NYT: A Delegator, Obama Picks When to Take Reins

[babylonsister]

A Delegator, Obama Picks When to Take Reins
Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times

Barack Obama on his way to a rally in Rochester in January. He assumed more control over his presidential campaign after losing the primary in Pennsylvania.

By JEFF ZELENY and JIM RUTENBERG
Published: June 16, 2008


WASHINGTON — In the months leading up to Senator Barack Obama’s big loss in the Pennsylvania primary, he was a detached manager: around, but not meddling. Rarely on early-morning conference calls with his senior advisers, he delegated most decisions to others and did not immerse himself in all of the nuts and bolts of running for president.

After that defeat in April, a friend gave Mr. Obama an urgent piece of advice: “Put your hand on the tiller.”

And that Mr. Obama did. He began participating in more strategy sessions, spoke out against a summertime gasoline tax suspension more forcefully than some advisers initially preferred, and last week was involved in conference calls that led to the departure of James A. Johnson, the man leading the campaign’s vice-presidential search.

He did not assign blame for the first big misstep of the general election campaign, participants said. But he asked his aides to assess the gravity of the problem and listened as they charted a course to proceed.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/us/politics/16manage.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin

[gateley]

1. K&R - great story, babylonsister! nt

[babylonsister]

2. Thanks, gateley. I thought so, too!

:hi:

[genna]

3. If he was able to get ahead by his team's effectiveness alone, then other politicians should recruit

this bunch of supporters as quickly as they can to put forward their own campaigns.

As much as I believe his team came together and asserted these things, I think this is unrealistic for a campaign and an administration. The candidate and the president need to be more hands on than what they are suggesting Obama is here. How else would he be able to lead?

[KittyWampus]

4. Part of being an Executive is surrounding yourself w/excellence & allowing them to do their jobs

so you have time to brush up for debates, focus on days appearances etc.

[grantcart]

5. great article and love the ending

Three days after claiming the nomination, Mr. Obama, who makes infrequent visits to the campaign’s Chicago headquarters, offered his gratitude by way of a motivational pep talk.

“I want everybody to catch your breath. Do what you do to get your ya-ya’s out — that’s an old ’60s expression — and then understand that coming back we’re going to have to work twice as hard as we’ve been working,” Mr. Obama said. “We’re going to have to be smarter, we’re going to have to be tougher, our game is going to have to be tighter.”

Before finishing, he included a self-assessment, adding, “I am going to have to be a better candidate.”

[babylonsister]

6. Did you see the video of his 'pep' talk to his staff? Here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=144347&mesg_id=144347

[babylonsister]

7. Kick! nt

[Triana]

8. K & R - THRILLED with the prospect of a REAL, involved, LITERATE, INTERESTED...

...THINKING LEADER! (instead of that brain-dead moron we've been stuck with the past 8 years).

[Cha]

9. Thanks babylonsis..I was looking for

something else and spotted this which I hadn't read..Interesting.