Obama Aide Envisions a Game-Changing Movement

By Garance Franke-Ruta AUSTIN -- Defending Sen. Barack Obama's controversial January praise of former president Ronald Reagan, deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand today gave Netroots Nation attendees some deeper insights into how Obama and his wife, Michelle, planned his presidential campaign as a movement-building run that would register millions of new voters. "Why does Barack Obama at times admire Ronald Reagan? It's because he built a movement," self-proclaimed "offline guy" Hildebrand said on the panel "Organizing 4 Change: Obama Grassroots." It was the first such panel for the Obama campaign, which has been eager to promote its online operation but less willing to offer up senior campaign people before public audiences to get into the offline details. "Every state is a field state," said Hildebrand, a... [read full story]