events in the community builds comradery. He or she understands how the community interacts and how they really feel on certain issues.

• Visit with them

Gilbert asked that you visit them. Don't show up unannounced he mentioned, but at least try to coordinate times to say hi. It doesn't always have to be political.

• Speak to them in the community

Gilbert said to be friendly with your legislators and congressman and make sure to recognize them in public. He also asked people to write their local paper, because legislators read the editorials and things people send in.


Gilbert also mentioned to be well-versed in whatever issue you present to the powers of government and to have developed a backing before confronting them with the issue. He admitted that it is important to be forceful, not aggressive. Gilbert said that it was imperative t be resolution minded when in the midst of political figures because too much pathos arguments can get you dismissed from the conversation altogether no matter how important the subject matter.

Lastly, Gilbert mentioned to always thank politicians for their time. Whether you feel you got something out of it or not, it is not, though thought to be, required for them to listen to you. They have a number of things to do aside from listen to complaints that can be filtered through their assistants and secretaries.

At the end of the day, it really comes to down to what you do. Government works from the ground up and this not in different in advocating education. Change to a failing administration on education will not change if people do not stand up and do something about it themselves. Spread your message, be clear, simple and concise, and collaborate with others that have the same initiative.