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David Axelrod
David Axelrod talking to reporters in the "spin room" after a 2008 Democratic primary debate
Senior Advisor to the President of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 20, 2009
President	Barack Obama
Born	February 22, 1955 (1955-02-22) (age 54) Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Susan Landau
Children	Lauren Axelrod, Michael Axelrod, Ethan Axelrod
Alma mater	University of Chicago
Occupation	Senior Advisor to President Obama
Religion	Judaism

David Axelrod (born February 22, 1955) is a Jewish-American political consultant based in Chicago, Illinois. He is best known as a top advisor to Barack Obama, first in Obama's 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate in Illinois and later as chief strategist for Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Following the 2008 Election, he was appointed as Senior Advisor to President Obama.^[1]

Axelrod is the founder of AKP&D Message and Media, and was a political writer for the Chicago Tribune. He also operated ASK Public Strategies. He is also a supporter of Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool, who helped Axelrod begin his firm (under the name Axelrod and Associates).

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Career 1.3 Barack Obama presidential campaign 1.4 Consulting Services 2 References 3 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Born on New York's Lower East Side, Axelrod grew up in a middle-class Jewish household and showed a passion for politics early. Axelrod grew up in Stuyvesant Town in the East Village of Manhattan.^[2] He went to P.S. 40. Axelrod's father was a psychologist and avid baseball fan.^[3] His mother worked as a journalist at PM, a left-wing 1940s newspaper. His parents separated when he was eight. Axelrod traces his political involvement back to his childhood. Describing the appeal of politics, he told the Los Angeles Times, "I got into politics because I believe in idealism. Just to be a part of this effort that seems to be rekindling the kind of idealism that I knew when I was a kid, it's a great thing to do.^[4] So I find myself getting very emotional about it." At just 13 years old, he was selling campaign buttons for Robert F. Kennedy.

After attending Stuyvesant High School^[3] in Manhattan, Axelrod attended the University of Chicago. There he majored in political science. He met his future wife, business student Susan Landau, there. They were married in 1979. In June 1981, Susan gave birth to their daughter, Lauren. Lauren is diagnosed with epilepsy.^[5] As an undergraduate, Axelrod wrote for the Hyde Park Herald, covering politics, and picked up an internship at the Chicago Tribune. They hired him when he graduated in 1977.

[edit] Career

At the age of 27, Axelrod became the City Hall Bureau Chief and a political columnist for the Chicago Tribune. He worked at the Tribune for eight years, covering national, state and local politics. He became the youngest political writer there in 1981.^[6] Unhappy with his prospects at the Tribune, in 1984 he joined the campaign of U.S. Senator Paul Simon as communications director; within weeks he was promoted to co-campaign manager.^[7]

In 1985, Axelrod formed a political consultancy company, Axelrod & Associates. In 1987, he worked on the successful reelection campaign of Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor. This established his first experience in working with black politicians and he later became a key player in similar mayoral campaigns of blacks, including Dennis Archer in Detroit, Michael R. White in Cleveland, Anthony A. Williams in Washington, D.C., Lee P. Brown in Houston, and John F. Street in Philadelphia.^[2] Axelrod is a longtime strategist for Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley and styles himself a "specialist in urban politics."

In 2002, Axelrod was retained by the Liberal Party of Ontario to help Dalton McGuinty and his party to be elected into government in the October 2003 Election. Axelrod's effect on Ontario was heard through the winning Liberal appeal to "working families" and Axelrod also devised the party's winning 2003 "choose change" slogan.

In 2004, Axelrod worked for the presidential campaign of John Edwards. During the campaign, he lost responsibility for making ads, but continued as the campaign's spokesman. Regarding Edwards' failed 2004 presidential campaign, Axelrod has commented, "I have a whole lot of respect for John, but at some point the candidate has to close the deal and—I can’t tell you why—that never happened with John."^[8][9]

In 2006, Axelrod consulted for several campaigns, including for the successful campaigns of Eliot Spitzer in New York's gubernatorial election and for Deval Patrick in Massachusetts's gubernatorial election. Axelrod also served in 2006 as the chief political adviser for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel for the U.S. House of Representatives elections, in which the Democrats gained 31 seats.

