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Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008

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Barack Obama
2008 Democratic candidate for
President of the United States

Campaign website www.barackobama.com
Current office Senator 2005–present
Last office Illinois State Senator 1996-2004

Barack Obama, the junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. He is seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election.[1][2] Obama announced at the Old State Capitol building where Abraham Lincoln delivered his "House Divided" speech in 1858.[3]

Campaign development

Pre-announcement

Obama's keynote speech to the 2004 Democratic National Convention sparked expectations that he would run for the presidency.[4] Speculation on a 2008 presidential run intensified after Obama's decisive U.S. Senate election win in November 2004. At that time he told reporters: "I can unequivocally say I will not be running for national office in four years."[5]

However, in an October 2006 interview on the television program Meet the Press, Obama appeared to open the possibility of a 2008 presidential bid.[6] Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Illinois State Comptroller Daniel Hynes were early advocates for a 2008 Obama presidential run.[7][8] Many people in the entertainment community have also expressed readiness to campaign for an Obama presidency, including celebrity television show host Oprah Winfrey, singer Macy Gray, and film actors George Clooney and Halle Berry.[9][10]

In September 2006, Obama was the featured speaker at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, a political event traditionally attended by presidential hopefuls in the lead-up to the Iowa caucus.[11] In December 2006, Obama spoke at a New Hampshire event celebrating Democratic Party midterm election victories in the first-in-the-nation U.S. presidential primary state, drawing 1,500 people.[12][13]

Announcing bid

On January 14 2007, the Chicago Tribune reported that Obama had begun assembling his team for a 2008 presidential campaign to be headquartered in Chicago. His team includes Chicago-based political consultant David Plouffe, who is serving as campaign manager, and Plouffe's partner, David Axelrod, who is serving as a media consultant. Former Commerce Secretary and Gore campaign chairman William Daley is expected to serve in an as-yet-unspecified senior adviser role.[14]

On January 16, Obama announced via a video on his website that he had formed a presidential exploratory committee. On February 10, he formally announced his candidacy for the presidency. In his announcement speech, Obama evoked the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, saying;

"It was here, in Springfield, where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people - where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America. And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States."[15]

Post-announcement

In March 2007, Obama posted a question on Yahoo! Answers, entitled: "How can we engage more people in the democratic process?" which ultimately drew in over 17,000 responses.[16]

On May 3 2007, citing no specific threat but motivated by the large volume of hate-mail directed at the Senator, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff announced that the United States Secret Service would provide protection for the campaign. This protection will include bodyguards for Obama, advance teams of agents to secure event sites, armored vehicles, and other services/resources similar to those employed for the safety of the President of the United States, albeit on a proportionally smaller level. Normally, presidential candidates are not offered Secret Service protection until they have been nationally nominated.[citation needed]

In June 2007, investigative reporter Robert Parry reported that Obama had sought foreign policy advice from former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell. Parry suggested that this was a move toward the political center in preparation for the general election. [17]

During a campaign stop in October 2007, a reporter inquired as to why Obama had stopped wearing a lapel pin of the American flag, which he had started wearing after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and his response was that it had come to feel like "a substitute for true patriotism". This led to discussion on the cable news channels and was covered by satirists such as Stephen Colbert, who had an ongoing disagreement with the Fox and Friends assertion that "this is America and if you want to be president of America, it might [sic] be behoove him to wear an American flag". Bill Maher, who was highly critical of such questions about Obama's patriotism and called it a "non-story" nonetheless referred to the incident as "[t]he first genuine controversy of the presidential campaign".[18]

Opinion polling

Main articles: General Election Polling and Democratic Primary Polling

Following Obama's interview on Meet the Press, opinion polling organizations added his name to surveyed lists of Democratic candidates. The first such poll (November 2006) ranked Obama in second place with 17% support among Democrats after Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) who placed first with 28% of the responses.[19] A Zogby Poll released on January 18, 2007, showed Obama leading the Democratic contenders in the first primary state of New Hampshire with 23% of New Hampshire Democrats supporting Obama. Senator Clinton and former Senator John Edwards were tied for second place with 19% each.[20] A Washington Post/ABC News poll on February 26-27, 2007 placed Obama in second place with 24% among likely Democratic primary voters, with Hillary Clinton garnering 36% as the leader.[21].

