Obama’s ‘Secret Weapon’: 1 Million Campaign Contacts
EmailPresident Obama has already enlisted more than 1 million donors for his 2012 re-election campaign. Now, his team is celebrating more than 1 million one-on-one conversations between Obama volunteers and prospective voters.
Campaign manager Jim Messina calls the grassroots outreach Obama’s “secret weapon” in a new video message posted on the Obama for America website. View it here.
“We’re a people campaign, based on person-to-person contact, talking about the president,” he says.
Messina, who is known as a metrics guru, cites a slew of campaign data to back up the claim that not one of the Republican candidates has or will come close to matching Obama’s nationwide ground game.
He says at least 97,230 person-to-person conversations have happened in Florida, 83,959 in North Carolina and 74,170 in Nevada – three key battleground states where aides expect field organizing, particularly in minority communities, may make the difference.
Last week, organizers held more than 2,000 events around the country to coincide with the one-year-out mark.
The 1,000th neighborhood “team leader” officially registered with Obama for America in the past few days, Messina said.
”Our opponents can’t match this kind of campaign for two reasons: One, they simply lack the broad base of grassroots support that we have. Two, they don’t believe in it. They don’t have any interest in the kind of politics that bring everyday people together to make real change in this country,” Messina says.
”The Republican National Committee actually brags about the fact that they’re distributing their resources to focus less on low-dollar fundraising and more on high-dollar donors. They follow the dollars, we follow the energy. And that energy has always come from our grassroots supporters. That’s how we won so big in last week’s state and local elections, and that’s exactly how we’re going to win in 2012.”
In an email, RNC spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski refuted Messina’s claims, noting that the Obama campaign and Democrats have collected more than $55 million, or 35 percent, of their 2012 campaign funds from an exclusive list of well-connected bundlers and deep-pocket donors.
“Note to Team Obama: The energy in America lies with the 62 percent of the country that disapproves of Obama’s handling of jobs and the economy,” Kukowski said. “Obama’s policies have taken us in the wrong direction, and he continues to deceive voters by saying he’s one of them while he gives donors special access and taxpayer-funded loans and his bundlers collect millions from Wall Street bankers and lobbyists.”
None of the Republican candidates have agreed to voluntarily disclose the names and contribution amounts of their top campaign financiers.
Best Commencement Speeches of 2012 
Joe Biden Recalls Death of Wife, Daughter
One million more people throwing money away. Did anyone of them ask about oil
rising above $100 dollars a barrel. Should have rising gas prices to really boost those
holiday sales. This must be Bush’s fault!
Posted by: deadwrestler | November 16, 2011, 2:17 pm 2:17 pm
Guess it will be all the more puzzling to the ‘Chicago Way’ crowd when they lose next November. It’s not about grass roots when your ideology is bankrupt and your foreign and domestic policies suck.
Posted by: Ken | November 16, 2011, 2:45 pm 2:45 pm
Obama’s campaign is grass roots.
Posted by: Dan | November 16, 2011, 2:46 pm 2:46 pm
So this is his list from when he first ran. Too bad that now he has to run on his record. No hope, no change. His idea of transparency is clear as mud!
Posted by: CajunW | November 16, 2011, 2:52 pm 2:52 pm
Posted by: CajunW | November 16, 2011, 2:52 pm 2:52 pm
The Republicans have never promised nor never delivered any transparency – compared to that Obama is a vast improvement.
Posted by: Dennis | November 16, 2011, 3:11 pm 3:11 pm
The Democratic Party is a subversive party, that seeks to grow to a level where they cannot be defeated, by any opposition. That’s the truth.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | November 16, 2011, 3:16 pm 3:16 pm
Just because Obama promised transparency does not make him any better if he does not deliver. He has not been transparent and has not delivered on this. I guess everyone forgot about that.
Here is one of his promises:
Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House Web site for five days.
What BS, please tell me when this has happened during Obama’s administration.
Posted by: Seriously | November 16, 2011, 3:40 pm 3:40 pm
What about Obama’s transparency. He made many promises he has not kept:
Here’s one from his campaign:
Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House Web site for five days.
Posted by: Seriously | November 16, 2011, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm
MESSINA: “Our opponents can’t match this kind of campaign . . . they simply lack the broad base . . .”
. . . of national unions who have bought and paid for the Democrat party.
ABC News: “Campaign manager Jim Messina calls the grassroots outreach Obama’s ‘secret weapon’”
Vast union and other liberal special interest support isn’t a secret or a weapon. Who are they trying to convince? That’s right, the majority of the American people who disapprove of Obama. Insecure much?
