former Campaign Manager for Barack Obama
Senior advisor at AKPD Message and Media, former campaign manager for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and author of The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory
The Obama Campaign from an Insider's Point of View When he talks about the mechanics of last year's campaign, President Obama says he couldn't have done it without David Plouffe. That's from the jacket of Plouffe's new book, The Audacity to Win . Does the President have the audacity to govern? We ask the man often called the behind-the-scenes architect of the Obama campaign, one who's kept his head low by staying out of the Obama Administration.
Repainting the Sheriff's department, tan and green Barring any unforeseen changes, there will be a new L.A. County Sheriff at the start of next week. Alex Villanueva defeated sitting Sheriff, Jim McDonnell, in this month’s midterms after running a partisan campaign that lead to the first ouster of a sitting Sheriff in more than a century. Villanueva told KCRW this week that his goal is to rid the department of officials that, he said, contributed to a corrupt culture under previous leadership. But there is a lot of concern about what that will look like and if recent reforms could be rolled back.
One Year Later: Rebuilding from the Thomas Fire This week marks one year since the Thomas Fire descended on the city of Ventura. It burned more than 500 homes within city limits. Since then, roughly half of those properties have received the green-light to start construction, but only a handful have actually broken ground. We visit one neighborhood where some of the first homes are getting rebuilt.
It’s a wonderful state California’s story needs a rewrite, and Zocalo Public Square commentator Joe Mathews knows just the man for the job.
California Gets Back into Presidential Politics In 1972, California clinched the presidential nomination for Democrat George McGovern. Since then, the biggest state has become an ATM for candidates of both parties. But starting in 2020 all eyes will be on California as it moves its primary up to a month after the Iowa caucuses.