As you probably know, Obama for America, the president’s campaign organization, morphed into Organizing for America after the election and was housed in the Democratic National Committee (DNC). They have about 13 million contacts and they’re learning how to transfer their talents for winning elections into effective issues advocacy. In an interview with Tom Schaller over at 538.com, OFA leaders Mitch Stewart (who organized for the Iowa caucuses) and Jeremy Bird (who organized for the South Carolina primary) discuss their progress. There are two important differences between winning elections and doing issues advocacy.
The first is that an election is a yes or no decision. But someone might support a health care bill with a public option and oppose one that lacks one. Because the organizers have no control over the final product, they have a harder time doing a pitch. The second difference is timing. With elections, you know when the election will be, and you can plan in great detail, make goals, and measure progress. But OFA had no idea when there would be a vote on health care reform. That’s complicates things quite a bit.
One thing I am confident about is that Michael Steele is hopelessly outmatched at the Republican National Committee (RNC). The RNC doesn’t have the brain power to match what OFA is doing. We keep getting evidence of this because the Democrats have been dominating special elections ever since Obama became the president.
I have my problems with the DNC and will not give them money because it just goes to the right-wing of the party. But I belong to OFA and believe in their organizing philosophy and prowess. I get calls from OFA several times a month asking me to do various tasks, mainly phonebanking and canvassing. It’s useful to do canvassing and events because it allows you to link up with other committed Democrats in your area. This is probably most valuable in red areas of the country where it can sometimes feel like you’re an endangered species. But OFA is important in every congressional district and every state. And, even though it is run by the DNC, the membership is progressive. So, while the DNC may be funneling money to Blue Dogs, the OFA is organizing progressives in those districts who will one day be able to nominate one of their own and actually win office in places where only ‘centrists’ are supposed to have a chance.