Why 2024 Feels a Little Like 2008

Kamala Harris's Campaign has some important things in common with Barack Obama's

Tonight, the Democratic Convention will feel like old home night. Barack and Michelle Obama are addressing the delegates in Chicago — where their story began. I am staying a stone’s throw from the office building where I spent every waking moment working on Obama’s campaign for nearly two years. The packed crowds, online excitement, and pop cultural relevance of the Harris-Walz campaign feel a little like the 2008 Obama campaign. Heck, Shepherd Farey, the artist behind the iconic Obama “Hope” posters, just released a version for Kamala Harris.

Now, some of the Obama-Harris analogies are overly facile and more than a little patronizing to the Vice President. It’s her campaign, her vision, and she is the one who has generated the enthusiasm. People aren’t flocking to her rallies because they miss Obama or want to recapture the magic of fifteen years ago.

Harris and Obama have been friends for a long time. She was one first — and few — elected officials to endorse Obama when he started running. Harris was well-known in our campaign, because of how hard she worked to elect Obama — even repeatedly trekking to Iowa to knock on doors in sub-zero temperatures.

It’s no surprise that there are some similarities in her approach to politics. Those similarities come up in conversations with Obama alumni when talking about how Harris has campaigned over the last month. It’s more than the energy and the crowds; many elements of her message and strategy feel very familiar.

1. Building a Movement About Us, Not Me

Yes, the Obama campaign was filled with some cult of personality stuff. There was iconography and hero worship. He was welcomed to the stage like a rock star. As hard as it may be to believe, Obama rejected the notion that the election was about him or his appeal. Because of his roots as a community organizer, he sought to build a movement that was about more than the man. Obama said in Denver in 2008 when he accepted the nomination: