As a political junkie and a fervent franco, I can’t help but notice the Franco-American and New England presence in the Barack Obama campaign as well as in the future administration.
First there’s the kingmaker, David Plouffe (pronounced pluff and pictured above), who received Obama’s thanks before the nation on election night for orchestrating the most effective campaign in political history. As campaign manager, Plouffe was responsible for the smooth organization that awed all watchers. Although the name is definitely French-Canadian, Plouffe was born and raised in Delaware. He’s been handling local and national election campaigns since the early 90s, including the 2004 Dick Gephardt presidential campaign. Plouffe came to the Obama campaign through his connection with David Axelrod, Obama’s media strategist. The two are partners in AKP Media, a political consulting firm in Washington. There doesn’t seem to be a visible role for Plouffe in the next administration. He’s made it known that he wants to get some rest, spend time with his young family, and write a book about the campaign.
Jon Favreau, a native of North Reading, Massachusetts, and a graduate of Holy Cross in Worcester, served as Obama’s principal speechwriter. His initial foray into national politics was in 2004 as a speechwriter for the Kerry campaign. Favreau has been enlisted to continue in the administration as the White House director of Speechwriting.
Emmett Beliveau worked in the campaign as Director of Advance. The Maine native was responsible for all the event planning during the Obama campaign. He’s the son of Severin Beliveau, a Maine political power broker and former gubernatorial candidate who was recently honored by the French Government with the Legion of Honor medal. His grandfather, Albert Beliveau, was the first Franco-American to serve on the Maine Supreme Court. The younger Beliveau is a graduate of Colby College and Georgetown Law School. He has been tapped by the president-elect to serve as Executive Director of the Presidential Inauguration Committee.
Another Colby graduate, Jean-Michel Picher, also worked as an advance coordinator for the Obama campaign. Part of a well-known Colby family, Picher has a law degree from the University of Western Ontario. A U.S citizen, he’s been involved in several political campaigns in both the United States and Canada. He lives in the Ottawa area.
Other French names in the Obama campaign included that of Joshua DuBois who served as Director of Religious Affairs. DuBois is African-American and a Boston University graduate who became involved in evangelical groups as a student. He’s been referred to by the media as a representative of the young wave of black religious leaders. Ben LaBolt served Obama as Deputy Press Secretary and knows New England as a Middlebury College alumnus and the director of the 2004 Howard Dean campaign in New Hampshire. He’s a native of Lagrange, Illinois. Steve Chasse was field organizer during the crucial Iowa caucus early in the campaign. A former Boston resident, he worked on the Kerry campaign and has been a labor organizer.
To what extent are these men connected to their Franco-American roots is a good question. With the exception of Beliveau, they are probably not. What they share is their youth, their passion for politics, and the assurance that they played major roles in the most important U.S. election in recent history. I suspect we’ll be hearing much more about them in the future.
