Obama came out of the 2008 campaign with a huge, well-segmented and highly targeted email list, and big numbers on social media. Many folks thought he was going to dramatically change Washington by coming into office with basically his own grassroots army. Yet, a year later he was struggling to get health care moving and the lists weren't helping.
It turns out that no matter how good your DB is, people just don't get as excited for legislation and regulation as they do for a candidate. Ultimately politics is not about technology, it's about message. If the message is good, tech can help maximize the impact. If the message isn't good, tech can't save you.