Opinion polls taken in April 2007 differ widely from each other: Obama was listed in third place nationwide, 24% behind Hillary Clinton and 2% behind John Edwards.[22] In an April 30, 2007 Rasmussen Reports Poll, Barack Obama led the poll for the Democratic nomination for first time with 32% support. [23]. By June however, Clinton was winning all the major national polls by double digits except one that showed Obama with a one point lead, and by July, all major national polls showed Obama trailing Clinton by double digits[24].

Polling analysts are expected to take note of whether opinion polling statistics regarding Obama prove to be accurate, or are ultimately subject to the so-called "Bradley effect" observed in some previous American elections.[25][26][27][28] The Bradley effect occurs when a smaller percentage of white voters, by a statistically significant margin, actually vote for an African American candidate than the percentage of those voters who said that they were likely to vote for that candidate during pre-election opinion polling.

First Six State Democratic Primaries and Caucuses

Iowa

2008_Demo_Iowa.png [29] See also [2][3]

Michigan

2008_Demo_Michigan.png [30] See also [4][5]

New Hampshire

2008_Demo_New_Hampshire.png [31] See also [6][7]

Nevada

2008_Demo_Nevada.png [32] See also [8][9]

Florida

2008_Demo_Florida.png [33] See also [10][11]

South Carolina

2008_Demo_South_Carolina.png [34] See also [12][13]

Hypothetical Presidential Matchups

Obama v. Giuliani

October 2007: Obama leads Giuliani by about by about 5% in national head-to-head polling.

Obama v. McCain

October 2007: Obama leads McCain by about by about 10% in national head-to-head polling.

Obama v. Romney

October 2007: Obama leads Romney by about by about 14% in national head-to-head polling.

Obama v. Thompson

October 2007: Obama leads Thompson by about by about 9% in national head-to-head polling.

Support

Internet supporters

Many commentators have noted Obama's strong support among social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook.com.[35]

Chris Hughes, a Facebook co-founder and coordinator of online organizing within the Barack Obama presidential campaign, called the online surge backing Obama "unprecedented".[36] The Obama campaign was also a launch partner for Facebook's new F8 platform; this involvement is likely due to Chris Hughes's, the co-founder of Facebook, involvement in the campaign.[37]

One group on Facebook, called "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)" became the fastest growing organization on the site, and currently has 349,419 members as of September 18, 2007. On February 2 2007, Obama attended a rally at George Mason University organized by "Students for Barack Obama", a group that began on Facebook, with several thousand in attendance.[38] Obama's official website has networking elements, allowing supporters to create their own profile and blog, as well as talk and plan events.

On June 13 2007 a video from Barely Political entitled "I Got a Crush on Obama", starring Amber Lee Ettinger, otherwise known as the Obama Girl, received national media attention[39]. It was followed by a second video from Barely Political, "Debate '08: Obama Girl vs. Giuliani Girl". These videos were not produced by the Obama campaign.

My.BarackObama.com

Enlarge

My.BarackObama.com is a social networking website created by the 2008 presidential campaign of United States Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois). It was first launched on February 11th, 2007, and was billed as "a MySpace for his supporters".[40] It was built and designed by internet technology and political strategist firm Blue State Digital[41] and Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes.[42]

The site now has over 70,000 registered users[43], and the Obama campaign credits the online social networking tool with increasing fundraising and event turnout.[44] Other presidential candidates have since created their own social networking websites, such as Republican Sen. John McCain's "McCainSpace".[45]

The bulk of MyBO's activity takes place in group and event organization, where members first create or join online "groups" which share common email listservs and blogs. These groups are then used to plan offline events, ranging from casual "meet ups" to large fundraising events, with those who RSVP for fundraising events via MyBO having the option of fulfilling their fundraising promise in advance through online payment. Of the $25 million the Obama campaign raised in the first quarter of 2007[46], over $6 million was raised through online channels.[42]

Endorsements

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley endorsed Obama hours after his announcement, abandoning his tradition of staying neutral in Democratic primaries.[47] A day later, Obama traveled to Ames, Iowa where he was endorsed by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald.[48]

List of those endorsing Obama

See also: Congressional endorsements for the 2008 presidential election

Fundraising

Senator Obama rallying support in Austin, Texas.
Enlarge
Senator Obama rallying support in Austin, Texas.

