Tom Baldwin in Washington
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Steve Hildebrand describes himself as a “big fat goof” who is scared of flying. But, as the chief author of Barack Obama's grassroots strategy, he is helping to rewrite America's campaign rulebook.
While Hillary Clinton has won most of the key contests that she has made a priority, Mr Obama is leading the race for delegates because he has picked up most of the other states. “We have competed in large and small states — primaries and caucuses — and not let any state go by,” Mr Hildebrand explains in an interview with The Times. “It's beyond me why the Clinton campaign did not do the same.”
Mr Hildebrand, 45, noted that Mrs Clinton largely turned her back on states that held caucuses — events with smaller turnouts where an organisational edge counts for more than in primary elections. Indeed, after spending up to $25 million (£13 million) losing in Iowa, she has railed regularly against the “unrepresentative” caucus concept. The result was that in the last eight caucuses Mr Obama picked up 209 delegates, compared with her 96.
When Mrs Clinton won New Jersey, which has a population of 8.7 million, rules that required delegates to be awarded proportionately meant that she made a net gain of just 11. By contrast, Mr Obama's huge margin of victory in Idaho — population 1.5 million — earned him 12 more delegates than Mrs Clinton.
Mr Hildebrand had set up five campaign offices in Idaho by last autumn, an unprecedented effort for a reliably Republican state that is usually ignored by Democrats. The benefits could be seen even before the vote on February 5, when Mr Obama staged a rally in Boise that was attended by four times more people than the entire turnout for the 2004 caucus.
Mr Hildebrand says that much of this is because of the swelling wave of enthusiasm washing across America for Mr Obama, reflected in massive fundraising from hundreds of thousands of small donors. “That has made such an incredible difference for us. Everywhere we open a campaign office, the volunteers just flood in and ask what we want them to do.”
He recalls an event a year ago in Austin, Texas, “where we put together a rally out of a book club for Audacity of Hope [Mr Obama's bestselling memoir] and three or four hundred showed up. Most of them had not been involved in politics before but were just struck by something about this guy.”
In contests such as South Carolina, Mr Obama eschewed the time-worn technique of seeking the backing of established black community leaders and offering them “walk-around money” to mobilise votes. “Some of the ways that Democrats fought elections in the past, we just didn't want to do,” Mr Hildebrand says.
To the columnist Joe Klein, Mr Obama can sound self-referential — to the point of insubstantial — about this high-minded candidacy. “The Obama campaign all too often is about how wonderful the Obama campaign is,” he said.
But the mechanism is also the message for Mr Obama, whose grassroots campaign reflects his view that change comes from the bottom up — and that Democrats must win in Republican states. Mr Hildebrand describes this as “Barack's organisational philosophy and belief as a national leader”.
Mrs Clinton has recognised belatedly that she cannot allow Mr Obama to continue gaining easy wins and is pouring resources into Wisconsin before Tuesday's primary. Mr Hildebrand responded: “We've had staff there for five weeks.” Although insisting that the battle is far from over, Mr Obama's campaign appears substantially more harmonious than the Clinton camp, which has undergone a shake-up this week amid reports that some of the senior advisers — known as “The Five” — are falling out.
Mr Hildebrand is at pains to give credit to the leadership of David Plouffe and David Axelrod in the Obama campaign, as well as to a team of organisers “who are a lot smarter than me”. He says: “I don't want to be like Karl Rove. One person in politics does not have that much influence on anything. Rove built an image for himself as the guy who got Bush elected twice. Sure - and then they went forward to destroy this country.”
When Mr Obama's advisers started to consider a run for the White House in November 2006, it took a “big leap of faith” to put together an insurgent campaign “with no donor base up against the Clintons”.
But it is a measure of how far they have come that Mr Hildebrand says: “We always hoped it would look something like this.”
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I quite agree with Dr. Okeniyi. America needs a lot of cleanup to do on racism and gender issues.
Faith, Kansas, US
I have read extensively about racism and sexism as pertaining to the 2008 US presidential elections and I have been wondering: Were Hillary male would she have made as much 'impart'? I think not. I think she truly is riding the gender wave much more than Sen. Obama has been riding the race wave. I beg to submit that were Mr. barack not black, the Democratic primaries would have been long over. I think Barack should be President and Mrs Speaker (Pelosi) or some other influential white woman shold be Vice, What do you Think?
John Akintunde OKENIYI (Dr.), Ilesa, Nigeria
Obama have two Davids in his camp, I think is impossible for him to lose the war, even though they may lose some battle.
