Text copyright © 2018 by Brian Abrams
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ISBN-13: 9781503951662 (hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1503951669 (hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9781503951655 (paperback)
ISBN-10: 1503951650 (paperback)
Cover design by Faceout Studio, Derek Thornton
First edition
CONTENTS
START READING
PARTICIPANTS
2004–2007
2008
2008–2009
2009
2010
2011
2011–2012
2012–2013
2013–2014
2015–2016
2016–2017
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
APPENDIX
SOURCES
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
That’s what America understands, that we don’t just inherit the world from our parents, but we also borrow it from our children. And that is why, tonight, as we stand here, we have to understand that we have another journey ahead, and it is going to be a journey even more challenging than the one we have already embarked on. There are people today, right now, who are as skeptical about the future as they were at the outset of this campaign . . .
And for those skeptics who believe that we can’t accomplish what we set out to accomplish, if our minds are clear and our heart is pure and we believe in a just and merciful God, I say to them: look at this crowd tonight, look at this election today. And I have three words for them. The same three words that we started the campaign, the same three words that we finished the primary, the same three words that are going to carry us, because as Dr. King said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,’ as long as we help bend it that way. I have three words for them. What are those words? Yes, we can.
—Senator-Elect Barack Obama’s victory speech, Chicago, November 2, 2004.
PARTICIPANTS
Yohannes Abraham
Deputy National Political Director, Obama-Biden 2012
Chief of Staff, Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, White House (2013–2017)
Rob Andrews
D-New Jersey, First District, US House of Representatives (1990–2014)
Roy Austin Jr.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, US Department of Justice (2010–2014)
Deputy Assistant to the President for the Office of Urban Affairs, Justice, and Opportunity, Domestic Policy Council, White House (2014–2017)
David Axelrod
Chief Strategist, Obama for America (2007–2008)
Senior Advisor to the President, White House (2009–2011)
Senior Strategist, Obama for America (2011–2012)
Melody Barnes
Counsel to Senator Edward Kennedy, US Senate Judiciary Committee (1995–2003)
Director, Domestic Policy Council, White House (2009–2012)
Joel Benenson
Pollster, Obama-Biden 2008 and Obama-Biden 2012
Chief Strategist, Clinton-Kaine 2016
Jared Bernstein
Chief Economist and Economic Policy Advisor, Office of the Vice President (2009–2011)
Jeremy Bird
Deputy National Director, Organizing for America (2009–2011)
National Field Director, Obama for America (2011–2012)
Jeffrey Bleich
Special Counsel to the President, White House (2009)
Ambassador to Australia, US Department of State (2009–2013)
David Bowen
Staff Director, US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) (1999–2010)
Mary Bono
R-California, Forty-Fourth District, US House of Representatives (1997–2003)
R-California, Forty-Fifth District, US House of Representatives (2003–2013)
Barbara Boxer
D-California, US Senate (1993–2017)
Scott Brown
R-Massachusetts, US Senate (2010–2013)
Carol Browner
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency (1993–2001)
Director, Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, White House (2009–2011)
Jon Carson
National Field Director, Obama for America (2007–2008)
Chief of Staff, Council on Environmental Quality, White House (2009–2011)
Director, Office of Public Engagement, White House (2011–2013)
Saxby Chambliss
R-Georgia, Eighth District, US House of Representatives (1995–2003)
R-Georgia, US Senate (2003–2015)
Arun Chaudhary
Official White House Videographer (2009–2011)
Ted Chiodo
Deputy White House Staff Secretary (2009–2014)
Dr. Steven Chu
US Secretary of Energy (2009–2013)
Martha Coakley
Attorney General of Massachusetts (D) (2007–2015)
Danielle Crutchfield
Director of Scheduling, White House (2009–2014)
David Cusack
Director of Advance, White House (2009–2011)
Executive Director, Presidential Inaugural Committee (2012–2014)
Director of Operations, White House (2015–2017)
Kareem Dale
Associate Director, Office of Public Engagement, White House (2009–2013)
Bill Daley
US Secretary of Commerce (1997–2000)