Posted by: Anonymous | November 16, 2011, 3:56 pm 3:56 pm
President is just a figure head, a puppet of his party. Let’s get the bozos (Pelosi, Reid, Boehner ) and the rest of the self-serving idiots out of congress. Let’s vote for people who will actually represent and do what’s right for the American people, not their respective parties.
Posted by: NoSpin1600 | November 16, 2011, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
Posted by: Anonymous | November 16, 2011, 3:56 pm 3:56 pm
Obama has one of the strongest grass roots organizations ever seen in this country. Ordinary Americans who are getting out and getting involved in democracy – as opposed to the typical Republican arrangement of partnerships like Cheney and Halliuburton, Bush and Big Oil . . . etc.
Posted by: Jim | November 16, 2011, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
ust because Obama promised transparency does not make him any better if he does not deliver.
Posted by: Seriously | November 16, 2011, 3:40 pm 3:40 pm
He’s delivered more than any other administration.
Posted by: Dave | November 16, 2011, 4:12 pm 4:12 pm
Dave “He’s delivered more than any other administration” — Really? and I bet he has not done one thing wrong either.
Posted by: NoSpin1600 | November 16, 2011, 4:25 pm 4:25 pm
ust because Obama promised transparency does not make him any better if he does not deliver.
Posted by: Seriously | November 16, 2011, 3:40 pm 3:40 pm
He’s delivered more than any other administration.
Posted by: Dave | November 16, 2011, 4:12 pm 4:12 pm
Sure he has.
Solyndra.
Robert Kennedy Jr.’s ‘Green’ Company Scored $1.4B Taxpayer Bailout.
Nancy Pelosi’s brother-in-law is given $737m of taxpayers’ money to build giant solar power plant in middle of the desert
Fast and Furious
Obama Nominee for Social Security Board Favors Rationing Health Care.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bonuses.
Wall Street Traders Have Profited More Under Obama Than In Eight Years Under Bush
Barack Obama’s gun control is ‘under the radar
Obama administration gives $433m no-bid small pox contract to Democratic donor. Small pox was eradicated decades ago.
Posted by: wheresmymoney | November 16, 2011, 4:46 pm 4:46 pm
JIM: “Obama has one of the strongest grass roots organizations ever seen in this country.”
Repeating the lie doesn’t make it come true. Paid union and community organizer shills aren’t grass roots. Take the occupy movement as an example, Acorn paid the homeless to carry signs and collect donations for other causes, yet you liberals will credit this as ‘grass roots.’ It’s just another liberal scam and you aren’t fooling anyone important.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 16, 2011, 4:51 pm 4:51 pm
Posted by: Anonymous | November 16, 2011, 4:51 pm 4:51 pm
I don’t think you know the meaning of the term ‘grass roots’. And it is without a doubt that the Obama organization has built the largest grass roots political movement ever seen in the country. It dwarfs anything done by the Republicans, or previous Democrats. Do a bit of study of the situation instead of dragging out your phony bogeymen to attack.
Posted by: Jim | November 16, 2011, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
Posted by: wheresmymoney | November 16, 2011, 4:46 pm 4:46 pm
One word explanations of issues are just plain lame and just plain dumb. You’d think that after all the time you’ve been posting here your brain would have developed past that.
Posted by: John | November 16, 2011, 5:16 pm 5:16 pm
One word explanations of issues are just plain lame and just plain dumb.
Posted by: John | November 16, 2011, 5:16 pm 5:16 pm
Only to people too ignorant to stay up on what is happening. But in typical ignorant liberal fashion, you attack the person when you have no intelligent explanation for the damage Obama is causing.
Posted by: wheresmymoney | November 16, 2011, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
JIM: “I don’t think you know the meaning of the term ‘grass roots’.”
Of course, I do. You just can’t get past the fact that the so-called Democrat ‘grass roots’ are nothing more than paid union and community organizer shills. Further, small online donations mean nothing, as they can be faked when Obama turns off credit card verifications, like he did last election. And, at least a 1/3 of his donations are directly traceable to the rich, or 1% as Obama and his followers so fondly refer to them. LOL!
JIM: “Do a bit of study of the situation . . .”
I’d tell you to do the same, but it’s a waste of time, as you know the truth yet refuse to acknowledge it. Scammers all around.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 16, 2011, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
Posted by: Anonymous | November 16, 2011, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
The Obama campaign had the largest number of contributions from ordinary Americans in history, the largest volunteer grass roots network in history – these are established facts. Your guesses are just that.
Posted by: Jim | November 16, 2011, 5:50 pm 5:50 pm
But in typical ignorant liberal fashion, you attack the person when you have no intelligent explanation for the damage Obama is causing.
Posted by: wheresmymoney | November 16, 2011, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
No, I attacked your lame one-word explanations of issues.
