by Jim Tankersley
Newcomers learn quickly that Washington is a town run by twenty-somethings. So, for that matter, is much of the presidential campaign.
Top strategists may be graybeards – or at least prematurely gray – but grassroots organizers, event coordinators and other nuts-and-bolts campaign workers are often well shy of their 10-year high school reunions.
Examples abound in every campaign team, but for now, consider one of them: Democratic hopeful Barack Obama’s newest and youngest Chicago spokesman, Ben LaBolt. He turns 26 today – and he’s already worked on as many federal campaigns as his boss, the junior senator from Illinois, has run.
LaBolt, a LaGrange, Ill., native and Middlebury College grad, toiled for Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential team in New Hampshire and for Sherrod Brown’s winning U.S. Senate run in Ohio last year; in between, he was an aide to Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). He worked for Obama’s Senate office before joining the campaign earlier this month.
If you’re scoring at home, that makes LaBolt 1-1 in federal campaigns, the same record as Obama, who lost a primary challenge to Rep. Bobby Rush in 2000 before winning his Senate seat in 2004.
LaBolt in a partying mood with another twenty-something Capitol Hill vet - Sandra Abrevaya, a spokesman for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Photo courtesy Clare Gannon.
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Comments
ANOTHER MAJOR AUGUST NEWS STORY!
I smell a Pulitzer.
Posted by: whatnow | August 20, 2007 6:03 PM
Ben and Sandra are touching but, Barry Obama owes his political career to Dickie Durbin so it only makes sense Ben and Sandra would be toilers in Durbins vineyard. Obama is Durbin's toadie but, I guess you Dems wouldn't want to discuss that. Tough it's an issue in this Campaign 08. Get used to it. Jerry White, Springfiedl, IL P.S. All Durbins baggage is Obamas too.
Posted by: Jerry White | August 20, 2007 8:37 PM
P.P.S. Jer,
The Bush Administration's baggage is ours too. Its an issue that will plague us even after they're gone, get use to it.
Posted by: kb | August 20, 2007 10:49 PM
From the Middlebury College website:
"Ben LaBolt ... When he’s not sitting on the SGA or Community Council, he’s most likely pushing the political agenda of the College Democrats, doing improv with the Otter Nonsense Players, or marching in the clown parade..."
A clown who acts with the Otter Nonsense Players is a perfect fit for the Obama Campaign.
Posted by: Bruce | August 20, 2007 11:00 PM
Such a beautiful pic,two libs smiling,just like JohnE.does when his mommy gives him his allowance for cleaning the basement and clipping her toe nails.
Actually,Clare Gannon is in the "partying mood"...look at her wine glass,no wine left,while LaBolt's is still half full.
Ahhhhh...those dems.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | August 20, 2007 11:14 PM
This is the same Ben LaBolt who was implicated in the Hillary "1984" attack ad that the Obama campaign tried to deny they had anything to do with. See
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2977670&page=1
for the story the Swamp reporters don't seem to be able to, or want to, remember. And which is LaBolt's only claim to fame.
It's as if a biography of Jesse James didn't mention his train robberies.
Posted by: Bruce | August 20, 2007 11:36 PM
So now you're fawning over Obama STAFFERS ??? The Tribune's glorification of Obama knows no bounds.
So some guy worked for a losing presidential campaign, a caught-the-lucky-wave Senator, and a back-bench congresswoman. Um, doesn't that describe everyone in D.C. ? Big deal.
Where's the "news" ??
Posted by: Romanescu | August 20, 2007 11:48 PM
Oy vey. First the cover of Middlebury Magazine, now this? Well played, Mr. LaBolt.
Posted by: Brian Seitchik | August 21, 2007 1:52 AM
This is so perfect. The knucklehead who plagiarized the Apple "1984" ad (talk about a lack of imagination!) is the the most apt spokesman I can think of for Fluff Obama.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 21, 2007 7:15 AM
The Chicago Tribune is a CHICAGO, ILLINOIS newspaper, writing about a presidential candidate from CHICAGO, ILLINOIS writing a human interest story about that campaign's staffer from a suburb of CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
Get it?
Posted by: Doug Zook | August 21, 2007 8:19 AM
Comments from Jerry White, Paulo, Bruce and John D. can all be summed up as:
"9/11! 9/11!, Loony Left! 9/11! 9/11! Liberals bad! 9/11! 9/11! Republicans perfect incarnations of God! 9/11, 9/11!"
Posted by: snalg | August 21, 2007 8:52 AM
Worthy of another look.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/generation-chickenhawk-t_b_56676.html
Posted by: Catherine | August 21, 2007 11:37 AM
That's it. I'm fed up with this rag. I'm cancelling my subscription. Not only do I have to flip thru Obama stories every day but also the sports pages leave me wanting. When I read the Chicago Tribune, I don't care how the Cubs are doing or the White Sox. I want in depth stories about the Seattle Mariners players and organization.
Posted by: Typical Republican | August 21, 2007 11:50 AM
Pravda Doug, in case you haven't noticed, the "Swamp" is a Tribune Company site that features contributions not just from Chicago reporters, but reporters from DC, CT, VA and NY--Rudy Giuliani's home state. And by their own statement the "Swamp" covers NATIONAL, not just Chicago, politics. But we haven't had ANY profiles of Giuliani's staff, have we? Or any other Republican candidate's staff.
We all know what's going on here--the Swamp PR machine promoting their fellow Democrats.
Posted by: Bruce | August 21, 2007 12:01 PM
Rudi Giuliani has a campaign staff in Illinois, made up of young Illinoisans. The other Chicago newspaper announced the staff (see http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/07/sweet_blog_special_this_just_i.html
) some time back.
So when can we expect similar fawning profiles of the Giuliani Illinois staffers?
Posted by: Bruce | August 21, 2007 12:19 PM
If they were GOP staffers, Jerry White, Paulo, Bruce and John D would be thinking -- "Wow, what good looking, fine, righteous, All American kids". Life is so easy when you affix labels on everything.
Posted by: kb | August 21, 2007 12:22 PM
"The Chicago Tribune is a CHICAGO, ILLINOIS newspaper etc..."
Posted by: Doug Zook | August 21, 2007 8:19 AM
And here I though that you were utterly uninformed. Boy was I wrong!
Posted by: Anonymous | August 21, 2007 12:36 PM
RNC Bruce,
You must have been a middle child. Is Anonyomous another middle sibling of yours?
The benign neglect has gotten to you. Seek help before the '08 election puts you & yours completely over the edge.
Posted by: Doug Zook | August 21, 2007 1:43 PM