Plouffe Talks Family, Strategy

David Plouffe, chief campaign manager of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, addressed students at the IOP forum yesterday.

Plouffe is in large part credited with Obama’s successful strategies in the primaries and the general election. His ability to retain the strength of the Obama campaign post-Super Tuesday, his efficient organization of a grassroots political effort, and his willingness to compete in traditionally Republican states are widely seen as key factors in the Obama victory.

Plouffe sat down for an interview with The Crimson yesterday to talk about life after the campaign and the impact of Obama’s successful presidential run on the future of American politics.



The Harvard Crimson: Barack Obama called you the “unsung hero” of the 2008 Presidential Campaign. What do you think were the most successful aspects of your strategy?

David Plouffe: I think the unsung heroes of the presidential campaign were all of our millions of grassroots supporters who made this victory happen. We had sound electoral strategy in both the primary, which was to try to win Iowa and win delegates from as many places as possible and in the general election. But your success starts and ends with the candidate, and we had a unique candidate who met the times.

THC: What were your first impressions of Barack Obama when you met him?

DP: Well, he’s clearly a guy with great leadership qualities. But I met him back in 2003, so I could not suggest that I thought five years from then he would be the 44th president of the United States. My first reaction was, ‘This is the type of person we need running for office.’

THC: How do you think the demographics and the electoral map of the United States are currently changing?

DP: Four years ago, you would not have said a Democratic nominee would win states like Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia, so I think you cannot look at what happened on November 4th and assume that in November of 2012 that that is going to be terribly educational, because things can change rapidly. Presidential campaigns are like a puzzle. You’re trying to piece together 270 electoral votes. And I think right now there’s no doubt that we have an easier path than Republicans do. The Republicans have their own process to work out. They have to decide if they’re going to be the party of no or if they’re going to help out occasionally.

THC: And can I glean from that you don’t currently have plans for 2012?

DP: I think the President smartly believes that that needs to be put to the side, because we’ve got tough decisions to make and we’ll worry about 2012 when we get there.

THC: Your daughter was born two days after the 2008 election. How are you enjoying the ability to spend more time with your family?

DP: It’s a wonderful thing—even small things, like picking my son up from school or having breakfast with my family, are highly meaningful. When you break out of [the campaign], it’s an eye-opening experience because you remember, ‘Wow, this is what life is like!’

THC: How do you think Barack Obama changed the face of politics?

DP: I think what he proved is that you can ignite something in the American people at the grassroots level that can help win an election and potentially change the country. He showed that you could win being who you are, and that the American people are willing to be leveled with and spoken to honestly… Not every campaign will have the success we did in igniting the grassroots and having them play such an important role in the campaign and the ultimate victory. But campaigns should try, because having people involved in their government is very good for this country.

THC: What was a typical day like on the campaign?

DP: Well, I think for everyone who worked on the campaign–from me down to the floor organizer–it was just relentless. You’re working 16-18 hour days easily. You have a lot of stuff flying at you. And so you basically are trying to make sure that every day you stay on track, you have something that you’re trying to accomplish, and that you’re making progress towards that. But you have interferences all day long: opponents attack you, the press may have some new investigative story, there may be some event in the world. So that’s what makes it challenging. It’s a relentless pace, and for us it was two years.

—Staff writer Evan T. R. Rosenman can be reached at erosenm@fas.harvard.edu