The Spoils Go To The Most Prolific Campaign Ever

It has been over a week since Barack Obama was elected President and already there is a mad rush for jobs in the Administration over at change.gov. When you win the Presidency, plenty of positions open up in the new White House for the party faithful to apply to and receive if their credentials stack up against the challenge. However, when you are Barack Obama and have just completed the best campaign for President ever with tons of cash left over, there's cash and prizes for those that worked for the Obama operation.

From The NY Daily News:

Long-suffering political footsoldiers who toiled tirelessly, at least since September, to put Obama in the White House recently learned they will be getting extra paychecks worth a month's salary, the Daily News has learned.

And boy, are they grateful.

"I think it's a very nice gesture for people who slaved away and sacrificed for the past year," said one pleased ex-staffer.

"It was totally unexpected, and you can't believe how helpful this is with the holidays coming," the lower-level worker said. "A lot of people thought they were going to be broke and would have to try to find a job in this rotten economy. It's a huge help."

In addition to the cold cash, staffers also have the option of keeping their campaign-issued computers and BlackBerrys - but must pay income tax on the hardware if they do.

All's fair with income tax, this side is definitely going to start by respecting the rule of law. Seriously though, this is a fantastic thing for Obama to do for his campaign army. It is nothing short of grueling to be a campaign staffer and often do a lot for very little in return (sans the changing our country for the better part). Now this is set of bonuses I can definitely get behind, unlike the schmucks in the financial district who are still looking forward to their obscene benefits next month. Hopefully that'll change once the O man gets to work.

Tensions Explode In Hillary's Camp

Being a Senator of New York but living in Washington has its challenges as does many elected officials who represent areas far from D.C. When you compound a Presidential race on top of that, things can get tricky and often messy. That is exactly what happened with Hillary and her staff. The D.C. crowd can have over-inflated egos I hear, which in turn can anger locals when the Beltway Boys and Girls leave district on their campaign field trips.

From The New York Post:

"Her New York crew is fighting like hell with her D.C. folks, and it's worse than the normal stuff, real serious tensions," said a Democratic Party source. "The New York folks are the ones who got her elected to begin with. They've done it and know what to do. The D.C. folks are the 'geniuses' who do 'national elections' and think everyone here is a rube.

"The Washington types hold meeting after meeting and then send a group of fatheaded 27-year-olds to do events in New York, and they wind up fighting with her staff here," continued the source, who is in day-to-day contact with party activities.

The source said the tensions exploded at Clinton's endorsement event with Gov. Spitzer and other high-ranking Democrats earlier in the month at the Capitol. "The New York locals were incensed that so many of these outsider kids were sent in from Washington and they were trying to run the event and they couldn't even make a contribution to it."

It is true, D.C. staffers tend to think they are better than others who work the political field no matter where they go. I saw it plenty of times working local elections when I used to live in Tucson. Getting on the "Advance" staff is a hard thing to do and is generally reserved for the well-connected. So ego can definitely find its way into the heads of the young people that get these positions.

Locals always know what they are doing on their own turf. That is just common sense. If the regulars in New York helped her get elected to the Senate, you can bet they know their game. So if Hillary wants a smooth operation, she better get her top campaign staff to allow the D.C. people to do D.C. things and let the locals handle theirs. It works that way in any national race, not just Hillary's.