LIVING POLITICS

Howard Fineman

Winning Formula

How Obama's team built a victory

Jan 4, 2008 | Updated: 1:34 a.m. ET Jan 4, 2008

Email To A Friend

Please fill in the following information and we'll email this link.

SPONSORED BY

The torch has been passed. At least it looks that way to me. Here's one reason why.

Hours before the Iowa results were in or known, top officials of Sen. Barack Obama's campaign told me what the final numbers would be: Obama would win by at least seven points and the turnout in the Democratic caucuses would be well above 200,000.

The final figures: eight points and 236,000.

I mention this for one reason: to say that, among other things, the 2008 Iowa caucuses will be remembered as the place where a new generation of superb Democratic organizers made its debut.

Obama rode to victory on a tide of emotion, charisma and desire for change. But mark this: these kids—and most of them are kids—beat the older crowd of traditional operatives at their own game and did it with tech and Internet savvy, brains, fund-raising skills, connections, street smarts and old-fashioned shoe-leather dedication.

History is the accumulation of small, individual acts—and the acts of the Obama kids in Iowa together made history. My sense is that they are poised to make a lot more.

Member Comments

- Reply
- Report Abuse
Posted By: stopthebitch @ 01/12/2008 12:02:27 AM

Hopefully Obama is the democratic nominee. www.stopthebitch.org
- Reply
- Report Abuse
Posted By: melaniebeth76 @ 01/08/2008 12:41:06 PM

Nothing frustrates me more than those who rush to judgement or make statements about candidates without checking information for themselves. I am a democrat and liked all three frontrunners in the beginning. I went to each of their websites as well as the Republicans to see where the candidates stood. It enrages me to see on all the news shows (I mean all of them) people continue to say that Senator Obama is not clear or has not stated his positions! On his website, he has detailed policies and/or ideas from economy, health care, supporting individuals with disabilties to foreign policy. They are well thought out and researched ideas and plans. I wish that more people would find out for themselves rather than accepting what tidbits that "haters" spew to the news. Obama is my man for sure. No other candidates are as detailed as he is on positions- Democrat or Republican.
- Reply
- Report Abuse
Posted By: melaniebeth76 @ 01/08/2008 12:40:35 PM

Nothing frustrates me more than those who rush to judgement or make statements about candidates without checking information for themselves. I am a democrat and liked all three frontrunners in the beginning. I went to each of their websites as well as the Republicans to see where the candidates stood. It enrages me to see on all the news shows (I mean all of them) people continue to say that Senator Obama is not clear or has not stated his positions! On his website, he has detailed policies and/or ideas from economy, health care, supporting individuals with disabilties to foreign policy. They are well thought out and researched ideas and plans. I wish that more people would find out for themselves rather than accepting what tidbits that "haters" spew to the news. Obama is my man for sure. No other candidates are as detailed as he is on positions- Democrat or Republican.