Who was Clinton's 1992 Campaign Manager?

[mbali]

Poll question: Who was Clinton's 1992 Campaign Manager?

[AP]

1. Carville and Begala were co-managers, but Begala left because...

...his wife had a baby, or something like that.

I believe Clinton picked them because they managed Zell's successful race for Governor.

Did you know that Carville was an ex-Marine?

[mbali]

6. Neither of them was ever campaign manager - they were strategists

The campaign manager was David Wilhelm.

They worked for Zell Miller, but as political consultants, not campaign manager.

[Raya]

14. A matter of definition. Carville was often referred to as campaign manager

He was the major force in the campaign

[mbali]

16. You really don't know anything about campaigns, do you?

The fact that some people who have no idea how campaigns work incorrectly referred to James Carville as a campaign manager does not mean that he managed Clinton's campaign. He was a strategist, one of many consultants hired to handle a particular area of the campaign.

Campaign management involves considerably more than campaign strategy, which is one component of an overall campaign. A campaign strategist, even one who is a major force does NOT manage the campaign.

It's not a matter of definition. It's a matter of fact.

[AP]

21. No Soup for Me? Read p. 425 of My Life.

Regardless of what Carville's title was, after the primaries it sounds like he was running the show.

[lanparty]

11. Didn't Billy Bob Thornton play Carville in ...

... primary colors ???? That is, he played someone BASED on Carville.

[mbali]

13. Eyup

[DaveinMD]

2. his manager

was actually David Wilhelm. Carville and Begala were strategists.

[mbali]

4. DING DING DING!!! We have a winner!

I figured that most people here not only were under the impression that Begala and Carville were not Clinton's campaign managers, but that they have no idea WHO is campaign manager actually was.

David Wilhelm was one of the THE most effective campaign managers ever. Yet few people know who he is. And he was hardly Mr. Fire and Passion.

I'm growing weary of all of this second-guessing of every move the Kerry Campaign makes, the latest barrage coming from people who don't know squat about how a presidential campaign works attacking Mary Beth Cahill as an ineffective boob because she doesn't foam at the mouth.

If they knew a fraction as much about political campaigns as they seem to think they do, they would know how ridiculous such criticisms are.

[DaveinMD]

7. I better know

what I'm doing. I work as a political consultant.

[RummyTheDummy]

17. Weren't you defending Cahill earlier?

NT

[Feanorcurufinwe]

18. Is this your way of saying you didn't 'get it' ?

:shrug:

[mbali]

19. Yes. What's your point?

[Dees]

20. You obviously are infatuated with your own knowledge

and brilliance regarding campaign managers, the history of, their specific duties and what they should and should not say. Maybe disclosing a little of your history in campaign managing is in order. What specifically in your campaign resume qualifies you do demean anybody who suggest that all is not well in the Kerry campaign? Many and most of us have worked in local and state campaigns with communications with the National. My own experience dates back to working with the McGovern campaign in 72.

Your relentless defense today of Mary Beth Cahill on CNN is baffling. She may be an excellent organizer and bean counter but come November just because you've got everything filed away and the lights turned off doesn't mean you were successful. Her performance on CNN yesterday was lackluster, ineffective, mundane and scripted. Unlike you, I believe that she DOES qualify as one of Kerry's surrogates who given the opportunity take down the RNC and the administration at the knees should do so. Otherwise stay off CNN whether you were invited or you chose to do so. And for those of us who don't know squat about how national political campaigns work please feel free to enlighten.

[mbali]

22. While I have no need to provide you my resume - my posts speak for

themselves - I will tell you that I have worked in senior policy and management levels of several national campaigns, numerous local and state campaigns, and have significant experience in federal and local government. I know whereof I speak.

It's unfortunate that you are so resentful that someone with actual knowledge about how campaigns work shares their knowledge with those who may not. There are people here who appreciate learning more about this process, just as I appreciate learning from others here about topics that I have little experience with. If you find that to be demeaning, that's beyond my control. If you have a different opinion, you are free to express it. And, of course, you can always just hit Ignore.

[Dees]

23. I don't doubt your experience. May I suggest

when you post to preface your comments by using your first paragraph of this post to validate your comments. However that does not invalidate another opinion by a poster. A statistical factual error is one matter, the subjective analyzing of a leadership role is an entirely different situation. There ain't no hand book so to speak.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. David Wilhelm

[mbali]

5. Buzzed in 2 minutes late - but you get an Honorable Mention

[Feanorcurufinwe]

9. Wow I never

win anything.

