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.