White House Chief of Staff (2011–2012)
Tom Daschle
D-South Dakota, US Senate (1987–2005)
Senate Majority Leader (2001–2003); Senate Minority Leader (2003–2005)
Bill Dauster
Deputy Staff Director and General Counsel, US Senate Finance Committee (2003–2011)
Deputy Chief of Staff, US Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (2011–2017)
Ron Davis
Police Chief, City of East Palo Alto (2005–2013)
Director, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), US Department of Justice (2013–2017)
Executive Director, President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (2014–2017)
Brian Deese
Special Assistant to the President, National Economic Council, White House (2009–2011)
Deputy Director, National Economic Council, White House (2011–2013)
Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget, White House (2013–2015)
Senior Advisor to the President, White House (2015–2017)
Tad Devine
Chief Strategist, Bernie Sanders for President, 2016
John Dingell
D-Michigan, Sixteenth District, US House of Representatives (1965–2003)
D-Michigan, Fifteenth District, US House of Representatives (2003–2013)
D-Michigan, Twelfth District, US House of Representatives (2013–2015)
Dean, US House of Representatives (1995–2015)
Chris Dodd
D-Connecticut, Second District, US House of Representatives (1975–1981)
D-Connecticut, US Senate (1981–2011)
Chair, US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (2007–2011)
Jim Douglas
Governor o
f Vermont (R) (2003–2011)
Chair, National Governors Association (2009–2010)
Arne Duncan
Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Public Schools (2001–2008)
US Secretary of Education (2009–2015)
Shomik Dutta
Mid-Atlantic Finance Director, Obama for America (2006–2008)
Special Assistant to White House Counsel (2009–2010)
National Finance Consultant, Obama-Biden 2012
Rahm Emanuel
Senior Advisor to the President, White House (1993–1998)
D-Illinois, Fifth District, US House of Representatives (2003–2009)
White House Chief of Staff (2009–2010)
Mayor of Chicago (2011– )
Jon Favreau
Director of Speechwriting, White House (2009–2013)
Jonathan Finer
Special Advisor for Middle East Affairs, Office of the Vice President (2011–2012)
Chief of Staff and Director of Policy Planning, Office of the Secretary of State (2015–2017)
Heather Foster
Advisor, Office of Public Engagement, White House (2011–2015)
Barney Frank
D-Massachusetts, Fourth District, US House of Representatives (1981–2013)
Chair, House Financial Services Committee (2007–2011)
Michael Froman
Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, National Security Council and National Economic Council, White House (2009–2013)
US Trade Representative, White House (2013–2017)
Jason Furman
Deputy Director, National Economic Council, White House (2009–2013)
Chair, Council of Economic Advisers, White House (2013–2017)
Teddy Goff
Director of New Media for Battleground States, Obama for America (2007–2008)
Digital Director, Obama for America (2011–2012)
Scott Goodstein
External Online Director, Obama for America (2007–2008)
Austan Goolsbee
Member, Council of Economic Advisers, White House (2009–2010)
Chair, Council of Economic Advisers, White House (2010–2011)
Ferial Govashiri
Senior Advisor to the Deputy National Security Advisor, White House (2009–2014)
Personal Aide to the President of the United States, White House (2014–2017)
Jennifer Granholm
Governor of Michigan (D) (2003–2011)
Vanita Gupta
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, US Department of Justice (2014–2017)
Luis Gutiérrez
D-Illinois, Fourth District, US House of Representatives (1993– )
Seth Harris
Acting Secretary and Deputy Secretary, US Department of Labor (2009–2014)
Adam Hitchcock
Special Assistant, Office of the Chief of Staff, White House (2009–2010)
Chief of Staff, Council of Economic Advisers, White House (2010–2011)
Pete Hoekstra
R-Michigan, Second District, US House of Representatives (1993–2011)
Brandon Hurlbut
Deputy Director of Cabinet Affairs, White House (2009)
Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff, US Department of Energy (2009–2013)
Valerie Jarrett
Senior Advisor to the President, White House (2009–2017)
Director, Office of Public Engagement, White House (2009–2017)
Brad Jenkins
Associate Director, Office of Public Engagement, White House (2011–2015)
Van Jones
Special Advisor, Council on Environmental Quality, White House (2009)
Christopher Kang
Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, White House (2009–2011)
