Posted on 05/09/2013 8:45:41 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
This guy ran the tech that won Obama reelection
Harper Reed, the CTO for Obama's 2012 campaign, tells us why Obama won, why the GOP lost and what will define 2016
By Jason Gilbert | Yahoo! News – 24 mins ago
by Jason Gilbert
The Chief Technology Officer for Barack Obama's re-election campaign probably does not look like what you think he looks like.
In fact, Harper Reed -- the Obama for America CTO who led a highly-regarded team of engineers in support of last November's victorious candidate -- likes to compare his looks to those of his predecessor, the CTO for Obama's 2008 campaign, as he did in this side-by-side photo he showed while speaking at Rhizome's Seven by Seven conference in April:
No, Reed is not the buttoned-up, neatly-coiffed exec you might expect to run the technology behind the most important election in America; but regardless of his sartorial choices, or the way he shapes his bangs in the morning, Reed has achieved unqualified triumphs, both as CTO for Threadless, the popular online T-shirt storefront, and then as CTO for President Obama's reelection run.
In other words: You may question his beard, but you can't question his success.
Since November 2012, Reed has turned away from politics, turning his attention to a stealthy mobile payments app (as well as a repository of pizza GIFs). And though he's no longer plying his trade in Washington D.C., he did reflect on what made the Democrats successful in 2012, what doomed the GOP's chances and a couple of the issues that may define the race in 2016 in a recent sit-down interview with Yahoo! News.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Which is why they find it easier to work with computers.
Wonder if his people are the ones who hacked the local ISP’s DNS server this weekend. I had noticed selective blocking of my searches and posts. Called the ISP and asked if the DNS Server had gone on vacation this weekend, she said yes, someone hacked it.
I was paranoid enough to blame Homeland Security in a questioning manner. But that may not really be paranoid at all. hee hee hee
1) Obama won the election in 2012 -- and he didn't do it through massive voter fraud.
2) Obama won the election in 2012 -- and he didn't do it through massive infusions of illegal cash from here and abroad.
3) Obama won the election in 2012 -- and he didn't do it because the Media gave him major support.
4) Obama won the election in 2012 -- and he didn't do it because the Media worked to trash his opponents.
5) Obama won the election in 2012 -- and covering up Benghazi had nothing to do with it.
6) Obama won the election in 2012 because he made good use of technology.
Yeah. That's the ticket.
I say this is about Benghazi and the realization is that Obama is not the person voters think he is. If people have their eyes opened through Benghazi and start asking questions, they may realize that he has absolutely no business being in the White House. Gotta start spinnign the other way and demonstrate that Obama is cool, and modern, and awesome, and really earned his post because he's basically a super hero.
THE FOREIGNER won because he CHEATED. Plain and simply. I think THE FOREIGNER was the most surprised one of all after the election results, because despite the voter fraud, I think he still thought he was going to lose. I will never forget that OJ EXPRESSION when he knew he had won.
like a well oiled machine, they are prepared and capable of taking this nation over the cliff edge into oblivion.. and the abyss of shattered freedoms and stolen liberties.. ya got to love these Progre$$ives, they’d cut their own kids throats for a vote. imagine what they will cut off for Hillary.
Obama was playing rope a dope the last five weeks. Romney never had a chance and never new what hit him. Will the GOP learn? I doubt it, they are still trying to figure out what happened to Wilkie back in 1948. I doubt Karl Rove knows that Windows 3.1 is computer software rather than a home construction item.
The downfall of this industry was the whole start up culture and working from home all the time bs. It allowed hippies and non-bathers to infiltrate the industry. I left my last job because I am old school and almost everyone in the office was an under 35 hippie who worked from home half the time. Some even napped at the office in between ping pong games. I could not stand it.
Mock him all you want, but it would behoove the GOP and 2016 presidential hopefuls to learn from this interview. First, effective tech in ANY organization requires commitment and buy-in from the top. Second, technology is rapidly evolving and you need imagination to use it effectively - what was new in 2012 will be old in 2016. And third, the GOP has to start on this now. To me it is inexcusable that the Romney campaign - given he was running since 2007 - did not spend that time building tech, and especially during 2009-2011. ORCA was a rush job and they botched it.
