Not unusual to move DNC operations during a presidential campaign.

[madfloridian]

Midwestward Ho..DNC moves westward

Moving quickly to take control of the Democratic Party, Sen. Barack Obama will shift much of the infrastructure of the Democratic National Committee from its Capitol Hill headquarters to his campaign offices in downtown Chicago, DNC officials said yesterday.

The party's political functions and some other operations will move to Obama's offices in the Loop. The DNC's get-out-the-vote operation will be integrated with Obama's massive voter mobilization efforts, as will the Democrats' increasingly sophisticated voter identification program. Communications, opposition research and much of its Internet operation will likely remain in Washington.

"We are now one team effort working together to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president of the United States," said DNC communications director Karen Finney. "Our goal is to quickly consolidate these efforts into one operation and effectively drive one national strategy."

The move is not unprecedented. Some DNC operations were moved to Nashville in 2000, and a migration similar in scope to this year's took place in 1992, when Bill Clinton moved much of the party to Little Rock. Obama moved one of his top aides, Paul Tewes, to the DNC on Wednesday. Last Friday, Tewes, Obama and DNC Chairman Howard Dean held a conference call with state Democratic leaders to map out the shake-up.

The DNC's Tom McMahon said that "What's unusual is the speed..That's what's catching people off guard."

[LiberalFighter]

1. I wouldn't consider the speed unusual...

Any good campaign of this magnitude should have this mapped out and ready to go.

Even though I don't consider where I am will be a playing field in the upcoming months the Obama campaign is checking to see what the groups are doing as far as activities and requesting info to secure headquarters for the state campaign.

They are preparing themselves so they don't waste time.

[MaineDem]

2. And I've heard it's been one of the easier transitions in recent memory

The Obama people are being very respectful of the DNC staffers and vice versa.

Here in Maine we've had a coordinated campaign staff on the ground for months and we're constantly adding to it. I look forward to folding the Obama people into it. We've already started.

[madfloridian]

3. Thanks for that info.

I hope it holds true in other states as well. Probably will in most.

[Youphemism]

4. Still, the less politics in Chicago, the better.

I've never heard anything good about Chicago politics. This is one move I'm not crazy about, if for no other reason than appearance. I'm all for changing the way things are done in Washington -- but I don't want to go by the Chicago model.

[Cha]

6. That's just too a broad a brush... Obama's

in charge now and he hails from Chicago where there's a new kinda politics in town.

[Youphemism]

7. Dream on...

I'm an Obama fan, but let's be real here. He is not going to suddenly make a corrupt system magically better. Criminals aren't going to turn in their guns when he gets elected, and fatcats aren't going to suddenly stop squeezing people and taking bribes.

Part of supporting a candidate is not mindlessly assuming they are the answer to every problem you ever had.

Chicago, by all accounts, has some really nasty political corruption -- it almost managed to smear Obama already.

Don't pretend it all goes away just because he's running for President. It obviously doesn't.

[Hippo_Tron]

8. Obama beat the machine chosen candidates in his Senate race, but...

I do more or less agree with what you're saying. Still I don't think that's inherently a bad thing. Republicans are going to play dirty. I'm glad our guy knows a thing or two about dirty politics himself.

[Youphemism]

10. Yeah, he gives as good as he takes...

I'm glad to see him going after McCain and the slime machine. I'm just not a big fan of the Chicago political scene.

[Cha]

9. I don't need a lecture from you on

"mindlessly supporting a candidate" but thanks for your concern.

What I'm saying is Obama's campaign is going to be clean.

[Youphemism]

12. Lectures usually contain more than a few sentences...

McCain is the one whose campaign is dirty. I wasn't arguing that point at all. I'm just not crazy about the move to Chicago, and I said why I'm not crazy about it. It seemed as if you were suggesting moving his campaign there is going to clean up the whole town. That's not going to happen.

I'll let you know when I hit the lecture circuit.

[Tatiana]

11. As a Chicagoan, I take great offense to that statement.

We know how to mobilize and we know how to WIN.

That's what Obama and the DNC are trying to do right now. Streamlining the operations SAVES MONEY and TIME. We won't be doing duplicate work. Additionally, there will still be DNC personnel in Washington.

We will be better able to locate our voters and dispatch workers to get them registered. This information will be integrated into the DNC database for downticket races and all the state parties will have easier access to target their own initiatives.

[Cha]

5. Speedier than ever.. time's

a wastin'.