Obama's Number 1 Fan

Washington Post: Behind Chief Strategist's Cool Demeanor Is An Intense Fan For Chicago's Sports Teams And His Candidate

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Robert G. Kaiser.

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David Axelrod first showed signs of chronic fan syndrome in the early 1960s in his native New York City. The initial symptom involved baseball. His dad had recently allowed the New York Mets (born 1962) to occupy the place in his heart long filled by the New York Giants (moved to San Francisco, 1957), and began taking his precocious son to games -- lots of them. "I was a big Mets fan," Axelrod reports. From the age of 8, when his parents separated, he spent weekends with his father, a ballplayer turned psychologist. "Most weekends we'd spend one or both days out at the ballpark," Axelrod remembers. A fan was born.

For nearly four decades Axelrod has lived in Chicago. The transplant is now deeply rooted, with chronic fan syndrome intact. The Mets are history. Now Axelrod holds season tickets to the Chicago Bulls of the NBA, the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs. He and his wife, Susan, have a subscription to Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts. When politics don't interfere, he can lead quite a fan's life.

Axelrod, 53, is the preeminent political consultant in Chicago, and has operated successfully all over the country. He has helped Deval Patrick become governor of Massachusetts, Hillary Clinton become a senator from New York, and Anthony Williams become mayor of Washington, among many others. Over the past 16 months he has become a national figure as chief strategist for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, a job that regularly puts him on television -- "Meet the Press" two Sundays ago and "Face the Nation" last Sunday, and all over cable news last week. On television he is a cool, articulate spokesman for his candidate, a well-spoken salesman with a product to sell. But his friends realize that behind his mild-mannered exterior lurks the intense Axelrod they all know -- the fan.

Politics and sports are close cousins, and politics can provide an outlet for the fan's instincts. Axelrod roots for politicians with the intensity fans usually save for their teams. "He's really sort of an innocent," says Sam Smith, a retired Chicago Tribune sportswriter and one of Axelrod's closest friends. His pal is regularly infatuated with the candidates he works for as a consultant, Smith says: "He believes the best of the people in politics" -- at least for a time.

"He loves his candidates when he starts," Smith explains, but the love often fades; "he's usually let down when he finishes [a campaign]."

Told of Smith's remark, Axelrod demurs, denying that his candidates regularly disappoint him. "That's not really true," he says during a recent conversation in Obama headquarters here. "I've had my disappointments for sure, but I've been really, really lucky. Part of what has allowed me to practice the politics I like is that I've hooked up with some really outstanding people."

He considers Obama the most outstanding of them all. Axelrod has decided that this first-term senator, just 46 years old, is something extraordinary, someone to compare to his earliest political idol, Robert F. Kennedy. "This time he found a candidate who isn't letting him down," Smith says. "Obama is the one different guy."

Robert Swidler, now a lawyer in Troy, N.Y., is Axelrod's oldest friend. They grew up together in Stuyvesant Town, a vast community of high-rise, red-brick apartment houses just north of the East Village in Lower Manhattan. They went off to kindergarten together at Public School 40 on East 19th Street, went through Junior High 104 across the street and won admission to Stuyvesant High School, an academically selective public school, three blocks away.

Swidler recalls how, as 13-year-olds, they set up a card table, first at the Bronx Zoo, then on busy 57th Street, to sell buttons and bumper stickers for Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. Their politics were established even then, Swidler recalls -- New York liberals with an idealistic bent who thought government should help the weakest members of society.

Axelrod remembers Robert Kennedy's assassination in the early hours of June 5, 1968. He thinks he was awake at the time, nearly 3:30 a.m., watching television or listening to the radio: "I wanted to see if he'd win the [California] primary, I knew how important it was. And I just was devastated, because I found him such an inspiring figure." So did millions of others, of course. Robert Kennedy was the last Democratic politician who could make voters swoon.

"When we started this campaign, I said to Barack, in many ways idealism died with [RFK], and we needed to rekindle that. And if we did this right, perhaps we could help do that." A fan speaks -- grandly, but that's what fans do.

'I'm a Multi-Tasker'

Among political professionals, the Obama campaign has been the object of admiration -- "flawlessly run," in the words of Bob Beckel, campaign manager of Walter F. Mondale's 1984 run for the White House. Obama, Axelrod, his partner David Plouffe and a small band of comrades drew up a plan early in 2007 to challenge the reigning first family of the Democratic Party for the presidential nomination on behalf of a neophyte Illinois senator whose name sounded foreign. They stuck to their plan even when they fell behind Hillary Clinton -- 33 points behind in a Washington Post-ABC News poll of Democrats and independents who lean Democratic that was completed on Sept. 30.

The Obama message also has never changed. As he laid it out in the Feb. 10, 2007, speech announcing his candidacy, Obama blames the country's inability to deal with its many problems on "the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics -- the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle big problems." When Clinton pulled so far ahead in the polls, many skeptics thought this message was inadequate to the task. Obama, Axelrod and their colleagues thought otherwise.

And then they won the Iowa caucuses. After four months of primaries, caucuses and jockeying for the support of superdelegates -- the past and present elected and party officials who will now decide the ultimate winner -- Obama is the front-runner. The plan worked, at least so far. The fact that he was right when the conventional wisdom was so wrong gives Axelrod considerable satisfaction.

