Those who understand volunteer organizing and political campaigns know that there is no more vital piece than building the ranks of your middle management. Even when campaigns are flush with volunteers, without solid local coordination, much effort can be lost. Without powerful, coordinated ID, Persuasion and GOTV, even the best candidate can lose even in the best electoral conditions.
No political campaign has ever understood the overwhelming truth of this than the Obama campaign. Here we are just a few weeks into the general election, and Rumor has it that as of this moment nearly 300 Obama Organizing Fellows are ALREADY working in the commonwealth.
Here's Barack Obama describing the program back in April. As an aside, these fellows would have worked for Clinton if she'd been the nominee:
Basically what we've done is we've been attracting so much volunteer talent, so many young people who have gotten involved in the campaign, that we wanted to give a handful of them an opportunity to have some more intensive training. So we've asked them to apply for fellowships. I think they're called Obama Fellows. They will get intensive training, and they will be put on staff and will have an experience, starting in June.
This news and these fantastic organizers could not be more welcome! Virginia's 13 electoral votes will be the most hotly contested of this year's presidential election season. Obama has opened up minuscule lead in the Commonwealth, but the Obama campaign is apparently going to fight tooth and nail to turn Virginia blue for the first time since 1964.
Welcome Obama Organizing Fellows! YES WE CAN!
Definitely worth a read.
The next 5 months is going to great with them here!!!