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In reply to the discussion: The only reason Hillary lost in 2008 was Obama took away the Clinton's African American base [View all]coldmountain
(802 posts)Hillary Clinton 2016 might look a lot like Barack Obama 2012
By Chris Cillizza and Sean Sullivan, Published: July 29 at 6:30 am
President Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are having lunch today at the White House.
Earlier this month, Jeremy Bird, the national field director for Obamas reelection race, and Mitch Stewart, who ran the 10 swing state operation for the president, signed on to Ready for Hillary, the super PAC that is functioning as a campaign-in-waiting for Clinton should she decide to run.
While the Bird/Stewart hires drew attention when they were announced, its hard to overestimate what the duos decision to work for a Clinton vehicle (and said vehicles willingness to have them) means going forward.
The single most valuable commodity in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is the staff talent that Obama cultivated during his two presidential campaigns. While some of the top names David Plouffe, David Axelrod, Jim Messina, Dan Pfeiffer etc. are Obama-ites through and through and wont likely ever work on another presidential campaign, there is a whole layer of staff talent beneath them that is itching to bring what they learned in 2008 and/or 2012 to bear on another campaign. Bird and Stewart are at, or near, the top of that list due in no small part to their expertise in building a field operation, a major weak spot of Clintons 2008 campaign.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/07/29/hillary-clinton-2016-might-look-a-lot-like-barack-obama-2012/