The volunteers, Progressives and tech-centered people who came in with Dean made Obama's campaign and made the party. BlueState Digital and the Voter Activation Network - the Internet backbone of the campaign and party - are all Dean folks. I can tell you from personal experience that the Kerry people disdained the Internet.
It's true that many Dean people backed Edwards early on. Why, I cannot tell you. But a lot backed Obama and once he was the nominee, OFA ran the campaign the Deaniacs have been begging the Dems to run since '04.
Obama has been slow to receive support from the party bigwigs. He depended on the volunteer movement and the 50-state strategy. But the Old Guard is still extremely powerful and I predict they will do more than hold Obama's feet to the fire - they will stamp on his feet whenever possible and be generally obstructionist.
Getting Rahm Emanuel (noted Dean-Hater) on his team was shrewd, although I dislike Emanuel intensely - but who doesn't?
On Tue, Nov 4, 2008 at 6:34 PM, shag <shag at cleandraws.com> wrote:
> I was listening to the talking heads on MSNBC and they were going on about
> how Obama basically ignored the traditional Democratic party structure.
> Something about how, in doing so, if he wins, he plans to remake or will
> have the power to remake (not sure which they meant) the Democratic party in
> his image.
>
> The evidence was Obama's internet-based fundraising and probably some other
> blah blah blah.
>
> Doug's pointed out how, if it's all 50 bucks here and there from
> individuals, there's no much of an organizational structure to hold a
> politician's feet to the fire.
>
> Is that what they're talking about? Or is it something else. Anyone know?
>
> That hoser Tom DeLay was on later, going on about how, because of that same
> issue, Nancy Pelosi and crew were going to have their way with Obama, blah
> blah blah.
>
> shag
>
> http://cleandraws.com
> Wear Clean Draws
> ('coz there's 5 million ways to kill a CEO)
> ___________________________________
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>
-- peace,
boddi
http://financialroadtosocialism.blogspot.com/