Message, Method Are Behind Obama's Climb: Analysis

Author(s): Shailagh Murray and Peter Slevin

Location: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/21/AR2007122102402.html

Analysis:

Shailagh Murray’s and Peter Slevin’2007 essay, “Message, Method Are Behind Obama’s Climb” from the Washington Post, delineates the supposed strategy that Barack Obama’s campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, is utilizing to grasp a victory over the caucus elections of the Democratic party for his respective client. Murray and Slevin, describe Iowa as the Democratic caucuses’ target, where the favor of the masses in sought, in order to reach the advantage and approximation of the party’s top nominee. Thus, he unveils Hildebrand’s manipulative technique of personally appealing to the public thru education, that would result into a reformation that would advocate a more proportional benefit for students as to their instructors. Hilderbrand attempted to acquire further state support of Obama’s presidential campaign, by organizing committees through out Iowa with the mere goal of propagating the preferential selection of his client as the ideal contender. Which proved to be successful, as he was placed as one of the prime three nominees for the top Democratic candidate. Ergo, contributing to the assertion of developing an efficiently organized campaign, that retrieved the expected support from the Midwest and East part of the U.S. Murray and Slevin identified the improvements made to the Democratic caucus from previous years, mainly thru Hildebrand’s experience, as they hindered the thought of not minimally having a Democrat achieve the presidential office.

Tone: elucidative and illustrative

Application Question: How does the reference towards education in Iowa, considerably give a Democratic (or any) candidate the solemn advantage by means of the ballot? Basically, when organizing a presidential campaign, how does the inclusion of education, rend useful for the support of the masses?

Clarification Question: Knowing that Hildebrand was Al Gores' campaign manager, why would Obama select him as his campaign manager? Was it because of his success in granting Al-Gore the Democratic Candidacy?