MoveOn.org Shuts Down Its 527
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, McCain, Media, Money, RepublicansMore evidence that Obama is backing up his pledge to go after these groups, although this one was much easier given the fact that they endorsed him. Also, it doesn’t mean that MoveOn won’t be spending money…just much, much less.
Still, TPM finds that the implications are far reaching…
MoveOn, the advocacy group supporting Barack Obama, has decided to permanently shutter its 527 operation, partly in response to the Illinois Senator’s insistence that such groups should not spend on his behalf during the general election, I’ve learned from the group’s spokesperson.MoveOn’s decision, which will dramatically impact the way it raises money on Obama’s behalf, is yet another sign of how rapidly Obama is taking control of the apparatus that’s gearing up on his behalf.
By shuttering its 527, MoveOn is effectively killing its ability to raise money in huge chunks from labor unions, foundations, and big donors who would give over $5,000. The decision doesn’t mean MoveOn will stop spending on Obama’s behalf. Instead it will raise money exclusively with its political action committee, whose average donation is below $50 and will even be raising money with things like bake sales starting this weekend.
So this sets up an interesting situation in the fall. Numerous conservative 527s will be attacking Obama, and McCain has already signaled that he’s essentially throwing up his arms and saying, “Hey, not much I can do.” Meanwhile, nearly everything that will attack McCain will be coming from the Obama camp and that means he’ll probably only have to answer for the stuff he puts out.
In my mind, McCain would do well to start reigning in 527s sooner rather than later. Because the distraction of having to address what these groups will be putting out during the general election campaign simply won’t be worth any potential gains.
Still, with Obama forgoing federal funding for the fall, I can understand why McCain might need outside groups to throw everything they’ve got at Obama.
More as it develops…
This entry was posted on Friday, June 20th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, McCain, Media, Money, Republicans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Frankly, at a glance, I don’t believe this for a second. I expect move-on to keep collecting money and injecting themselves into the campaign one way or the other.
If we dig into this, will we find that all thees folks are shutting down shop and going home to knit sweaters?
Or will we find that they’ll be still be doing all kinds of stuff to work for progressive causes in ways that they claim are not related to getting Obama elected, but just happen to say awful things about all sorts of republican efforts?
June 20th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Thanks for the insertion of back bone and integrity, Barack. If McSame doesn’t have any say/ power over his 527’s, what will his presidency look like. Oh, I forgot, it looks like his campaign staff. Lobbiest, Lobbiests, and more DC Lobbiests…… So the McBush appointees will be the same, McSame as The
June 20th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
kranky its true they arent shutting down. they are just shutting down on the 527 group that could donate unlimited amounts of money to their efforts. its a big step towards a cleaner political race. its not perfect, but then reform takes time, a drastic measure comes with serious consequences. people dont like change, esp drastic change. a seemingly small step like this can prove to be a huge precedence in future.
for the record move on still accepts upto 5000 dollar donations. those 50000-60000 dollar ones are out. and that is what 527 are mostly good at raising. huge sums of cash and then go after the other candidate/party.
now this limits move on, if people dont like what move on is doing they stop giving money thus having some form of control over move ons efforts. again it aint perfect, but its a start.
boy im more convinced about obama. yes he flip flopped, but come on he knows he can raise more money than mccain. and he is a very, very different candidate than the previous presidents (for obvious reasons) so he needs all the help he can get. he would be foolish to let this go. and had he accepted public financing, we might we sitting here nov 4 and wondering what went wrong and this would prove to be a critical factor. it really isnt, public is still funding his campaign, within campaign donation limits i might add. so more power to them. he will always remember he owes the public for putting him there and i believe thats how it really should be done.
we have the internet now so no need of those $3 tax donations.
i say this should be the new system, although im afraid theyll find a way to game this as well… but for now and the foreseeable future its the right thing to do.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Well Justin, the only problem with your advice to McCain, is that there is nothing out there for him to reign in.
So Obama spins a fairy tale about nasty Conservative 527’s as a reason to backflip on a campaign pledge, gets credit from bloggers and pundits for working to clean up the financial campaign contribution mess, when all he is really doing is shutting of the financial oxygen to his opposition.
Damn he is good. Almost Svengali like for his followers. He just leads them around by the nose.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Now come on MW, that’s ONE story from Politico and you know that 527s are going to pop up sooner or later. Let’s not be naive.
So as far as fooling his supporters, your points are fairly speculative at this point…at least for now.
June 21st, 2008 at 9:05 am
I think David Axelrod may have a lot to do with Obama’s decision to rein in outside groups, and the rhetoric he’s using to try and connect McCain to any conservative attacks.
In Deval Patrick’s Massachusetts campaign, which Axelrod ran as a kind of warm-up, Patrick benefited greatly from public outcry over smears his opponent ran (very Willie Horton stuff).
Patrick’s above-the-fray positioning combined with his opponent’s negative fallout had a lot to do with his eventual win, and Obama seems to want to try and replicate it nationwide.
Will it work? In MA, the fallout resulted in rising negatives for Patrick’s opponent, and McCain’s positive image may mitigate that. Still, as strategies go, it beats the hell out of Kerry’s quiet indignation.
June 21st, 2008 at 10:55 am
[...] be inoperative. He was forced into this, in order to combat the attacks coming from the Right Wing 527 attack machine that… ummm…. apparently does not exist. At least not yet. Oh - and also because he [...]
June 21st, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Yeah, I heard the guy from Politico being interviewed on NPR and instantly thought “So what if they aren’t on the radar now?”. Do you really think it takes a long time to get one of these online? Do you really believe that there aren’t people out there with the paperwork filled out and ready to file at the drop of a hat? Obama’s campaign has no choice given recent political history but to assume that these groups will come into being and go after him with everything they have. To do otherwise would be foolhardy.