Until recently, Axelrod also worked as an Adjunct Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, where he, along with Professor Peter Miller, taught an undergraduate class titled Campaign Strategy, a class that analyzed political campaigns, the strategies used by them, and the effectiveness of those strategies. http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/staff/david_axelrod/

[edit] Barack Obama presidential campaign

Axelrod and Barack Obama's ties reach back more than a decade. Axelrod met Obama in 1992 when Obama so impressed Betty Lu Saltzmann, a woman from Chicago's "lakefront liberal crowd," during a black voter registration drive he ran that she then introduced the two. Obama also consulted Axelrod before he delivered his famed 2002 anti-war speech^[10] and asked him to read drafts of his book, The Audacity of Hope.^[11]

Axelrod served as the chief strategist and media advisor for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Axelrod contemplated taking a break from the 2008 presidential campaign, as five of the candidates—Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Christopher Dodd, and Tom Vilsack—were past clients. Personal ties between Axelrod and Hillary Clinton also made it difficult, as she had done significant work on behalf of epilepsy causes for a foundation co-founded by Axelrod's wife and mother, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) (Axelrod's daughter suffers from developmental disabilities associated with chronic epileptic seizures.) Axelrod's wife even said that a 1999 conference Clinton convened on finding a cure for the condition was "one of the most important things anyone has done for epilepsy."^[12]

However, Axelrod decided to participate in the Obama campaign. Ultimately, he viewed Obama's potential candidacy as inspirational and historic. He often likens Obama to Robert F. Kennedy and told The Washington Post, "I thought that if I could help Barack Obama get to Washington, then I would have accomplished something great in my life."^[3]

Axelrod contributed to the initial announcement of Obama's campaign by creating a five-minute Internet video released January 16, 2007.^[13][14]He continued to use 'man on the street' style biographical videos to create intimacy and authenticity in the political ads.

While the Clinton campaign chose an incumbent strategy that emphasized experience, Axelrod helped to craft the Obama campaign's main theme of "change." Axelrod criticized the Clinton campaign's positioning by saying that "being the consummate Washington insider is not where you want to be in a year when people want change...[Clinton's] initial strategic positioning was wrong and kind of played into our hands."^[15] The change message played a factor in Obama's victory in the Iowa caucuses. "Just over half of [Iowa's] Democratic caucus-goers said change was the No. 1 factor they were looking for in a candidate, and 51 percent of those voters chose Barack Obama," said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider. "That compares to only 19 percent of 'change' caucus-goers who preferred Clinton."^[16] Axelrod also believed that the Clinton campaign underestimated the importance of the caucus states. "For all the talent and the money they had over there," says Axelrod, "they - bewilderingly - seemed to have little understanding for the caucuses and how important they would become."^[16] In the 2008 primary season, Obama won a majority of the states that use the caucus format.

Axelrod is credited with implementing a strategy that encourages the participation of people, a lesson drawn partly from Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign as well as a personal goal of Barack Obama. Axelrod explained to Rolling Stone magazine, "When we started this race, Barack told us that he wanted the campaign to be a vehicle for involving people and giving them a stake in the kind of organizing he believed in. According to Axelrod getting volunteers involved became the legacy of the campaign "^[17] This includes drawing on "Web 2.0" technology and viral media to support a grassroots strategy. Obama's web platform allows supporters to blog, create their own personal page, and even phonebank from home. Axelrod's elaborate use of the Internet has helped Obama to organize under-30 voters and build over 475,000 donors in 2007, most of whom were Internet donors contributing less than $100 each.^[18] The Obama strategy stood in contrast to Hillary Clinton's campaign, which benefited from high name recognition, large donors and strong support among established Democratic leaders.

The Politico described Axelrod as 'soft-spoken' and 'mild-mannered'^[19] and it quoted one Obama aide in Chicago as saying, "Do you know how lucky we are that he is our Mark Penn?"^[20] Democratic consultant and former colleague Dan Fee said of Axelrod, "He's a calming presence."^[21] "He's not a screamer, like some of these guys," political advisor Bill Daley said of Axelrod in the Chicago Tribune. "He has a good sense of humor, so he's able to defuse things."^[7]

In late April and early May, Barack Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright criticized Axelrod's influence on Obama. The New York Times reported that Wright said of Axelrod "while he was expert at promoting black candidates with white voters, he did not know much about relating to the black community...They're spiriting him away from people in the African-American community. David doesn't know the African-American church scene."^[22]

[edit] Consulting Services

David Axelrod's political consulting services are operated through his firm AKP&D Message & Media. He also operates a second business from the same office, ASK Public Strategies, which creates strategy and advertising campaigns for corporate clients.^[23] The partners include Eric Sedler (the "S" in ASK), 39, a former public relations director at AT&T and corporate-reputation specialist at PR giant Edelman and the company's managing partner, and John Kupper (the "K" in ASK), 51, a former congressional press secretary and ad-industry consultant.^[23]

