Obama's Field Organizers Plot a Miracle.

Inside the Obama campaign, an eclectic team of field organizers is attempting something that has long been considered impossible: building a precinct-level field organization large enough to affect the outcome of Super Tuesday (now February 5, or "Super Duper Tuesday"). If successful -- aided by email lists, web tools and old school organizing techniques long missing in electoral politics -- these organizers could rewrite the rules of presidential politics, dramatically raise the profile of field organizing in the campaign world and help rebuild Democratic party structure in states, such as California, that have been long forgotten to electoral field organizing.

Over the past two months, the Obama campaign has staged a number of in-depth, three-day trainings in February 5 states, with more than 1,000 carefully selected volunteers attending. Trainees leave the events organized into teams by Congressional district, charged with building an organization that reaches all the way down to the precinct level.

For decades, presidential primaries have been almost exclusively fought in Iowa and New Hampshire -- through a complex mix of retail politics, local endorsements and media. If no clear winner emerged from those states, then last minute efforts in other early states such as South Carolina and Michigan sometimes became important (In 2000, Bush played rough in both states with New Hampshire first place finisher John McCain.)

However, by the time Super Tuesday came along (formerly in early March), campaigns had only prayers, no strategy. The vast size of the electorate voting on Super Tuesday, when combined with relatively small budgets, meant that a field strategy was simply out of the question.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zack-exley/obama-field-organizers-pl_b_61918.html#postComment

I had hoped that was what he was doing with all these young people and these training sessions an whatnot. This is good good good. Just what this country needs, ownership in their governing process.

can we say "change agent"?

It'll be interesting to see what the Edwards strategy is going to use since he has more limited funds. He will have to be creative, so it'll be fun to watch.

The coming clash of the titans between Hillary and Obama organizations will be a good dry run when facing the well built Republican machine too.