Obama Names Kaine as DNC Chair

One transition official noted the marked contrast between Obama's "team of rivals" approach on the policy side of his presidency -- Democratic primary foes Hillary Rodham Clinton, Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Tom Vilsack are all likely to occupy key roles -- with the more familial approach he has taken to staffing his political operation.

"He is keeping a firm and very local control of the political organization," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss Obama's thinking. "He's not playing around with his politics."

That strategy is in keeping with Obama's limited appearances as a surrogate for down-ballot races during the general election campaign. He appeared in a handful of television and radio ads in support of Senate and House candidates, but he also turned down a number of requests by candidates for personal appearances or endorsements.

For instance, Senate Democratic strategists made no secret of the fact that they coveted an appearance by Obama on behalf of former Georgia state representative Jim Martin, who was embroiled in a December runoff against Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R). Obama demurred, and Chambliss won convincingly -- a sign, Obama allies said, that Martin couldn't have won even if the president-elect had spent his newly earned political capital on the race.

It remains to be seen how and whether Obama will involve himself in down-ballot races as president, particularly in the 2010 midterm elections, in which Democrats must defend 17 Senate seats and 22 governors' mansions.

The selection of Kaine was interpreted by some party strategists as a sign that Obama believes that the central political front in the coming two years will be at the gubernatorial level, and that by picking Kaine he is ensuring that his party's chief strategist is a man who knows how to run and win a governor's race in a swing state.

Obama, as is his style, offered few direct clues about his plans for his political operation during the news conference yesterday. "We cannot afford to abandon the movement we built," he said. "We have to strengthen it."