There was a seemingly innocuous piece on Politico the other day. I saw it, and kept going, but my mind kept wandering back to it. It was titled, “Obama moves DNC operations to Chicago.”
In a major shakeup at the Democratic National Committee — and a departure from tradition — large parts of the committee’s operations are relocating to Chicago to be fully integrated with the Obama campaign.
The DNC’s political department, housed in Washington, D.C., will be dramatically rebuilt, with staffers offered a choice of moving to Chicago, joining state operations, or staying in Washington, DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney said.
But the power will clearly be shifting to a centralized Chicago hub.
The DNC’s key role in coordinating political operations with state parties is expected to largely be taken over and overseen by Obama’s senior staff in Chicago, state party officials said.
I realize that the nominee, as the head of the party, gets to call the shots at the DNC. And the inside baseball angle of staffers being ticked off at losing their jobs is news in and of itself. But the breadth, depth, and wholesale nature of the takeover of the party apparatus seems extreme. DNC staffers who don’t move to Chicago are gone. Those that make the move will answer directly to Obama’s hand picked generals. No discussion. No dissension.
“The goal is to consolidate these efforts into one operation and effectively drive one national strategy.”
~~~The move reflects Obama’s desire to maintain an unusually streamlined campaign, as well as his swift and complete takeover of a Democratic Party that isn’t always known for its unity.
Oh, there will be unity all right. But isn’t unity supposed to be something magnetic? When Obama says he wants to unify the country, isn’t the idea that Americans willingly want to unify in a spirit of togetherness and cooperation?
This story sounds like the Communists in the U.S.S.R. telling the world that their people were united. They were united all right. Or else the KGB came by for some vodka and a chat. Obama has completely taken over the apparatus of the Democrat Party and will control every aspect of it.
Let’s not forget that half of the Democrat Party voted against Obama, and some (perhaps significant) percentage of those folks in the Party hierarchy and around the country have threatened to stay home or vote for McCain. The message to those folks from the Boss in Chicago is that you are welcome to stay, but keep your mouth shut and do what you are told.
There was also this little item about Obama’s hiring of fired Hillary campaign manager Patti Solis-Doyle.
It’s not that Solis Doyle joined the campaign but in what capacity that raised eyebrows. She will be the chief of staff for the vice presidential nominee, a strong signal of some sort.
Signal Number One: Hillary will not be the Vice-President.
Signal Number Two: Regardless of whom Obama’s VP may be, he does not get to choose his own chief of staff. The Boss has set up his girl, now with undying loyalty to Obama for pulling her career out of the trash can, in the Vice President’s office to make sure the Veep is watched and follows orders.
What a refreshing Change.
Also find Bill Dupray at The Patriot Room