In a new chapter for the paperback edition of his look back at the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama’s campaign manager David Plouffe argues the president isn’t looking toward 2012.
“I can tell you that the president is not concerned with his reelection. He is focused on leading the country forward,” Plouffe writes in the forthcoming paperback version of his 2009 book “The Audacity to Win.”
If any political observers weren’t already snickering at those two lines, Plouffe adds: “We have no reelection campaign in the wings. We’ll build it when the time is appropriate.”
Of course, the Democratic National Committee’s Organizing for America is exactly that, a reelection campaign waiting in the wings to be reactivated. OFA currently lobbies for, pushes and promotes Obama’s agenda, while also helping the Democratic party.
Politico’s Mike Allen got the first look at the excerpts and posted them in today’s Playbook email. According to those excerpts, Plouffe writes about Obama’s (non) reelection strategy in the new chapter, telling rivals he hopes they will read his book “and assume it’s the playbook we’ll follow next time.”
“The one thing I’m sure of is that in this swiftly changing world we find ourselves in, staying in the same place is the surest route to defeat. So stay tuned,” writes Plouffe, who was brought back into the political fold this January following the Democrats’ loss in Massachusetts.
Allen reports the paperback version, out Aug. 31, will include a new subtitle:
Hardback subtitle: “The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory.” Paperback subtitle: “How Obama Won and How We Can Beat the Party of Limbaugh, Beck, and Palin.”
The new chapter also includes some discussion about Democrats “crouching in fear in 2010,” Allen reports. Plouffe argues for the party to be aggressive: “We need to stand up and pugnaciously make our case. If we fight, if we lead, … we can have a better election outcome than many prognosticators believe. …”
Read our coverage of the Plouffe book here.
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