Barack, The Fundamentals: Money, Message, Organization

Technology now makes possible DirectConnect. But the fundamentals do not change. And the fundamentals are money-message-organization. The particulars of each fundamentally change, but the fundamentals do not change.

Money

The first quarter was great. Keep beating the drum. And conserve the money. The month and a quarter to February 5, 2008 will be like one of those countries like India where that one month is where all the action is. You will need the money.

To raise more money than Hillary in the first quarter is a strong message to those who buy into this myth of a Clinton Machine. There is no Clinton Machine. There are voters, and there is you.

How many people donate to you matters. The more the better. Do you manage the money well? That is key. If you can't manage tens of millions, you sure can't manage trillions. That is what this is about. Show you can manage. Raise and conserve for now.

Message

Policy wonkiness can dazzle voters, but that does not always bring them along. And you seem to understand that more than anyone else. But that is no argument against policy wonkiness. Assemble the smartest people on all policy issues. Let them bang heads among each other off camera. You have to have ready access to the very best ideas, the very best arguments. They don't have to come from you, but they do have to come to you.

There's the stump speech. And there it is about connecting with voters, and bringing them along. And there is the speech you go give to a think tank, like this one above in Chicago. There you want to exude sheer substance. You don't have to worry about sounding too wonky. Both matter.

Debates matter. Hillary won two in a row. Poll numbers reflect that. Get on it. Prepare. Deliver.

One National Primary, Monthly National Debates, Videoblogged
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Organization

Voulnteers will lead. You just have to provide broad guidelines, and empower them. They will do the work. They have been. The new technology makes it possible for people to self-organize. And they have been doing that. Look at Facebook, look at MySpace. People are thronging to you like to noone else. I mean, I have more MySpace friends than some Republicans running for president.

By the way, you have the best website of any candidate. That speaks volumes.

Long Walk To Freedom
Bad MySpace Move By Barack Obama

In The News

Obama is the poor man among the top tier contenders Chicago Tribune, USA Obama family income of $991,000 ..... Obama reported his family's net worth as between $456,000 and $1.14 million, not including the equity in the Kenwood home he bought two years ago for $1.65 million. ..... Giuliani, a Republican, earned more than $16.8 million last year from an array of firms he owns, including financial, business and security consulting companies, and from speeches. Giuliani received as much as $300,000 for his speaking appearances. ....... Giuliani is worth between $13 million and $45 million ...... Edwards .. reported income of more than $7.1 million, most of it investment returns on a fortune of $29.5 million ....... Bill Clinton earned about $10 million in speaking fees last year and collected nearly $40 million for appearances since leaving office. McCain previously has reported a $15 million family fortune, mostly through his wife, who is the daughter of an Arizona beer magnate. ........ Romney .... will report between $190 million and $250 million in assets. ...... Republican candidate Mike Huckabee earned considerably less from his $74,000-per-year day job as governor of Arkansas last year than from outside activities. He earned $162,000 in speaking fees and book royalties, another $40,000 as an officer of 12 Stops, Inc., a company set up to handle those royalties and fees, and $40,000 for consulting work for the National Association of Music Manufacturers.

Hillary Clinton Widens Her Lead Over Barack Obama PR Newswire (press release), USA In April, he trailed Clinton by only 5 percentage points with 32 percent, compared to her 37 percent. However, a new Harris Poll finds Senator Clinton has since strengthened her position and that Senator Obama has slipped. She now leads Obama by fully 13 points -- 40 percent to 27 percent. ....... Obama leads Clinton among Independents (by 39% to 34%) and among Republicans (by 14% to 7%). ....... 71 percent would consider voting for one of the Democrats and 58 percent would consider voting for one of the Republican leaders

For the first time, nation's minority population tops 100 million Sun-Sentinel.com
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Fair is lovely in Bihar's heart of darkness Times of India There are dozens of cases in Bihar of marriage negotiations failing because the girl is dark.
First trains cross Korean Cold War border since 1951 Malaysia Star
Big Google search upgrade San Francisco Chronicle Google Inc. has added videos, book excerpts and local store information on its main results page, eliminating the need for users to visit the company's separate, specialized sites. ...... Google has spent billions of dollars on new infrastructure, and plans to open several data centers in the next few years. ...... Google has proven to be a more-nimble competitor by releasing products at a much faster pace. ..... generates virtually all of its revenue from advertising. ...... Google has expanded into selling banner and video ads, but currently only distributes them to partner Web sites.
Steve Jobs Highest Paid CEO of 2006 Gadgetell, MT He made the $647 million through total compensation thanks to vested restricted stock. ...... Ray Irani of Occidental Petroleum ($322 million), Barry Diller of IAC/Interactive Corp ($295 million), William P. Foley of Fidelity National Financial ($180 million), and Terry Semel of Yahoo! ($174 million).

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