11.21.08
Whither ‘Obama For America’?
Dionne: What Next for Obama’s Network?
If you’re a politics junkie, this is the billion-dollar question ($1 billion is the valuation some put on Obama’s fundraising and email list). More than a fundraising machine, of course, Obama For America (now Powered By Hope… and Victory!) is likely to become a powerful advocacy mechanism - a MoveOn directed, at least implicitly, from the White House.
For instance, if the health insurance industry weren’t inclined to support universal health care of its own accord (helped, no doubt, by the prevailing winds), I could see OFA as the counterpoint to a new round of Harry and Louise ads.
Update: Ed Rollins alludes to this in his argument to keep the White House Office of Political Affairs:
…that’s why he needs a political operation in his White House — to stay connected to the supporters who elected him.