CALD organizes Obama-inspired campaign roundtable

Just two weeks after the historical inauguration of America’s first black president, CALD opened 2009 with a roundtable discussion learning about the unique experience of the Obama campaign.The CALD Leaders’ Political Campaign Roundtable with the theme “Expanding Spaces and Opportunities for Alternative Political Campaigns and Interventions” was held last February 1-4, 2009 at the joint CALD-FNF office in Manila, Philippines. The event was hosted by the Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) and supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).The two-day roundtable was attended by CALD representatives from Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand. Included in the delegation were Hon. Boonyod Sooktinthai, MP, deputy speaker of the Royal Thai Parliament, Hon. Saumura Tioulong and Hon. Son Chhay, Cambodian Members of Parliament from the Sam Rainsy Party, Dr. Rajiva Wijesinha, secretary general of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process of Sri Lanka, Ms. Janyanthi Devi Belaguru, secretary general of the National Women Wing of the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, Hon. Franklin Drilon, former senate president of the Philippines and chair of CALD, Hon. Jun Abaya, MP, secretary general of LP, Ms. Dina Abad, chair of the CALD Women’s Caucus, Dr. Rainer Adam, regional director for East and Southeast Asia of FNF and Mr. Siegfried Herzog, resident representative of FNF-Manila.

CALD invited Mr. Joe Hansen, a campaign strategist and consultant of the US Democratic Party, to provide essential and constructive insights and key input based on the Obama campaign.

Mr. Joe Hansen has been active in Democratic Party politics for over 25 years.  Currently, he is a partner in the direct mail firm of Ambrosino, Muir & Hansen. Notable clients of the firm include Barack Obama and the Presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton (1992, 1996), Al Gore and John Kerry.  Current clients include 26 current and past United States Senators, and 12 current Governors. Prior to these efforts Joe Hansen served as the Executive Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and later served as Senior Advisor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee where he played a lead role in candidate recruitment and campaign development in virtually every targeted US Senate race of the latter part of the 1990’s until 2004.

Mr. Hansen laid out the fundamental operational and organizational strategies that the Obama team utilized as well as the crucial factors, such as messaging and communication, that made the Obama campaign a remarkable success. According to him, the way the Obama campaign strengthened and encouraged its volunteers to work for their cause and sustain the passion to participate was through a simple yet empowering motto of “Respect, Empower, and Include.” He further added that, “in their (Obama campaign) organizational strategy…instead of having a central control of the campaign apparatus, they democratized the process and empowered their volunteers to take control of the campaign. They did that by respecting their individual talents…regardless of what their background was.”

The participants later on presented their insight, based on Mr. Hansen’s input, vis-a-vis their experiences in their respective countries. They focused on how parties in the region would be able to craft an effective campaign message given the varying political contexts and backgrounds they are operating in. They also evaluated the innovative mechanisms and the modern tools that helped increase Obama’s grassroots reach. The CALD participants believe that each country, regardless of its political setting, has its viable channels that could reach and connect leaders and platforms to the people.

Dr. Neric Acosta, secretary general of CALD, said during the closing of the roundtable, “Our time with Joe Hansen was not only instructive in terms of message development, the innovative use of new media, and the effective mobilization of voters and sectors. Learning from the Obama campaign underscored a key lesson: that while every country has its own unique preconditions and systems, the narrative of hope and grassroots-driven democratic sea changes is universal. What we ought to focus on as liberal parties is the need to effectively engage people with fresh ideas, clear policy options – and great inspiration.”

Mr. Hansen was also in Manila to conduct a series of workshops on political organizing for LP leaders and party-members and for various members of the civil society. The workshops were organized by the National Institute for Policy Studies, the LP think-tank established to promote the basic ideals of participatory democracy, social justice, national sovereignty and solidarity with all nations.