The Pros from Dover really are here to save the day. Here we go:
- Lockhart is the front man, replacing Devine.
- Sasso is the main guy with the candidate's ear, replacing Shrum.
- Whouley is the point man at the DNC, replacing Sasso.
- Greenberg is officially on board, and Begala has a larger role unofficially.
- Doug Sosnik is added to the inner strategy team.
- Howard Wolfson is added to the inner communications team.
- Joel Johnson seems like he'll be playing traffic cop.
Petey's Take:
This is all really, really, really good news. I can't over-emphasize how important this is. The Bostonians with sharp elbows and the Clintonistas who've been through this before are now at the center of decision making.
And not only have the right people been brought in, but they managed to do a major late campaign shakeup without inducing too much press coverage about internal panic.
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I have no problem with Shrum/Devine/Donilon. They ran a very good campaign from March through the end of the Democratic convention. And they designed a winning overall strategy in trying to re-run the Barak/Netanyahu campaign.
But they clearly showed themselves to be a bit outclassed in August. They'll still be in the mix, and that's a good thing. They can still make valuable contributions. And if we end up winning this thing, it'll be because of the overall strategic architecture they put in place.
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The two Boston guys elevated, Sasso and Whouley, know how to play serious hardball. You'd want them on your side in a knife fight, which seems to be the kind of race we find ourselves in.
And among the Clintonistas, I'm a big fan of Sosnik, and I absolutely love Lockhart.
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As has been true all year, Bush has the kind of numbers that mean he's got a real chance of winning this thing. But with grownups in charge of Team Kerry, I feel better than I've felt since the last night of the Democratic convention. We win this election 2 out of 3 times.