Things are off to a quick (and impressive) start. Around 9:45 AM (EDT) today, there was DNC-initiated conference call with all 50 state Democratic party chairs. The call was to get everyone on the same page, and to offer a glimpse into the upcoming next steps.
Dean kicked it off and then introduced Obama, who spoke for just a couple minutes. He emphasized that be believes that "change comes from the grass-roots up, not the top down," and said that the watch-word for the approach in working with the state democratic parties was going to be "respect." He noted that they would be doing a lot of listening because "obviously" you know your states better than we do. He mentioned the "50-state" strategy a couple of times. Perhaps most interestingly and importantly, he strongly stressed that the campaign is not going to be just about winning the White House, but building the party, and that they were going to think about all of the races on the ticket, not just those at or near the top. And that there was a strong desire to building a lasting political machine that create victories far into the future. There was a real sense of the big picture, of an attempt a real real and lasting realignment. And, just as clearly, it seemed to me that they realize that winning the White House isn't enough; they want a real mandate for change, and decisive margin of victory in the House and Senate. In sum, Obama was gracious but confident-sounding too, and plainly in charge. Obama then thanked everyone again and turned things over to Paul Tewes and Marygrace Galston, who were just installed at DNC headquarters. I won't go into any detail about strategy and tactics, but I totally came away from the call thinking that there is going to be a high degree of coordination, through the DNC, with all the state parties. It was really exciting to get a glimpse of the work that is being done to put a system in place that should succeed this fall, and well into the future.
WOOT! My first recommended diary. Thanks everyone.
One other thing I found refreshing about what was said during the call is that Obama, Tewes, and Galston all said "we know that hiccups are going to happen, especially in the first few weeks, but we don't want anyone to get distracted by those, and we apologize in advance if something doesn't go as planned." I was particularly impressed with Galston too, and it seemed that she will be heading up the coordination, and leading on putting Obama for America people in place in each state. Yes we can!