An article in the Chicago Tribune addresses the issue of integration -- this time, of merging the Obama campaign network into the Democratic Party. As they put it, "(I)t is no simple task to convert an insurgency into a standing army."
The problem arises from the extraordinary allegiance and devotion that the crew of Obama supporters gave to Barack Obama and his candidacy. They likely would have voted Democratic anyway, most of them, but out of habit rather than enthusiasm. It was Obama who brought them out of their chairs, applauding, whistling, and stomping their feet, and thats who they admire and support, not the Democrats as a whole. Now the DNC wants to capture that magic for itself. They want people to view"Democrat" with the same adulation as they see "Obama"; they want to tap the extraordinary fundraising network that Obama built, and use it to fund DNC needs, including paying back debts that the DNC incurred on behalf of the Obama and other campaigns. The grassroots is not buying it; intellectually, they realize that its probably a defensible idea, but emotionally, it was and is 'Obama' that's the star, not 'Democratic Party'.
Its an interesting article, and an interesting problem. Make a good Harvard Business Review article, I'd say - and a good opportunity to see the Obama style of management in action.
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