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Democrats take control of Obama's ‘Web.org’
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 Obama pays tribute to Kennedy honorees Dec. 6: Before being honored at a special gala at the Kennedy Center, five of the nation's best in entertainment and the arts were lauded by President Barack Obama. NBC's Lester Holt reports. |
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DNC: Meetings kept informational
But DNC spokesman Damien LaVera said the purpose of the gatherings was not to spur people to call on members of Congress to vote for the stimulus legislation. Instead, he said, it was to explain what the plan means for each town, city and congressional district. “It’s not about getting 3,000 people to get 30 of their friends to call their member of Congress,” he said.
Part of the DNC’s success in past few years has come from building a new national voter file. This weekend’s attendees who aren’t already in the DNC file will have their names and e-mail addresses added to that list.
In addition to trying to build support for Obama’s initiatives, the DNC will shift gears late this year or early next year and turn the house-party attendees into part of its campaign apparatus for 2010 campaigns, when all the House members and many of the senators who vote against Obama’s plan will be on the ballot.
Joe Trippi, a pioneer of Internet-based campaign tactics who managed the Dean campaign, called this weekend’s meetings part of a historic advance comparable to the first Wright Brothers flight.
“This is the first time an administration is trying to use these tools (as were used in the Dean campaign) to affect its agenda, just as the Kennedy administration was the first to really understand and use television,” Trippi said. “Because they are pioneers, like the Wright Brothers, I think they’ll make their share of mistakes.”
He added, “The only question I have is putting this under the DNC umbrella, when they’re talking about bipartisanship and trying to stop being polarizing.” Trippi wondered whether the DNC sponsorship might, “start to trigger more partisanship, instead of citizens getting together to rally around the president. I worry about it becoming inadvertently more partisan than administration wants.”
But he added, “The intention is good. I hope it works.”
Republicans are warily watching this weekend’s events.
“While it’s certainly an impressive political tactic, the fact of the matter is the American people have problems with substance of the (stimulus) bill,” said Ken Spain, a spokesman for National Republican Congressional Committee. “Support continues to erode as the public finds out what is in the bill.”
Yet Republicans can’t help but admire the technologically sophisticated Obama/DNC organization.
It has been a long time since any president polled with such lofty approval ratings as Obama’s. If they are still at that level when the 2010 elections arrive, it will be perilous for Reichert or any congressional Republican to run against the Obama record.
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