David Plouffe

President Obama announced a reshuffling of his top White House personnel Friday, naming Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough as his new chief of staff and saying goodbye to longtime senior adviser David Plouffe , a key architect of his political strategy. Obama promoted McDonough, one of his most trusted and loyal deputies , to oversee White House operations as the administration tackles its major second-term legislative initiatives, including gun-control measures,...

(The Oval Office. September 2010. Barack Obama is alone, reclining in his chair, legs up on the desk. The Communist Internationale plays loudly . The president whistles along while reading a large hardcover book. As camera zooms in, the words "Das Kapital" can be seen on the spine.) Obama: (aloud, to himself) Man, that Marx had so much of this right.... (His intercom buzzes). Secretary: Mr. President, your three o'clock is here. Obama: Send them in, Katie.

They liked what they saw. In early September, the morning after demanding passage of a jobs bill before a joint session of Congress, President Obama revved up the crowd in a packed University of Richmond gym as three of his top advisers watched from the wings. When the president responded to shouts of "We love you, Obama" with "Love you back," senior adviser Valerie Jarrett dropped her head back in delight. The shoulders of press secretary Jay Carney heaved as he clapped.

The president raised a billion dollars for his reelection campaign, but the staffers who engineered his victory may be worth even more to corporations and other groups that are eager to unlock the trade secrets that made the Obama brand so successful. "Everyone wants to know what the special sauce is," says Holly Goulet, senior vice president of the American Program Bureau, a speakers bureau that has encountered rising interest from business groups in hearing from Obama alumni. "There's been a blurring of the...

(The Oval Office. September 2010. Barack Obama is alone, reclining in his chair, legs up on the desk. The Communist Internationale plays loudly . The president whistles along while reading a large hardcover book. As camera zooms in, the words "Das Kapital" can be seen on the spine.) Obama: (aloud, to himself) Man, that Marx had so much of this right.... (His intercom buzzes). Secretary: Mr. President, your three o'clock is here. Obama: Send them in, Katie.

Dan Pfeiffer regularly trolls the West Wing, his list of to-do items -- a couple dozen long -- on a stiff White House-embossed index card in his pocket. At the end of every day, there's always a handful that he can't quite cross off. The soon-to-be White House communications director is never in one place for long. At one moment, he's feet up on someone else's desk in the press aides' pen, hands clasped behind his head. Then, he's leaning against a wall in David Axelrod's office down the hall from...

Eighteen months removed from a protracted presidential primary fight, a group of Democrats gathered by President Obama has recommended that the party effectively eliminate the influence of so-called superdelegates by redefining their voting power. The Democratic Change Commission, which was convened last August to examine the nominating process, is recommending that superdelegates -- also known as unpledged delegates -- be required to vote along with the electoral majority of their state.

Why the continued hubbub over Rush Limbaugh by leading Democratic voices? Obama campaign manager David Plouffe has entered the fray [" Minority Leader Limbaugh ," op-ed, March 4]. Democrats and liberals piously defend Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s remarks about a "nation of cowards" as needed dialogue on race. But Mr. Limbaugh's rhetorical attention-grabber about rooting for President Obama "to fail" without contextual discussion of his genuine concerns over onerous taxation, unfathomable government spending and...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is enlisting Hollywood celebrities including actress Rosario Dawson and musician Will.I.Am to draw attention to his health care overhaul agenda. The performers will act as celebrity judges for a TV commercial contest set up by Organizing for America, the Obama political organization that's part of the Democratic National Committee. Organizing for America last month invited supporters to create and submit 30-second ads in support of remaking health care.

Guests to be interviewed Sunday on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (WTTG), 9 a.m. Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh . STATE OF THE UNION (CNN), 9 a.m. Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio); Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss.); Republican strategist Mary Matalin ; and Democratic strategist James Carville . THIS WEEK (ABC, WJLA), 10 a.m. Presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett ; columnist George Will ; former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers ; Ed ...

There are weeks, such as during the presidential inauguration, when Washington shines as the crown jewel of American democracy. And then there's this past week. Over the past seven days, Washington — the politicians as well as the journalists who cover them — lived up to every negative stereotype Americans have about it, and then some. With $1.2 trillion in across-the-board spending cuts looming, Washington did what it does best: It played politics. Here were congressional Republicans accusing President Obama of...

President Obama announced a reshuffling of his top White House personnel Friday, naming Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough as his new chief of staff and saying goodbye to longtime senior adviser David Plouffe , a key architect of his political strategy. Obama promoted McDonough, one of his most trusted and loyal deputies , to oversee White House operations as the administration tackles its major second-term legislative initiatives, including...

President Barack Obama is expected to make his second inaugural address at noon Monday, after a ceremonial swearing-in by Chief Justice John Roberts. The Washington Post will have live streaming video of the event on The Grid , along with reactions and analysis from our team afterwards. Click on the image above to watch . Obama was officially sworn in yesterday , January 20. David Nakamura and Robert Barnes described the ceremony and...

President Obama spent Thursday meeting with senior advisers and returning a series of congratulatory phone calls from foreign leaders as the glow of his successful campaign faded into the impending grind of governing in a divided Washington. A day after congressional leaders set the tone for the difficult fiscal negotiations ahead, Obama remained out of sight, leaving his senior campaign staff to put a bow on his decisive electoral win this week as he considered the issues he...

There's a telling moment at the beginning of Robert A. Caro's new book when Lyndon Johnson's advisers are gathered, four days after he has become president, to draft his first speech to Congress. Capitol Hill is divided, the country is grieving from the assassination of his predecessor and some of LBJ's advisers are urging him to take it slow. "Well, what the hell's the presidency for?" Johnson replies. Barack Obama will be getting advice by the boatload over the next few weeks, but the best guidance may be...

DES MOINES — The end, for President Obama , came in Iowa. Ohio may prove to be the most important state in the 2012 election. But on Monday, the president closed his final campaign with a rally in the Hawkeye State, returning one last time as a candidate to the place that launched his improbable run to the White House. The decision to bid farewell to the campaign trail with a nighttime appearance in Des Moines's historic East Village was as symbolic as it was strategic.

We received daily campaign e-mails from David Plouffe, President Obama's 2008 campaign manager, when we supported Mr. Obama's campaign. We continue to believe that Mr. Obama offers hope for our county in these complex times. So it was with interest that we read about Mr. Plouffe's new role as White House political adviser [news story, Jan. 24]. Our reaction to his op-ed the same day ["November doesn't need to be a nightmare"] , however, was less enthusiastic. Mr. Plouffe accurately interpreted the public demand for change in...

BRISTOW, Va. – In every statewide election of the past decade, as Prince William County has gone, so has gone the commonwealth of Virginia. That goes a long way to explaining why President Obama staged one of the largest rallies of the year at an outdoor amphitheater here on a Saturday night, following former president Bill Clinton and musician Dave Matthews onstage and greeting a thunderous crowd of 24,000 despite the brisk November temperature, which...

For a day at least, Hurricane Sandy appears to have done for President Obama what he has not been able to do for himself. In a campaign notable mostly for its negativity, the historic storm provided Obama with a commander-in-chief moment a week before Election Day. The president gained a rare moment of bipartisan praise, with Democratic and Republican governors alike commending the performance of the federal government. And the storm put on pause, for now, the sense that rival Mitt Romney had all the momentum in the...