Obama all the way. We are praying for you from Japan. Ganbare
Emeka, Kobe, Japan
God has always used the weak elements of this world to confound the wise, His ways are not our ways. God definitely is trying to establish a new path for America which in turn will impact on the entire global land scape. America has suffered so much of international disdain in the aftermath of the Iraq'y war. She deserves better as the leader of the free world. To become relevant in the coming decade America need a new global image. Who knows, He might just use a man like Mr Obama, He moves in a mysterious way. America definitely need a fresh air, and whatever might be Mr Obama's lack of 'experience. will be conpensated for by the broad rainbow coalition he is trying to build. Any successful leader has surrounded himself with sound advisers. I think God is doing a new thing in America, and Obama appears to be the messenger.
Jonathan Lawoyin DDS, Ibadan, Nigeria
GOD bless you Barack Obama! The United States of America is in dire need of something refreshingly new and you are that champion, David who killed the giant, Goliath! America deserves the audacity of hope, faith in miracles and fulfillmment of dreams. Clinton describes you as "all talk and no action," please reveal more of your pragmatic, workaholic nature and untiring commitment to the uplift of both the ordinary and extra-ordinary Americans! Forward Ever, Backwards Never! Go for Gold and Diamond in the contest. Never rest on your oars until victory leads you to the White House. Aluta Continua, Victoria Acerta (The Struggle Continues, Victory is Certain)! Again, may GOD almighty and Father of our Savior, JESSUS CHRIST shower blessings and victory for the American people through your election contest win, Amen!!!
Francis Ibe MOGU, Ph.D., Ukpe - OGOJA, , NIGERIA
Clintons had their 8 years. They were filled with Lies , scandals and impeachment. Why would anyone want to go back to that ? Go Barack ! ! !
TIM, BETHLEHEM, BETHLEHEM
Go Hillary !!
Beat Obama
Pennsylvanians For Clinton
The Republicans are laughing at us saying to
themselves
"If Obama wins the nomination,
McCain wins the White House!!!"
Real PA Voter, Philadelphia, PA
Marc - you've struck a chord there !
Millions of dollars wasted on media adverts, entertaining and razmatazz.. .whooping and hollering ..!
Democracy - offer yourself for election .. at whatever level ..not unless you have funds
And then there's all the 'pork barrel' politics.. favours to donors.. jobs for the cronies..
A bit of disenfranchising key blocks of voters...lots of funding .. a good PR team and you too can be elected in the USA .. into 'community' jobs as well, never mind the previous incumbent's record or your own qualifications.
And of course, American 'democracy' makes that of the rest of the world somewhat irrelevant..
Bootbear, Bedford, England
I am tired of those person who want to refer to obama as a African American president. He is mixed raced and entitled to the support of all people. I this is message is universal and not race-based. I think he is young and fresh and certainly can motivate the great nation of America. The united states of America is a wonderful country and has been undervalued because of what some former presidents have done.
Go obama
alice murray, barbados, west indies
The most advanced country in the world spends hundreds of millions of pounds on electing their president.
The same funds represent the economy of a small 3rd world country struggling to feed its children.
No charitable fund raising campaigns could come close to what these candidates can raise & spend!
Human nature and compassion at its very best.
marc, ballymena,
run and run hard in Texas, Hillary Clinton will lost hope
roy, Danville, Ill.
Hope assurdely has audacity. His appeal is in the poetry of his message, and his message, bears the prose of a new American commonwealth of unity and not complexity. And O! yes, "we are the ones we've been waiting for."
Kwadwo, Riverside, California, U.S
How refreshing. Let's hear it for the return of common sense in electoral campaigns; the Obama campaign is more than about Obama. It is the belief that people can dream again, but also conduct themselves better than the sleazeballs and cynical manipulators who formed Bush's campaign team.
I think that Hillary Clinton probably has more integrity than her husband, but she represents creeping monarchy, and a vote because she's a woman, which is a cynical, politically correct vote. Obama's great achievement is his inclusiveness. The whole world, fed up with the Bush years, is excited about his campaign.
David MacKinnon, Amstelveen, Netherlands
âWe always hoped it would look something like this.â
That final quote says it all...
Before the strategies and the planning... before the details and the substance... Obama, his team, and his campaign dared to Hope!
...just when i thought there was no hope left for States ;-)
Go Obama!!
Jerry, London, UK