Obama team deploys campaign tactics to get point across
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/POLITICS/03/28/obama.campaign/art.questions.whitehouse.jpg caption="President Obama held an online town hall, in which people could send in questions from their computers."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - From fielding questions online, to the staging of events across the country, to deploying thousands of volunteers, President Obama and Democrats are using the same tools that helped them win the White House to push the administration's agenda.
Supporters say the same tactics used during the campaign also work to educate Americans about the president's proposed budget and the stimulus plan.
Political experts say in order for Obama to keep his approval ratings high, he will need his agenda to be successful. To do that, they say, he and the White House will need to keep up the sales job.
The legions of volunteer supporters from the 2008 election are key to that effort. Democrats have a database of more than 13 million e-mail addresses and are eager to harness that support.
The Democratic National Committee has formed a new group called Organizing For America. Last weekend, it organized 10,000 volunteers to canvass across the country to get 100,000 people to pledge support for the administration's policies.
"We are not an electoral organization. I mean this is really about legislative advocacy and so we are going to continue supporting the president's agenda and we are not looking at 2010, and we are not looking at 2012," Mitch Stewart, executive director of Organizing for America, told CNN. "What we are looking at what kind of grassroots organization can best support the president's agenda."
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ACORN is a critical part of this process. That is why there is substantial money for ACORN in the stimulus bill. Indoctrination is happening at a very young age to ensure a continued supply of supporters to help maintain the majority in Congress that the Democrats currently enjoy. Long term indebtedness is not the issue, control of the White House and Congress are the driving forces. In order to reach the socialist goals government must grow and dependence upon the government must increase. This will allow the Democrats to retain control.
I think the imperative to up the PR says a little something about his policies.
Since the GOP's "BUDGET" if you can call that piece of garbage a budget; is nothing but a running campaign add for lower taxes and small government; which Americans are sick to death of hearing already, I can't see President Obama's budget getting too much more greif! Although I agree the more Americans who are educated about the necessity of this budget the better off we'll all be! I can hardly wait to see what the exact details of the GOP budget are, but I ain't holding my breathe for figures as none of them can add 2 and 2 and figure out just why they lost the 2008 election!
Go President Obama!!
if I was the Dems I would have done this since the beginning. This way they are sill consistent and persistent from day one til the end. I'm telling you right now, consistency and persistent is how far you will go, that's for both parties. If Dems look like they are literally working and getting volunteers, then you know what? These people are gonna continue it...
If I'm the Dems, they should keep doing this. It shows consistency, which is so important right now. And let's be fair, we like our workers, bosses and working people who are consistent, believe it or not, is a big word that politicians can use because if you're late, all they gotta do is say, "Where were you before?"
Is not smart politics, is good politics...
generation X and Y have come of age and the rush limbaugh party know this and are terrified. We back Obama.
I think the online questions and open format will help keep Americans involved and interested in the outcome of our country, its about time.
I'm sick to death of "sales jobs" for this or that agenda or car or fragrance or derivative. How about the novel concept of representative democracy by listening to The People and doing what they want, even if it is based on their inferior knowledge and education? It's not Americans that are wrong, it's the career politicians who think they are God's gift to government.
Sleezy president with sleezy tactics treating citizens like morons but I suppose mire than half of them are.
Another miserable failure of Obama is the White House Easter Egg Event via internet.
This has turned into a scalper sale of the tickets on Craigslist.
If the White House can't handle an egg roll, how can they handle the economy? Answer: they can't
I have never seen a president that couldn't come off the campaign trail until this one and the country is sufffering more because of it. It's time he went to work on solving problems instead of talking about them and still blaming Bush.
Are these the same 'political experts' that predicted Obama's defeat to Hillary Clinton in the primary? Or how about the same political experts that kept telling us about the Bradley effect as the election approached... Look, this is a new style of politics. These so called experts are behind the curve. Guys like Ed Rollins and David Gergen are still stuck in the 80's. They're no longer relevent in the internet age.
Why not? Republicans started campaigning on 12109. Democrats are simply using 'Oneupsmanship.' We have a platform and a message. Republicans have Rush, Britney Spears, and a Blue Coloring Book. I enjoy being on the front lines of political warfare.....It will work for US.....