ASK's operations, client roster, and revenue remain confidential,^[23] but customers and public records confirm the agency has run campaigns for the Chicago Children's Museum, ComEd, Cablevision, and AT&T.^[23] The firm has helped set up front organizations that were listed as sponsors of public-issue ads, a practice referred to as "astroturfing."^[23]

In 2004 Cablevision hired ASK to set up a group similar to CORE to help block a new stadium for the New York Jets in Manhattan.^[23] ASK's $1.1 million fee was listed as the "largest lobbying contract" of the year in the annual report of the state's lobbying commission.^[24]

In 2006, Commonwealth Edison hired ASK to create a group known as CORE, which described itself on its Web site as "a coalition of individuals, businesses and organizations," supporting a rate hike. After a complaint was filed with state regulators, ComEd acknowledged that it had bankrolled the entire $15 million effort.^[23]

In 2007, the University of Chicago Hospital hired ASK to assist in marketing a plan for steering patients who don't have health insurance to other health care facilities. The plan has critics in the community, however, who see it as a way to dump costly patients and increase the hospital's bottom line.^[25][26]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Axelrod

• http://www.akpdmedia.com
• The Agony and The Agony, 2007 bio article from Chicago Tribune
• David Axelrod: Profile, 2008 bio article from The Guardian
• New York Times looks at his relationship with Obama, October, 2008
• ASK Public Strategies Website
• [1], March 2009 New York Times article about Axelrod's position in the White House

v • d • e Obama Administration personnel v • d • e Cabinet and cabinet-level Office Name Term Office Name Term Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 2009 – present Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner 2009 – present Secretary of Defense Robert Gates† 2006 – present Attorney General Eric Holder 2009 – present Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 2009 – present Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack 2009 – present Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke 2009 – present Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis 2009 – present Secretary of Health and   Human Services Kathleen Sebelius* 2009 – present Secretary of Education Arne Duncan 2009 – present Secretary of Housing and Urban   Development Shaun Donovan 2009 – present Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood 2009 – present Secretary of Energy Steven Chu 2009 – present Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki 2009 – present Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano 2009 – present       Vice President Joe Biden 2009 – present White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel 2009 – present Director of the Office of Management and   Budget Peter Orszag 2009 – present Administrator of the Environmental   Protection Agency Lisa Jackson 2009 – present Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice 2009 – present Chair of the Council of Economic   Advisers Christina Romer 2009 – present Trade Representative Ron Kirk 2009 – present *Senate-confirmation pending.   †Remained from previous administration.   •Below line: Granted Cabinet rank although not automatically part of the Cabinet. v • d • e Executive Office of the President Office Name Senior Adviser to the President   Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs   Public Liaison Valerie Jarrett Senior Adviser to the President Pete Rouse Deputy White House Chief of Staff Jim Messina Staff Secretary Lisa Brown Personal Secretary Katie Johnson Personal Aide to the President Reggie Love Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu Chief of Staff to the First Lady Jackie Norris White House Press 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Domestic Policy and Ethics Cassandra Butts Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the Senate Shawn Maher Special Assistant to the President   Director of Communications for the First Lady Camille Johnston Deputy Press Secretary for the First Lady Semonti Mustaphi White House Director of Presidential Personnel Don Gips Associate Counsel to the President Susan Sher Office Name Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Phil Schiliro Deputy White House Chief of Staff Mona Sutphen Senior Adviser to the President David Axelrod White House Counsel Greg Craig Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs Patrick Gaspard Assistant to the President for Communications   (White House Director of Communications) Ellen Moran Deputy Assistant to the President for Communications   (Deputy White House Director of Communications) Dan Pfeiffer Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady Melissa Winter Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady David Medina Director of the Office of 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Leon Panetta Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn Office Name Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Gary Gensler Administrator of the Small Business Administration Karen Mills Deputy Attorney General David Ogden Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli Surgeon General Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg Jacob Lew Special Assistant to the President Eugene Kang Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services William Corr * Although identified by sources to the press, selection awaits official announcement by the White House. v • d • e Office of the Vice President Position Appointee Chief of Staff to the Vice President Ron Klain Counsel to the Vice President Cynthia Hogan Counselor to the Vice President Mike Donilon Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs   Public Liaison Evan Ryan Assistant to the Vice President   Director of Communications Jay Carney Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President Alan Hoffman Deputy National Security Adviser to the Vice President Brian McKeon Director of Communications for the Second Lady Courtney O’Donnell Position Appointee Chief of Staff to the Second Lady Catherine Russell Director of Administration for the Office of the Vice President Moe Vela Domestic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Terrell McSweeny Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Jared Bernstein Press Secretary to the Vice President Elizabeth Alexander Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President Annie Tomasini Director of Legislative Affairs Sudafi Henry Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and the Second Lady Carlos Elizondo