David Axelrod, the main architect of Obama's victory
05 November 2008 à 17h27
| Aucun commentaire
He was one of the few people Obama thanked during his speech on the podium at the Grand Park in Chicago on November 4. The others are his family, his rivals John McCain/Sarah Palin and the director of his campaign, David Plouffe. David Axelrod, his chief strategist, came in 4th position. Last but not least. According to Obama, he was part of « the best campaign team in the history of the USA».
The slogan « Yes we can ! » is his. The theme of change, still his. David Axelrod, 52 years old, is the chief strategist for Obama’s campaign. He did not choose him rather than his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton at random. Yes, he helped the former First Lady to get a seat in the Senate in 2000 and was the spokesman for the Democratic candidate John Edwards in 2004.
However, his speciality is to lead black politicians to powerful functions. Even though he never mentioned the « skin color argument » about Obama, no doubt it influenced his choice. In 1987, he worked on the successful reelection campaign of Harold Washington, Chicago’s first black mayor. Then, he played a key role in several campaigns of black politicians –among whom the first black governor of Massachusetts.
His passion for politics came out very early. At just 13 years old, he sold campaign buttons for Robert F. Kennedy. His father, a psychologist who escaped from the Nazi concentration camps, died when he was 19. His vocation came from his mother, a journalist. After studying political science in the university of Chicago, he worked for the Chicago Tribune and quickly became a star reviewer. In 1984, he became the spokesman for Paul Simon, a Democratic candidate for Congress. Two months later, he was promoted chief of his campaign. He was 29 years old. He opened a consultancy cabinet in Chicago. Since 2000, it has handled 42 campaigns and won 33...
He and Obama have known each other for 15 years. They share the same passion for basketball and baseball. For the announcement of Obama’s campaign, he created a five-minute Internet video released on January 16, 2007. He used a « man on the street » style to create intimacy and authenticity.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/zFBF5AeliNQ&rel=0&fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/zFBF5AeliNQ&rel=0&fs=1</a>
He also made a clever use of the Web 2.0. On Obama’s web platform, supporters can blog, create their own page and even phonebank. It helped Obama to attract the under 30. Most of the 475,000 donors in 2007 gave money on the Internet. Axelrod’s strategy contrasted with Hillary Clinton’s campaign, which benefited from celebrity name recognition and strong support among established Democratic leaders. Axelrod suggested that she was obsessed by the election but did not care about bringing people together. The former First Lady though gave a huge contribution to a foundation co-founded by Axelrod’s wife against epilepsy. A disease from which his daughter suffered badly. Charity does not deal with politics…
The slogan « Yes we can ! » is his. The theme of change, still his. David Axelrod, 52 years old, is the chief strategist for Obama’s campaign. He did not choose him rather than his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton at random. Yes, he helped the former First Lady to get a seat in the Senate in 2000 and was the spokesman for the Democratic candidate John Edwards in 2004.
However, his speciality is to lead black politicians to powerful functions. Even though he never mentioned the « skin color argument » about Obama, no doubt it influenced his choice. In 1987, he worked on the successful reelection campaign of Harold Washington, Chicago’s first black mayor. Then, he played a key role in several campaigns of black politicians –among whom the first black governor of Massachusetts.
His passion for politics came out very early. At just 13 years old, he sold campaign buttons for Robert F. Kennedy. His father, a psychologist who escaped from the Nazi concentration camps, died when he was 19. His vocation came from his mother, a journalist. After studying political science in the university of Chicago, he worked for the Chicago Tribune and quickly became a star reviewer. In 1984, he became the spokesman for Paul Simon, a Democratic candidate for Congress. Two months later, he was promoted chief of his campaign. He was 29 years old. He opened a consultancy cabinet in Chicago. Since 2000, it has handled 42 campaigns and won 33...
He and Obama have known each other for 15 years. They share the same passion for basketball and baseball. For the announcement of Obama’s campaign, he created a five-minute Internet video released on January 16, 2007. He used a « man on the street » style to create intimacy and authenticity.
He also made a clever use of the Web 2.0. On Obama’s web platform, supporters can blog, create their own page and even phonebank. It helped Obama to attract the under 30. Most of the 475,000 donors in 2007 gave money on the Internet. Axelrod’s strategy contrasted with Hillary Clinton’s campaign, which benefited from celebrity name recognition and strong support among established Democratic leaders. Axelrod suggested that she was obsessed by the election but did not care about bringing people together. The former First Lady though gave a huge contribution to a foundation co-founded by Axelrod’s wife against epilepsy. A disease from which his daughter suffered badly. Charity does not deal with politics…
