He wants to be a “post politician”; breaking old political bonds, moral issues among other things and bring in new political operational modes. Most likely he will pursue this direction and look for deals across the isle. The heavy recession also speaks for these tactics. Problems might occur in his own party – with the democrats being this strong, many congress members believe it is time to harvest. And it is the congress, not the president, which makes the laws and budget decisions.
Barack Obama’s leadership characteristics are primarily calm and systematism. There has been plenty of intrigues and internal trouble among the opposition (first Hillary Clinton, later John McCain). Obama has chosen his staff carefully and he is a true team player.
This will be reflected in the people he chooses for leading positions in the administration.
It will be some time before we know, but a reasonable expectation is that New Mexico’s governor, former UN ambassador Bill Richardson, gets a central position, possibly foreign minister. (This could also be a possible position for John Kerry. Another possible foreign minister could be the republican senator Richard Luger.)
During the financial crisis, Obama managed to put together a strong financial team. His long term financial advisor Augustan Goolsbee, will play an important role. Finance Minister? Possibly Timothy Geithner, currently Chairman of the New York Federal Reserve Board.
And who will be assigned Chief-of-Staff, a central White House position? One indication is John Podesta. He held the position for a while in the Clinton administration and is now heading Obama’s group for coordinating work and staffing in the White House.
What happens with Hillary Clinton? My belief is that she will not be offered any central position. Possibly UN Ambassador, also a cabinet post. Rumour has it that she will be nominated to the Supreme Court. Though this will seriously obstruct republican collaboration.
Before the American presidential election, Washington was teeming with Swedes. Swedish TV channels were broadcasting live. The House of Sweden was crowded on election night. Journalists and politicians flocked to Washington. Leading politicians from all parties were here; social democrats had almost 40 representatives. Think tanks and large PR agencies were well represented.
The question is what kind of knowledge this brigade will bring back home. Here are some suggestions:
- Micro targeting; the Obama campaign’s strength, ie finding small sociological sub-groups and targeting special messages for them. For example, parents with children at Montessori pre-schools or people with a particular kind of car.
It works in the US, but it is much harder in Sweden with the Data Inspection Board and bans on linking information data bases. But we will most likely see attempts in 2010.
- Immediate replies; not waiting for an issue to develop or a debate to finish, but reporting immediately. This was obvious when McCain in a TV debate jokingly called Obama for “that person”. In a minute, Obama supporters were posting comments on blogs, filled sites, sent group SMS, etc.
- The news cycle that never sleeps. News around the clock, on blogs not least. You have to be everywhere and take initiatives all the time.
- The decentralised campaign. Obama supporters signed in on Obama’s network, received tools, but were trusted to act on their own.
- The Internet played a new and dominating role. The campaign was built on Facebook.
However, this is somewhat of a myth. Sure, many people met via Facebook and other net sites. Many millions of emails were sent and hundreds of million dollars were collected on-line. However, in the last days of the campaign, volunteering Obama supporters were knocking on more than one million doors in Ohio only. Traditional, old-fashioned and efficient. Such an activity requires enthusiasm, a political leader and people willing to sacrifice studies and free time. This cannot be transferred on a study visit.
Source: Olle Wästberg’s Newsletter November 2008