Hyatt board member Penny Pritzker currently serves as the national finance chair of the campaign; Pritzker served on the finance committee for Obama's 2004 Senate run. Obama has said he will not accept donations from federal lobbyists or political action committees during the campaign.[60] While he started to collect private donations for a general election account, Obama asked the Federal Election Commission if he could later return the money if he decided to take public funds. In response, the FEC allowed presidential candidates to take contributions for a general election campaign even if they later decided to accept public money.[61]

Alan D. Solomont, who led a group that raised $35 million for John Kerry in 2004, has signed on with the campaign, saying Obama "is the sort of person America wants in the White House right now."[62] Other fundraisers that have joined the campaign include David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Mark Gorenberg.[63]

On April 4 2007, Obama's campaign announced that they had raised $25 million in the first quarter of 2007, coming close to Hillary Clinton's $26 million in first quarter contributions. Over 100,000 people donated to the campaign and $6.9 million was raised through the Internet. $23.5 million of Obama's first quarter funds can be used in the primary, the highest of any candidate.[64]

Obama's fundraising skills were affirmed again in the second quarter of 2007, when his campaign received $32.5 million in donations. This is $5.5 million more than his nearest rival, Hillary Clinton, whose campaign raised around $27 million.[65] Obama's 258,000 individual donors revealed his wide grassroots appeal and success raising funds via the Internet.[66]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Obama confirms location of big announcement" Post-Dispatch Springfield Bureau 02/01/2007
  2. ^ "Obama confirms Old State Capitol for presidential announcement" By Christopher Wills February 1, 2007 Southern Illinoisan
  3. ^ Barack Obama Public Schedule for Feb 10-12. Obama Exploratory Committee. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Amy. "Obama for President," Washington Monthly (guest article), July 28, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
  5. ^ Fornek, Scott. "Obama for president? That's 'silly'," Chicago Sun-Times, November 4, 2004. Available at FindArticles.com, Retrieved on January 8, 2007
  6. ^ MSNBC. MTP Transcript for Oct. 22, Meet the Press, October 22, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
  7. ^ Babington, Charles. "Obama's Profile Has Democrats Taking Notice: Popular Senator Is Mentioned as 2008 Contender," Washington Post, June 18, 2006, Page A01
  8. ^ McQueary, Kristen. Obama, Hynes now war buddies, Daily Southtown, December 10, 2006. Retrieved on January 13, 2007
  9. ^ Fornek, Scott. "If Obama runs, I'll campaign for him, Winfrey says," Chicago Sun-Times, September 28, 2006
  10. ^ O'Keefe, Ed. Clooney Loves Obama, ABC News, December 22, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
  11. ^ Kornblut, Anne E. "For This Red Meat Crowd, Obama's '08 Choice Is Clear," New York Times, September 18, 2006
  12. ^ Brooks, Scott. "Obama fever grips NH," New Hampshire Union Leader, December 11, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
  13. ^ PBS. Obama's New Hampshire Trip Sparks Interest in 2008 Presidential Race, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, December 11, 2006 (transcript). Retrieved on January 8, 2007
  14. ^ Dorning, Mike and Christi Parsons. "Meet Obama's Inner Circle", Chicago Tribune, January 14 2007. Retrieved on January 14 2007
  15. ^ "Full Text of Senator Barack Obama's Announcement for President" New York Times, February 10 2007.
  16. ^ How can we engage more people in the democratic process?. Yahoo! Answers. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
  17. ^ Robert Parry. "Is Obama Getting 'Colin-ized'?", Consortium News, 2007-06-23. Retrieved on 2007-08-09. 
  18. ^ http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/10/12/flag_pins/index.html?source=rss&aim=opinion
  19. ^ CNN. "Poll: Obama now trails only Clinton on '08 list," CNN Politics, November 2, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
  20. ^ Zogby International. Zogby New Hampshire: 3 Dems In Tight Race; McCain Leads Republican Field, Zogby International, December 18, 2007. Retrieved on January 21, 2007
  21. ^ 2008 Democratic Nomination, Washington Post, February 28, 2007. Retrieved on February 28, 2007.
  22. ^ Angus-Reid Democrats 2008, angusreid, April 6, 2007. Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
