Obama's Secret WeaponEndorsements. Key staffers. Fundraising lists. Brotherly advice. Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle is making his presence felt behind the scenes in Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
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By Howard Fineman
April 10, 2007 - Three years ago, it took a nasty, industrial-strength assault by Karl Rove & Co. to oust Democratic leader Tom Daschle from his Senate seat. But if Republicans thought they had seen the last of the resilient South Dakotan, they were wrong. He’s back, this time behind the scenes, as a sort of secret sauce in the surging presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama.
Daschle spent 30 years on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide, House member, senator and ultimately Democratic Senate leader. Now he is providing newcomer Obama with valuable endorsements, staff, fundraising lists and brotherly advice. “He brings an unrivaled mix of policy knowledge and political expertise,” said Steven Hildebrand, an Obama senior campaign advisor. He ought to know: a fellow South Dakotan, he ran Daschle’s last Senate campaign.
Money talks and Daschle knows the language. Although three years distant from the Hill (he is now a law firm consultant and lecturer at Georgetown), Daschle has carefully maintained his mailing list of 85,000 donors, and he is renting it to only one candidate – Obama. I am told that Daschle is about to do a fundraising letter for the campaign as well. “He is incredibly well-liked by Democrats,” said Hildebrand. “He really doesn’t have any enemies in the party.”
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One other thing. If Obama wins the nomination, Daschle will be a top contender for running mate. Far-fetched? Maybe. South Dakota is a red state, and one with the fewest possible electoral votes: three. But in 2000, political novice George W. Bush chose a congressional veteran from a sparsely-populated state as his reassuringly experienced running mate. Is Tom Daschle the Democratic answer to Dick Cheney? Then Daschle would be back, big time.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18041590/site/newsweek/page/2/