[mbali]

10. Yes you have - you've won a lot of respect around here

[Feanorcurufinwe]

8. Unsurprising poll results

[JI7]

12. never heard of him

David Wilhelm, never heard of him until i read this post and responses.

but i have heard of all those names you mentioned in the poll.

[mbali]

15. That's my point

I was pointing out to the campaign "experts" who are blasting Mary Beth Cahill for not showing more "fire and passion" or for being more of an attack dog, and who demand that Begala and Carville be brought in to manage the campaign, that the effective campaign managers are not fire and brimstone ranters like Begala and Carville, who play an entirely different role. The fact that most people have likely never even heard of David Wilhelm, a calm and quiet organizer, who managed one of the most successful and brilliant campaigns in the 20th century demonstrates helps prove my point.

[GOPAgainstGW]

24. WRONG-George Stephanopoulos & James Carville won ’92 for Clinton!

George and James effectively ran the '92 Clinton campaign together in the final stages and bailed that campaign out! I don’t care what their job title on their name plate said.

Steph was the brains of the outfit and Carville was the muscle. It was a beautiful combo and Clinton would not have won without those two guys together. It was awesome synergy! It was an awesome election because it looked like from the polls that Clinton was going to lose. Hell next day, Clinton kicks Bush’s rear 370/168 in the Electoral. Nobody in the World picked that outcome, and if they said they did, they are a liars! Also since that day, President H.W. Bush has hated Clinton with a passion.

I see where this thread is going. and I loath making arm chair quarterback comments like this, but I’m making a one time exception.

If I was running Kerry-Edwards campaign, I would do whatever it took and offer George and James so much money they could not say no, to come back as a team and take K-E campaign over, and I'd go to the back of the bus.

Give me a break, you got two awesome pros, with great track records, made history pulling off that '92 Clinton win, both major league D.C. insiders with contacts, both well known by the public, and there are people that will walk through fire for both those guys. To hell with their TV contracts, buy them out, and make them a deal they cannot refuse!

Lookit, this is the first time in over 40 years we have seen the Democratic Party firing on all eight cylinder like they did when they got John F. Kennedy elected. More importantly, the Dems got the money to play this time, which probably will not happen again in my lifetime!

Losing President Clinton yesterday, due to his heart attack, REALLY hurt K-E’s election drive. People have no idea how much that guy does behind the scenes and how popular he still is with the working public. Even in Clinton’s worse days in Office he NEVER had approval ratings anywhere close to as bad as Bush. Hell in the height of his Monica problems his approval ratings were 17 points higher that Bush is currently.

I don’t know this Mary Beth Cahill, hell we’re Republicans so I might not know many great people in the Kerry-Edwards campaign. And, maybe Ms. Cahill is the second coming of Christ, I don’t know. But one thing I do know is that she does not have a proven track record.

When you’re playing the game and betting everything this County has on the outcome, and that’s where we are at, you buy the best and most expensive talent you can find WITH a proven track record! - NKR

------------------------------
Beltway and Texas Republicans
Against Bush-Cheney ’04, Inc.
------------------------------

[mbali]

25. They did not run the campaign -

They were political strategists and were hugely influential - and the most visible. But there's more to running a successful campaign than political strategy.

Polling, fundraising, field operations, the GOTV (Get Out the Vote), advance, communications, are among the other components of campaigns that are also crucial. While political strategists have some influence over these things (just as these things influence the political strategy), it is the campaign manager who overseas and coordinates it all. Unless all of these parts are run well, a campaign will likely not succeed, regardless how strong the political strategy is.

Ask Howard Dean.

[jefferson_dem]

26. Steph was Clinton's Director of Communications, not a general strategist

as was Carville. The War Room video documentary brilliantly illustrates that these two really made the campaign unique and successful. I point this out not to knock the more "behind the scenes" efforts by Wilhelm.

By the way, wasn't Wilhelm subsequently appointed by Clinton as DNC Chair, and presided during the 1994 Repug siege of Congress?

[mbali]

27. You're right that Stephanapoulos was Communications Director

But the Communications Director is a key strategist - he is responsible for crafting and disseminating the campaign's message.

I'm not downplaying his or Carville's influence on the campaign - they were huge. My point is that a campaign manager has a very different role than strategists' such as Carville, Begala and Stephanapoulos. For this reason, I think that the attacks on Mary Beth Cahill because she's not out spinning and spitting fire and brimstone or that she should be replaced by someone like Carville or Begala are unreasonable. Firebrands play a critical role in campaigns, but campaigns don't need firebrands running them - they need managers.