Ep. 37 (video): The Obama Organizer Who Showed Up in Sherman and Changed Alex's life (Scott Mackey) Video
Mission: TexasShow Notes
Alex has told this story before — how a campaign organizer showed up in Sherman, Texas of all places, and changed the trajectory of his life. This week, that organizer is finally on the mic. Scott Mackey recruited Alex as a high school senior during the 2008 Texas Democratic primary, back when the campaign had no budget, no VAN data, and was cutting turf on hand-drawn Google Maps. It's a homecoming conversation and nostalgia journey.
But Scott and the hosts don't just stay in 2008. They use the Obama years as a lens for everything that's happened since — what that campaign got right about organizing and message, where the party has drifted, and what it would actually take to build that kind of coalition again in Texas and beyond.
In this conversation:
* How Scott went from Peace Corps-bound in Guatemala to catching a flight to South Carolina the morning after New Hampshire * Organizing Sherman with no data, no staff, and hand-drawn turf maps — and what that scrappy model still teaches * The Obama organizing principle of "respect, empower, include" — and how far Democrats have drifted from it * Why Trump's rise runs on the same playbook as Obama's, just a different feeling * James Talarico's "top vs. bottom" framing and why it's connecting where traditional Democratic messaging hasn't * Citizens United, dark money, and how Democrats became the party defending institutions instead of people * The 2028 primary field — and why the candidate who changes everything might not be on anyone's radar yet
Plus: Scott ran the 2030 census numbers — and even holding Obama's exact 2008 map, Democrats lose seven electoral votes. The old math won't cut it.
Follow Scott: @scottmackeywriter on Instagram Scott's novel: Love Is Not The Answer Learn more: Veterans for All Voters — veteransforallvoters.org
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