"Seven months ago I was spending a lot of time talking to guys like you who basically would tell me you're 30 points behind in the national polls, she seems almost unbeatable," he says. "Mark Penn [then Clinton's chief strategist] was declaring victory. And we placed our bet on the American people. And now we've won twice as many primaries and caucuses, and I think we're in a very strong position. That's because there is a hunger for something different, and I think Barack represents that."

As chief strategist, Axelrod has been a player-coach for the campaign. He appears comfortably on television for Obama, helps the candidate formulate his message, makes television commercials, consults daily with colleagues on how time and resources should be spent, BlackBerrys constantly with reporters, colleagues and supporters, and talks on the phone, too. "I'm a multi-tasker," he explains.

Axelrod is an atypical political consultant. Over the past generation his profession has become a dominant force in American politics. Its leading practitioners -- all wealthy and most full of themselves -- have become central actors in the country's political dramas. Axelrod has been influential himself, but works hard at avoiding self-promotional bloviation. "I have never believed in the Wizard of Oz theory of consulting, that I am all-knowing and all-seeing, and that everyone around me is kind of a backbencher," he says.

"David always wants to test and retest his ideas -- at all hours!" says Forrest Claypool, his first partner in the consulting business. Axelrod is famous for his middle-of-the-night phone calls. "He's constantly soliciting diverse views," says Claypool.

According to Beckel, whose Mondale campaign featured the jealousies, leaks and backbiting typical of presidential crusades (the sort that have been on display in the strife-torn Clinton campaign this year), the most remarkable aspect of the Obama operation is the total absence of drama. "There seems to be a cohesion there," Beckel says.

Axelrod's troops clearly adore him, and he goes out of his way to praise their accomplishments. For example: "My partner David Plouffe has done the most magnificent job of managing a campaign that I've seen in my life of watching presidential politics. To start something like this from scratch and build what we have built was a truly remarkable thing."

[girlmiami]

In the case of Jeremiah Wright, this is particularly disturbing. Obama has spent twenty years in the church of this man whose basic ideology is Black Liberation Theology. This is nothing more than black separatism dressed up in fancy religious clothes. It stems from a movement that has been opposed to racial integration for more than a century.
He also chose to embrace Bill Ayers. At first I thought this was no big deal. After all, I had many friends in various radical movements (some violent) and if I ran into them on the street today, I would try to be cordial. And guilt by association is pretty sleazy behavior.
William Ayers and Obama worked together for eight years.Obama''''s wife Michelle is a co worker with Ayers wife . William Ayers sure looks happy jumping on the American Flag doesn''''t he? Every time I hear someone say Obama can''''t be responsible for what other people do or say I say back to them that you are known by the company you keep. SORRY MY VOTE IS FOR HILLARY 2008 Obama has no experience. RIGHT YES WE CON...HE RIPPED OFF BILL CLINTON IN HIS 1992 DEBATE CHANGE WE NEED CHANGE.. THE GUY IS SO FULL OF HIMSELF PLEASE.

LOOK FOR YOURSELF OBAMA FANS:
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[abbe91]

Senator McCain spent almost 6 years as a POW.
Posted by boycot-china at 09:56 AM : May 03, 2008

Thanks for summarizing so well his military record.

[abbe91]

does anybody remember the The Buffalo Six?...the Lackawanna Six?
Posted by nanging3 at 10:08 PM : May 03, 2008

And the Keating 5 ?

[truthyness]

What was David Axelrods name before he changed it??

[blackyowe]

I don''t think Obama has allot of spooky connections in the middle east. I think he is young and foolish and I am disgusted with the hate speech of his waco preacher. The fact that Wright was his mentor is deeply disturbing and rather childish.

[blackyowe]

Won Guam by 7 votes that is too funny!

[nanging3]

One of the lesser reported revelations of Obama''s San Francisco reverie is that
he went on a college trip to Pakistan (during the period of the establishment of
the Mujahideen "training camps" (against the Soviets at that time))...does
anybody remember the The Buffalo Six?...the Lackawanna Six? It was their little
"college trip" to Pakistan that got them arrested.


But I''m sure Obama''s trip was completely innocent...that he exercised the same
stellar judgement in picking out people there to meet and greet as he has here
in picking out his role models (Jeremny Wright),political passage mentors (Bill
Ayers) and land deal advisors (Antoin "Tony" Rezko).

[nanging3]

Jeremiah Wright is wrong when he said white Americans don''''t understand what the
black liberation theology is all about.

On the contrary, when someone like him uses his pulpit to spew forth hatred, we
know full well the results -- A hate-filled congregation whose anger is directed
toward white Americans.

As far as I am concerned, Jeremiah Wright is doing as much damage to those who
he inculcates as the Imans of the radical Islamic movement.

