Obama adds staff, taps ex-Clinton campaign manager

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

WASHNGTON - Barack Obama's campaign named new senior advisers on Monday, including former Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle as chief of staff to the presidential candidate's yet-to-be-chosen running mate.

Also heading the list of new top aides are Jim Messina, former chief of staff to Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana who will be Obama's chief of staff, and Stephanie Cutter, communications director to Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign who will be a senior adviser to Obama and chief of staff to Obama's wife, Michelle.

The campaign is beefing up as it anticipates the needs of a general election. Other posts being filled include a national field director, a post that will be occupied by Jon Carson, who was director of voter contact during the primaries. Another post — battleground states director — will be filled by Jen O'Malley, who directed John Edwards' Iowa operation.

Doyle, who stepped down as Clinton's campaign manager in February, is the only former high profile Clinton staffer to join the Obama camp so far. Clinton replaced Solis Doyle with longtime aide Maggie Williams after she and Obama essentially split the 22-state Super Tuesday contests on Feb. 5.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080616/ap_on_el_pr/obama_new_staff;_

[smoogatz]

1. This could be read as a strong hint that Clinton will be the running mate.

God. I hope not.

[TheWraith]

6. Clinton and PSD are on the outs, apparently haven't spoken since PSD was fired.

I'm guessing this isn't a sign she'll be the VP.

[blayne]

9. The Huffington Post adds the following:

Jason Horowitz over at the New York Observer reports the following: "A former bundler to Hillary Clinton just called in to tell me that Barack Obama's selection of Patti Solis Doyle as chief of staff to the campaign's eventual vice presidential nominee is the "biggest fuck you I have ever seen in politics."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/16/obama-hires-solis-doyle-a_n_107395.html

[smoogatz]

10. Ah, well.

That settles that.

[krkaufman]

11. Ah, some one called-in to the Observer to offer this perspective

Sure sounds like a rational, objective viewpoint to me. Any chance the bundler's name was Harriet?

[mod mom]

2. After reading how Clinton crony undermined Kerry strategy in 2004, I don't see how adding

Clinton loyalists can be a benefit. How do we know they won't undermine the Obama campaign?

There are a lot of Obama staffers eyeing for upward mobility-why not stay with folks you know are dedicated to Sen Obama?

Here is the Carville undermine in which I spoke of above:

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/oct/07/did_carville_tip_bush_off_to_kerry_strategy_woodward



Did Carville Tip Bush Off to Kerry Strategy (Woodward)

By M.J. Rosenberg - October 7, 2006, 9:11AM
I just came across a troubling incident that Bob Woodward reports in his new book. Very troubling.

On page 344, Woodward describes the doings at the White House in the early morning hours of Wednesday, the day after the '04 election.

Apparently, Kerry had decided not to concede. There were 250,000 outstanding ballots in Ohio.

So Kerry decides to fight. In fact, he considers going to Ohio to camp out with his voters until there is a recount. This is the last thing the White House needs, especially after Florida 2000.

So what happened?

James Carville gets on the phone with his wife, Mary Matalin, who is at the White House with Bush.

"Carville told her he had some inside news. The Kerry campaign was going to challenge the provisional ballots in Ohio -- perhaps up to 250,000 of them. 'I don't agree with it, Carville said. I'm just telling you that's what they're talking about.'

"Matalin went to Cheney to report...You better tell the President Cheney told her."

Matalin does, advising Bush that "somebody in authority needed to get in touch with J. Kenneth Blackwell, the Republican Secretary of State in Ohio who would be in charge of any challenge to the provisional votes." An SOS goes out to Blackwell.

The rest is history.

[EVDebs]

3. Bio from wikipedia, for what it's worth...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patti_Solis_Doyle

[mod mom]

4. Thanks-this tidbit is a little comforting:

"Later she went with David Wilhelm (Bill Clinton's campaign manager) from Chicago to Little Rock, where she became Hillary Rodham Clinton's assistant." David Wilhelm now lives in Columbus( Bexley) OH and is a strong Obama supporter. Maybe the suggestion came from him.

[EVDebs]

5. Her un-ceremonious dumping by HRC seems to validate that. nt

[madrchsod]

7. duh....her family is connected into the democratic party in chicago

and they are well respected in the latin american community

[question everything]

8. Smart move

A signal to Hillary supporters that women's issues matter to him, adding a Latina in addition to Royal Blue Caroline Kennedy and also for those who do not know that Solis - who should have never been in that position - was fired from the campaign.

[krkaufman]

12. I'd certainly prefer Solis-Doyle over Williams. The campaign ugliness ...

... ratcheted-up after PSD was replaced by Williams.