You know what else they could try? Focus, specifics, and consistency.
If you were a million dollars in debt-would you rather have a bankruptcy judge clear the debt and start over--or would you rather borrow another million and now make interest and principal payments on 2 million?
Obama has chose the latter. What do you choose?
I thought I was the only one that could see through Obama's staging of his events.
Thats what Obama does, campaign, because he is to stupid to think and govern without a teleprompter, but as an empty-headed actor he does a good job of reading.
"Thats what Obama does, campaign, because he is to stupid to think and govern without a teleprompter, but as an empty-headed actor he does a good job of reading."
Replace Obama with Bush and it rings true just the same.
It's hard to accept Conservative protestations when GWB did the same thing for 2 entire terms.
For those of you screaming your negative thoughts - again - how about getting involved and doing something positive for your community, state, nation? If you don't like what's happening, then do constructive work to change things. Just quit whining about Obama this and Obama that. He is busy doing exactly what we voted for him to do and I'm proud to be a part of it all!
Obambi is one trick pony, people are getting bored looking at his face listening to his canned speeches with his best friend Mr. Teleprompter right there infront and his left and right. I've seen people slamming their doors on young kids asking them to sign a pledge to support Obambi. There's only so much people can take, honeymoon is over.
The disappointing aspect of the vicious, demeaning attempts to undermine the success of our great country to overcome this difficult and troubled period, does really demonstrate the quality of the present Republican mentality: the envious, destructive cries for failure are beyond dismay and poorly concealed bigotry.
These crude, malevolent, Troglodytes fearing seeing the light, expounding their Republican themes, really is the verbalization of the unspoken, poorly concealed fascist beliefs of 8 years of the Bush gang.
This retaliation is because they are unable to honestly compete toe-to-toe: their answer, destroy the opposition,:Barbarians at the gates of civilization who prefer to destroy than mingle and be lost.
Plain and simple – is his job to keep his popularity high at all costs? He might be looked on more favorably if he stopped appearing on TV everytime you turned it on and actually showed us that he was getting down to the job of being President and not campaigning still. He already has the job but now I worry does he really have what it takes to do the job or does everyone else have to be led through another 4 years of campaign mode so he can say he is liked? Has the stimulus money gone out? Have the banks that got funds lending more? Are less people being evicted? What jobs other than a possible 25 policemen been saved? When will he be creating any other than government jobs? Stop trying to get me to like you and earn my respect for doing your job!
He has to "spin" his approach to the country so the ignorant people who voted for him will buy it. This will be the most disastrous administration in our history.
I back the President 100% Let the man do his job. The hell with Bipartianship. Either you with him or you get ran over. Enough is enough. The republicans aren't going to work with this President under any circumstance. Deal directly with the voters. If these republicans wont work with the President then the voters will put someone in that will. That's it in a nut shell. If the policies begin to work watch out in 2010. More dems on deck and we will move forward as a country.
It's amazing that some folks are complaining about the Dems & Obama "still in campaign mode" while simultaneously attempting to lie and use smear tactics exactly like they used on the Republican side in the last election.
Just in the comments on this page you have someone spreading lies about ACORN being funded by the stimulus, Partisian BS about putting Easter egg hunt tickets on the internet, inability to speak without a telepromter, etc. Gee, why not bring back Palin and "palling around with terrorists", Repubs? That worked so well before.
What in the word are some people worked up about? Calling for him to stop 'campaigning'. Don't YOU want to know what he is proposing? I know it's much easier to just say NO all the time and dis Obama for every little thing he does. I, for one, welcome all the information I can get – and I mean REAL information. NOT angry opinions of the Right. If they have a solution, let's see it. They are acting really weird, giggling behind their 19-page 'here it is, Mr. President' budget that won't have details until 'you'll have to see next week' big shots are going to tell all the little people what their plan is. This is so ridiculous and weird, it's almost surreal.
Wow, just wow.
Mike in Seattle –
wow. you've really got it all figured out, don't you? Seriously, please get help.