This is not about Benghazi. I do not know what it is about, but I know it is not about Benghazi. Why? Because some months ago someone who had several key issues, any of which would have hobbled ANY other person running for the presidency, waltzed through it. Did Obama win due to clever management of his election machinery, bungling by the Romney camp, or massive voter fraud as you said? Maybe all of the above? It doesn't matter, because even if it was uber-election fraud to the tenth degree, there was no peep from the Democrats (as expected), there was no peep from the Republicans (apart from Romney's kid saying his father really didn't want to run), no peep from the media (as expected), and as seen, nothing from the voting public ...outside, as usual, political forums. If the Republicans are not willing to say anything - whether it is about Benghazi or voter fraud - what impact is expected from the public at large, especially considering the media support Obama has? He could eat a dog live and it still wouldn't register (didn't he say he ate a dog once or am I dreaming that up?)
I am not being a pessimist. Just being realist, and also considering that in the ramp up to the election there were all these stories on FR of how there is some October type surprise just waiting. Remember the Trump story?
I'd say the biggest problems are the docile nature of the Republicans (not a word about the birth certificate, about voter fraud, about Benghazi, or a number of other issues), and the nonchalance of the voting public. Those two issues are the key ones. The media not doing its job in a fair manner is only an accelerating factor ...a very bad thing, but only making something that is already really bad far worse.
Anyways, just my US$0.02. Worth the same as a warm jug of spit, but I think it is the real issue at play here.
I also believe people are focusing on the wrong issues ....focusing on dying leaves ....and ignoring the sick root at the heart of the matter. Yes, the media trashed his opponent. Yes, the media gave him major support. Yes, there was evidence of irregularities. Yes, there was cash from unknown sources. Yes, the government covered up Benghazi. Yes, Obama made good use of technology (he really did ...his IT system, compared to the Orca system Romney tried to use, was by far much better ...like comparing a dinghy with the Enterprise from Star Trek). However ...there are deeper issues at play. Even more than the biased media. I've mentioned two - Republicans who cannot even punch their way out of a wet paper bag, and a voting public that is by far apathetic. As long as those two exist, then the Liberals win ...even if a Republican becomes president. Why? Because the country continues to shift left. Think of it ...a current Republican politician today is more liberal than the typical Democrat politician from the early 1970s. Already gay marriage is getting acceptable in the public mindset. Compare what is on TV today and what would have been on TV in the mid 1990s.
Anyways, as I said my US$0.02.
Community organizing on a precinct, city, county, and state wide level where it counted: the swing states. Hate the candidate and his ideology, but you have to admire his campaign.
Exactly. The Dem storm troopers rolled out the vote. Every senior retirement home, every obamaphone black, etc., etc. They all got a personal contact. It isn’t complicated. Early voting is a game changer and the loser party has yet to adapt. Worse, they don’t even seem interested in this type of political warfare. Too much work I guess.
Tokyo Rove is now using this as another opportunity to scam more money from RNC GOP-donors to build his own version of this guys platform. Another opportunity for Rove to fleece his donors.
Obama’s minions massively took advantage of the RAT grassroots to GOTV.
Rove-Romney had nothing but contempt for our grassroots and thought they had a chance with putting all of their money into paid advertising instead of a real GOTV effort.
I also believe people are focusing on the wrong issues ....focusing on dying leaves ....and ignoring the sick root at the heart of the matter.
Dead on the money, spetznaz. It's easy to concentrate on symptoms and ignore causes; most unfortunately, it's even easier to look at symptoms and persuade oneself they're insignificant.
I emailed links about ORCA to junior associates as one of the best object lessons I have seen on how NOT to do a systems launch. There are many mortal sins with systems implementation, but the worst is arrogance, because it blinds you to all the others. And the ORCA systems team was as arrogant as it comes. And IMO that arrogance was prevalent throughout the Romney campaign.
You are so correct! I worked a couple of campaigns back in the late 60's in Ohio. You got people to register, you kept in touch with those favorable to your cause, and you made sure they did in fact vote by using telephone banks and transportation if necessary. Obama's campaign was nothing more than using those tactics, but enhanced though the use of technology so the efforts could be taken state wide if necessary.
From looking at the video - it seems the young generation was enchanted with Obama. Sometimes, it’s very sad if you get what you wish for!!!
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