Obama's campaign spawns new Obama group

WASHINGTON–The Chicago-based Obama campaign will transform into a permanent non-profit political organization with offices in Chicago and Washington.

In an e-mail sent Friday to supporters, Jim Messina, Obama’s 2012 campaign manager–who will chair the new group, to be named “Organizing for Action” said the organization is “the next phase of this movement.

“It will be a supporter-driven organization, as we’ve always been, staying true to our core principles: “respect, empower, include.” We’ll work on the key battles of our generation, train the next generation of grassroots organizers and leaders, and organize around local issues in our own communities. We’ll continue to support the President in creating jobs and growing the economy from the middle out, and in fighting for issues like immigration reform, climate change, balanced deficit reduction, and reducing gun violence.

“We have a remarkable opportunity right now to change our country, and if we can take the enthusiasm and passion that people showed throughout the campaign and channel it into the work ahead of us, we will be unstoppable.

“As the chair of Organizing for Action, I will be deeply involved in this new organization, but it will be organizers like you who will determine where it goes. I have no doubt we can take this grassroots movement to new and extraordinary heights.”

Messina will discuss the new group at a meeting called The Legacy Conference–Sunday at the Washington Hilton and on-line for broader participation–consisting mainly of Obama campaign staffers and volunteers.

The new group is the result of a desire by the Obama team to create a group separate from the Democratic National Committee–one devoted to Obama’s second term goals.

The group will be organized as a 501 (c4) under the IRS code which covers advocacy group.

Obama’s biggest donors–his National Finance Committee–will be briefed on the new group during a day long “Going Forward” conference at the Newseum on Saturday, which is to include conversations on “what to do next next,” a source told the Sun-Times.

Looking ahead, it is not a leap to see that this group becomes through the years the backbone of Obama’s post-presidency–including his presidential library.

The Los Angeles Times first reported that the new group will be led by Jim Messina, Obama’s 2012 campaign manager and Chicago political veteran Jon Carson, who currently runs the White House Office of Public Engagement.