Politics

Obama bringing back 2008 team for 2010 midterm elections

AJ Contributor
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The New York Times is reporting that President Obama is getting the 2008 election crew back together to stave off disaster in November:

Mr. Obama has asked his former campaign manager, David Plouffe, to oversee House, Senate and governor’s races to stave off a hemorrhage of seats in the fall. The president ordered a review of the Democratic political operation — from the White House to party committees — after last week’s Republican victory in the Massachusetts Senate race, aides said.

The Obama political machine is already legendary, but their efforts in 2010 will face a vastly different political landscape than in 2008, when voter anger at Republicans and President George W. Bush was at an all-time high.  After Scott Brown’s victory, there was much speculation about what lessons the White House would garner from the rejection of Democrat Martha Coakley in an overwhelmingly Democratic state.  According to the Times, it appears the White House will press on with health care, but it believes that voter anger over health-care plan stems from poor communication and political wrangling:

The long and messy legislative fight over health care is a leading example of how Mr. Obama has failed to connect with voters, advisers say, because he appeared to do whatever it would take to get a bill rather than explain how people could benefit.

“The process often overwhelmed the substance,” said Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director. “We need to find ways to try to rise above the maneuvering.”

This strategy carries many risks, including the possibility that voters already deluged by months of vigorous debate may not be interested in, or swayed by, a new communication strategy from the Obama White House.

Full story: Obama calls team from 2008 for races in fall