Grass Roots 2, Big Media 0

By Clint Reilly

For the second presidential race in a row, Washington outsiders versed in the grass-roots tactics of local politics have out-witted and out-maneuvered brand name East Coast media consultants.

This year, Barack Obama’s campaign – headlined by seasoned Chicago consultant David Axelrod – built a series of individual campaigns in states where Hillary Clinton lacked the volunteers to compete.

Obama’s grass-roots army filled the void in states like Nebraska, Colorado, Idaho and North Dakota, allowing him to rack up precious delegates virtually unopposed.

Clinton mistakenly relied on her early lead in the polls to carry her through the primary schedule, while Obama harnessed a volunteer crusade that helped him reel off 11 straight primary victories and provided his margin of victory.

The roots of Obama’s volunteer organization extended deep into the Internet, where a massive array of committed donors armed him with a lethal fundraising advantage.

Like an army bogged down for lack of fuel, a cash shortage made it almost impossible for Clinton to compete on a level playing field in the late states.

Unfortunately for Clinton, her campaign never learned the most important lesson of the last presidential cycle.

In 2004, John Kerry employed Bob Shrum, a Washington-based media consultant, to spearhead his presidential campaign. Shrum built every campaign around television spots produced by his firm. Karl Rove – George W. Bush’s campaign general – was a veteran of Texas politics with experience throughout the South and Midwest.

Rove was an expert in the art of targeting – shaping unique campaigns for different groups of voters.

Rove was also a firm believer in phone banks and door-to-door contact to maximize turnout among key voters. Rove focused his efforts on born-again Christians and religious fundamentalists in key states like Ohio to build Bush’s majority.

Shrum ran one campaign centered on television. Rove ran many campaigns employing a variety of tactics.

Based solely on tactics, I’m not surprised by Bush’s victory then, and I’m not surprised by Obama’s today.

When I was a political consultant, I was fascinated by how grass-roots participation could help my clients achieve a winning edge. In the 1980s, I began recruiting the best organizers in the country. One of the greatest was Fred Ross Jr.

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