Obama election strategist to provide look inside 2008 campaign during lecture

For two years David Plouffe worked side by side with Barack Obama, charting the course of his 2008 presidential bid as his chief campaign manager.

Plouffe will share his insights and lessons from the campaign as part of the International House Global Voices Author Night Lecture Series at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. He will offer the ultimate insider's tale, revealing both the strategies that delivered Obama to office and how the candidate and campaign handled moments of great challenge and opportunity.

The lecture will draw from Plouffe's new book, The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story & Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory. Moving from the deliberations about whether to run at all, through the epic primary battle with Hillary Clinton and the general election against John McCain, Plouffe's book showcases the high-wire gamesmanship that fascinated pundits and the drama and intrigue that captivated a nation.

The Audacity to Win chronicles the arrival of a new moment in American life at the convergence of digital technology and grassroots organization, and the possibilities revealed by a disciplined campaign that in many ways functioned as a $1 billion start-up. In the book, Plouffe unfolds one of the most important political stories of our time, one whose lessons are not limited to politics.

Plouffe is a 20-year veteran of political campaigns that began with Sen. Tom Harkin's successful 1990 re-election. He since has managed numerous state and federal level campaigns. He also served as Democratic leader Dick Gephardt's Deputy Chief of Staff from 1997-98. From 1999-2000, Plouffe raised a record $95 million for U.S. House of Representative campaigns as executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In 2000, he joined David Axelrod's AKP&D Message and Media, where he first worked for Obama on his 2004 bid for the Illinois State Senate.

Plouffe's lecture will take place at International House's Assembly Hall, 1414 E. 59th St. It is free and open to the public, and a book signing will follow. For more information, call (773) 753-2274.