Rather than bringing in the proverbial “wise old men” who would advise Obama on how to govern, Fox News reports that “David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s campaign manager during the 2008 Presidential election, will take on an expanded role as an outside adviser to the White House, the Washington Post reported Saturday:”
The news comes just days after Republican Scott Brown won a Massachusetts Senate special election in an upset over Democrat Marcia [sic — Ed] Coakley, leading to speculation that Plouffe is stepping into an advisory role in order to bolster Democrats’ political operations in the upcoming 2010 elections.
In an opinion piece scheduled to appear in Sunday’s Washington Post, under the heading “No bed-wetting,” Plouffe wrote that in order for Democrats to win in 2010, they must “prove that we have more than just the brains to govern — that we have the guts to govern. Let’s fight like hell, not because we want to preserve our status, but because we sincerely believe too many everyday Americans will continue to lose if Republicans and special interests win.”
After Obama’s election, Plouffe did not join the White House staff, choosing instead to focus on writing his memoir of the campaign, “The Audacity to Win.”
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called Plouffe “somebody whose advice and counsel [Obama] both seeks regularly and believes David is an exceptionally smart advisor who understands the type of anger and frustration that he’s seen.”
The permanent campaign rolls on! On Twitter, Howard Kurtz posits:
Obama bringing back Plouffe & campaign aides means: He failed to connect the dots in Massachusetts.
Kurtz adds:
Plouffe will build an “early warning system” for the WH to detect Republican threats (NYT). Will it work on underwear bombers?
Priorities man, priorities! (See also: Clinton, Bill.)
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