Senior Counsel and Special Assistant to the President, White House (2011–2014)
Deputy Counsel and Deputy Assistant to the President, White House (2014–2015)
Ted Kaufman
D-Delaware, US Senate (2009–2010)
Cody Keenan
Presidential Speechwriter, White House (2009–2011)
Deputy Director of Speechwriting, White House (2011–2013)
Director of Speechwriting, White House (2013–2017)
Dr. Harold Koh
Legal Advisor, US Department of State (2009–2013)
James Kvaal
Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, White House (2009–2010)
Policy Director, Obama for America (2011–2012)
Deputy Director of Domestic Policy, Domestic Policy Council, White House (2013–2016)
Ben LaBolt
Deputy Press Secretary, Obama for America (2007–2008)
Assistant Press Secretary, White House (2009–2010)
National Press Secretary, Obama for America (2011–2012)
Barbara Lee
D-California, Ninth District, US House of Representatives (1998–2013)
D-California, Thirteenth District, US House of Representatives (2013– )
Eric Lesser
Special Assistant to the Senior Advisor, White House (2009–2011)
D-Massachusetts, State Senate (2015– )
National Advance Staff, Obama for America (2007–2008)
Policy Analyst, Office of Energy and Climate Change, White House (2009–2010)
Jack Lew
Director, Office of Management and Budget, White House (2010–2012)
White House Chief of Staff (2012–2013)
US Secretary of the Treasury (2013–2017)
Joe Lieberman
D-Connecticut, US Senate (1989–2006)
I-Connecticut, US Senate (2006–2013)
Mark Lippert
Chief of Staff, National Security Council, White House (2009)
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia and Pacific Security Affairs, US Department of Defense (2012–2013)
Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense (2013–2014)
Ambassador to Republic of Korea, US Department of State (2014–2017)
Josh Lipsky
Staff Assistant and Associate Director of Press Advance, White House (2009–2011)
Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of State, US Department of State (2015–2017)
Joe Lockhart
White House Press Secretary (1998–2000)
Reggie Love
Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the President, White House (2009–2011)
Nate Lubin
Writer/Producer, Obama for America (2008)
Director of Digital Marketing, Obama for America (2011–2012)
Director, Office of Digital Strategy, White House (2013–2015)
Carolyn Maloney
D-New York, Fourteenth District, US House of Representatives (1993–2013)
D-New York, Twelfth District, US House of Representatives (2013– )
Jim Messina
National Chief of Staff, Obama for America (2007–2008)
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, White House (2009–2011)
Campaign Manager, Obama for America (2011–2012)
Matthew Miller
Director, Office of Public Affairs, US Department of Justice (2009–2011)
Tyler Moran
Policy Director, National Immigration Law Center (2001–2012)
Deputy Policy Director, Domestic Policy Council, White House (2012–2014)
Senior Policy Advisor, US Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (2014–2017)
Cecilia Muñoz
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, White House (2009–2012)
Director, Domestic Policy Council, White House (2012–2017)
Ben Nelson
Governor of Nebraska (D) (1991–1999)
D-Nebraska, US
Senate (2001–2013)
Richard Nephew
Director, National Security Council, White House (2011–2013)
Principal Deputy Coordinator for Sanctions Policy, US Department of State (2013–2015)
Jackie Norris
Iowa State Director, Obama for America (2007–2008)
Chief of Staff to the First Lady, White House (2009)
Glenn Nye
D-Virginia, Second District, US House of Representatives (2009–2011)
David Ogden
Deputy Attorney General, US Department of Justice (2009–2010)
Rob O’Donnell
Press Assistant, Office of Public Affairs, US Department of Justice (2011)
Director of Broadcast Media, White House (2015–2017)
Darienne Page
West Wing Receptionist, White House (2009–2010)
Director, Veterans, Wounded Warriors, and Military Families Outreach, Office of Public Engagement, White House (2010–2013)
Jennifer Palmieri
Director of Communications, White House (2013–2015)
Director of Communications, Hillary for America (2015–2016)
Leon Panetta
Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2009–2011)
US Secretary of Defense (2011–2013)
Jonathan Pershing
Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change, US Department of State (2009–2012)
Senior Climate Advisor and Principal Deputy Director of the Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis, US Department of Energy (2013–2016)