Shame on Barack Obama for sitting in his church for 20 years and for letting his
impressionable children be exposed to his revulsion

[nanging3]

As I was searching the net for info on Jodi Evans I came across an article, %u201CTerrorist Fundraisers for Obama%u201D on Frontpagemagazine.com written by Patrick Poole on Wednesday, April 23 (2008). Mr Poole writes, %u201CTwo years ago, Hatem El-Hady was the chairman of the Toledo, Ohio-based Islamic charity, Kindhearts, which was closed by the US governmentin February 2006 for terrorist fundraising and all its assets frozen. Today, El-Hady has redirected his fundraising efforts for his newest cause - Barack Obama for President.%u201D According to Poole, Michelle Obamalists El-Hady as one of her 224 friends (I checked the site today and found only 223 friends%u2026%u2026%u2026one was removed!) as one of his friends, but of course! You really MUST read this article for yourself (click here). I am sitting here speechless. I have no idea at this point if this is true I am just reporting what I found online.

Terrorist Funding For Obama

[nanging3]

Ayers%u2019 wife Dorn (1984 - 1988) worked in the same law firm as Michelle Obama. Dorn introduced Michelle to Obama. Rumor as it that it was Dorn who set-up Obama%u2019s first fundrasier (1995) in Chicago (re:Obama in Ayers house).

http://dianej.wordpress.com/

[kmccliment]

OBAMAS HIDDEN AGENDA:
WELFARE FOR THE WORLD- Most importantly due to Black Theology- Africa.

Source:Newsmax.com (following)
the Global Poverty Act (S.2433). According to some conservative sources, this disastrous legislation could eventually force U.S. taxpayers to fork over as much as 0.7 percent of the nation''''s Gross Domestic Product -- or $845,000,000,000.00 -- on welfare to third-world countries.
***This is being sponsored by Senator Obama.

His true agenda is to TAX,TAX,TAX and promote Black Theology.

[Lai K W]

I read that. 67 lies from OBAMA and he is guilty as charged. The real OBAMA; the dark side of THE FORCE.

[libra127]

This is a MUST READ article:

"The Truth vs. Barack Obama"

http://savagepolitics.com/?page_id=326

[blackyowe]

Hmmmmmmm me thinks they might be a couple.

[boycot-china]

Senator McCain spent almost 6 years as a POW. One of his cell mates was a hero named Mike Christian from Alabama. Mike didn''''t wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. Mike enlisted at 17 and became a pilot who was shot down and captured. The Vietnamese allowed some POW''''s to get boxes from home. In these boxes were handkerchiefs and clothing. Mike made a bamboo needle and over a couple of months created an American flag. Everyday, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang up the flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know being proud of America isn''''t important these days but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event. One day, the Vietnamese searched our cell and discovered Mike''''s flag. That evening they beat Mike severely. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was Mike. He was there with his eyes almost shut from the beating, making another American flag. He wasn''''t making it because it made him feel better, but because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country. So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget Senator Obama''''s anti-American comments and support of a racist church. Be proud to be an American and support the ideals that promote freedom, liberty, and racial equality to all Americans.

[downsteamjim]

What a puff piece! Did Axelrod write it himself? Did he sit in the stands for 20 years before he noticed that the Giants had moved to San Fransico?

[nanging3]

I can see it now, the %u201CI went to a madrassa but didn%u2019t inhale%u201D-defense......


Barack Hussein visited family in Indonesia and friends in Pakistan. I wonder who
his friends were - Pakistan was flooded with close to 2 million Afghan refugees,
Iran was in the depths of Mullah induced madness, Iraq was trying to build The
Bomb, and the World was waking up to the start of the 3rd Muslim expansion.


"I knew what Sunni and Shia was [sic] before I joined the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee."

[nanging3]

One of the lesser reported revelations of Obama''s San Francisco reverie is that
he went on a college trip to Pakistan (during the period of the establishment of
the Mujahideen "training camps" (against the Soviets at that time))...does
anybody remember the The Buffalo Six?...the Lackawanna Six? It was their little
"college trip" to Pakistan that got them arrested.

But I''m sure Obama''s trip was completely innocent...that he exercised the same
stellar judgement in picking out people there to meet and greet as he has here
in picking out his role models (Jeremny Wright),political passage mentors (Bill
Ayers) and land deal advisors (Antoin "Tony" Rezko).

you need to worry about who Obama really is ?

[nanging3]

Barack Obama is on record as orchestrating the defeat of Illinois%u2019 Born Alive Infants Protection Act. (Jill Stanek has documented this extensively.) While it is obvious that everyone in the pro-life community finds this sufficiently repulsive to vote for whoever (or whatever) is running against Obama, no self-respecting pro-choice person is going to stand with Obama on this either. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY, one of the most liberal members of Congress) said of the Federal version of this legislation, %u201CThere is no such thing as a right to a live birth abortion.%u201D

[nanging3]

Jeremiah Wright is wrong when he said white Americans don''t understand what the
black liberation theology is all about.

On the contrary, when someone like him uses his pulpit to spew forth hatred, we
know full well the results -- A hate-filled congregation whose anger is directed
toward white Americans.

As far as I am concerned, Jeremiah Wright is doing as much damage to those who
he inculcates as the Imans of the radical Islamic movement.

Shame on Barack Obama for sitting in his church for 20 years and for letting his
impressionable children be exposed to his revulsion