  23. ^ RasmussenReports 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary, rassmussenreports.com, April 30, 2007. Retrieved on April 30, 2007.
  24. ^ White House 2008: Democratic Nomination pollingreport.com
  25. ^ Jonathan Alter, "Is America Ready?", Newsweek, December 25, 2006 - January 1, 2007. Retrieved on January 17, 2007.
  26. ^ Polman, Dick. "Barack Obama's race seems to be a second-tier issue", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 21, 2007. Retrieved on February 22, 2007.
  27. ^ Younge, Gary. "The power of hope", The Guardian, February 10, 2007. Retrieved on February 22, 2007.
  28. ^ McCann, John. "Just point me to an honest candidate", The Herald-Sun, February 18, 2007. Retrieved on February 22, 2007.
  29. ^ Opinion polling for the Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008#Iowa
  30. ^ Opinion polling for the Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008#Michigan
  31. ^ Opinion polling for the Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008#New Hampshire
  32. ^ Opinion polling for the Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008#Nevada
  33. ^ Opinion polling for the Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008#Florida
  34. ^ Opinion polling for the Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008#South Carolina
  35. ^ Young Voters Find Voice on Facebook Washington Post, February 17, 2007.
  36. ^ Obama's Facebook The New York Sun, February 13, 2007
  37. ^ http://newsbusters.org/node/13288
  38. ^ Mobilized Online, Thousands Gather to Hear Obama Washington Post, February 3, 2007.
  39. ^ 2008: Obama Girl and More New York Times, June 13, 2007
  40. ^ Ogg, Erica. "Barack Obama getting all Web 2.0 on us", CNetNews.com NewsBlog, CNet, February 9, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23. 
  41. ^ Stone, Brad. "Social Networking’s Next Phase", NYTimes.com, The New York Times, March 2, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23. 
  42. ^ a b Schatz, Amy. "BO, U R So Gr8", WSJ.com NewsBlog, The Wall Street Journal, May 26, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23. 
  43. ^ Beam, Christopher. "In Your Face: How Facebook could crush MySpace, Yahoo!, and Google.", Slate.com, Washington Post, June 22, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23. 
  44. ^ Sullivan, Andy. ""Friends" in high places", Reuters.com, Reuters, August 23, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23. 
  45. ^ Drobnyk, Josh. "Obama's groundswell: grass roots on the Web", BarackObama.com Newsroom, Obama for America, Barack Obama' presidential campaign, April 23, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23. 
  46. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/04/obama.fundraising/index.html
  47. ^ Daley Endorses Obama For President Chicago Tribune, February 10, 2007
  48. ^ "Candidate Obama packs ISU's Hilton Coliseum" The Des Moines Register, February 11 2007.
  49. ^ Barack 2, Hillary 0; Bishop backs Obama
  50. ^ Gov. Blagojevich Releases Statement on Obama NBC, February 10, 2007
  51. ^ Brzezinski Embraces Obama Over Clinton for President Bloomberg.com, August 24, 2007
  52. ^ Daley Endorses Obama For President Chicago Tribune, February 10, 2007
  53. ^ Ex-Senate Leader Daschle endorses Obama MSNBC.com, February 21, 2007
  54. ^ Ellison Endorses Obama, lauds 'unifying spirit' Minneapolis Star Tribune, Feb. 20 2007.
  55. ^ Obama Wins Virginia Governor's Support Associated Press, February 17, 2007
  56. ^ For general, Obama's character befits a commander in chief
  57. ^ Patrick will endorse Obama, not Clinton
  58. ^ Former Clinton Official Backs Obama
  59. ^ [1] The Guardian, July 25, 2007
  60. ^ Obama Begins Fundraising Drive Chicago Sun-Times, February 1, 2007
  61. ^ FEC Drafts New Campaign Finance Opinion Washington Post, February 22, 2007
  62. ^ With Kerry out, key aide shifts to Obama Boston Globe, January 26, 2007
  63. ^ Campaign 2008: Cranking Up The Money Machine BusinessWeek, February 12, 2007
  64. ^ Barack Obama First Quarter Fundraising Report BarackObama.com, April 4, 2007
  65. ^ Jeff Zeleny. "Obama Raised $33 Million in Second Quarter", The New York Times, 2007-07-01. Retrieved on 2007-07-01. 
  66. ^ "Grim Old Pantry looks bare; meanwhile Obama fundraising soars", Canada National Post, 2007-07-06. Retrieved on 2007-07-08. 

External links

Barack Obama
Books authored Dreams from My Father  · The Audacity of Hope
ObamaBarack.jpg
Political activities Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008  · Political positions of Barack Obama  · 2004 Democratic National Convention  · Illinois United States Senate election, 2004
United States presidential election, 2008
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