Posted by: John | November 16, 2011, 5:51 pm 5:51 pm
He’s delivered more than any other administration.
Posted by: Dave |
Great. Let’s make him Postmaster General.
Posted by: foggy | November 16, 2011, 5:59 pm 5:59 pm
But in typical ignorant liberal fashion, you attack the person when you have no intelligent explanation for the damage Obama is causing.
Posted by: wheresmymoney |
They are the 21%.
Posted by: foggy | November 16, 2011, 6:04 pm 6:04 pm
Posted by: foggy | November 16, 2011, 5:59 pm 5:59 pm
We were talking transparency in government – something that is important to many. This President has delivered more transparency than any other administration.
Posted by: Dave | November 16, 2011, 6:08 pm 6:08 pm
“We were talking transparency in government – something that is important to many.This President has delivered more transparency than any other administration.”
Sure he has. And Princess Pelosi drained the swamp.
Posted by: foggy | November 16, 2011, 7:14 pm 7:14 pm
dave wrote:”He’s delivered more than any other administration.”
.
George Kaiser agrees, in commenting about the oBama stimulus program…. “There’s never before been more money shoved out the government’s door in world history.” oBama delivers to his cronies more than any other administration.
Posted by: Michelle Shu Jas | November 16, 2011, 7:21 pm 7:21 pm
“We were talking transparency in government – something that is important to many.This President has delivered more transparency than any other administration.”
Sure he has.
Posted by: foggy | November 16, 2011, 7:14 pm 7:14 pm
I’m glad you’re fair-minded enough to agree. Rare amongst the whacko crowd.
Posted by: Dave | November 16, 2011, 9:08 pm 9:08 pm
No, I attacked your lame one-word explanations of issues.
Posted by: John | November 16, 2011, 5:51 pm 5:51 pm
1. Only one of the examples I gave was one word.
2. Libs can’t follow explanations if too many words are used.
Posted by: wheresmymoney | November 17, 2011, 10:09 am 10:09 am
WHERESMYMONEY | NOVEMBER 17, 2011, 10:09 AM “Libs can’t follow explanations if too many words are used.”
Does everything need to be defined by partisanship, even when most Americans leaning to the right and left agree on something?
The way campaigns are financed will never earn the confidence of US citizens, or appear to ANY of us as anything other than corrupt. We, all of us, must demand an end to that corruption of our democratic process.
Posted by: green.goddess | November 17, 2011, 10:48 am 10:48 am
This is a classic! Politico reports:
Spot the irony in Vice President Biden’s schedule today, from the White House’s daily guidance:
“At 1:00 PM, the Vice President will attend a meeting of the Government Accountability and Transparency Board in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. At 2:30 PM, the Vice President will meet with representatives of the National Sheriffs’ Association in the Roosevelt Room. These meetings are closed press.”
Green Goddess, do you think the Obama campaign in 2008 was corrupt?
Posted by: wheresmymoney | November 17, 2011, 11:10 am 11:10 am
WHERESMYMONEY | NOVEMBER 17, 2011, 11:10 AM – I think the federal election funding process corrupt, even though recent Supreme Court rulings giving First Amendment protection to massive campaign spending by wealthy donors. These contributions are used by BOTH parties use to fund elections – this isn’t a right or left issue.
It’s not just the presidential race – Congress today is a forum for legalized bribery. And if we believe this money does not touch our lives, take a look at the deregulation of Too-Big-To-Fail leading up to the housing bubble. Opensecrets calculates that the financial services industry (this includes real estate), spent $2.3 BILLION on federal campaign contributions from 1990 to 2010, which was MORE spending than the health care, energy, defense, agriculture and transportation industries combined.
If we want this to change, citizens need to demand overall campaign finance reform. Here’s one example of how to take back our election funding: imagine a system that gave a rebates in the form of a “democracy voucher.” Campaigns could accept these vouchers or contributions from citizens capped at say, $100. No more PAC billions. No more union or lobby big bucks. No more $2,500 a plate fund raisers. Small contributions only. Unused vouchers could return back into the public funding system. This would provide plenty to fund a campaign.
However, change like this requires Left and Right voters working together; those who benefit from campaign money will fight like tigers to keep it, including big donors, Lobbyists, some in Congress, and even the polarized Supreme Court.
Posted by: green.goddess | November 17, 2011, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
No more union or lobby big bucks.
Posted by: green.goddess | November 17, 2011, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
Does this mean unions can’t force their cardholders to “donate” money to a certain campaign? What happens if a candidate (or President) is found to have violated these laws?
If it is equal for all, I am all for it. If you will recall, Obama agreed, IN WRITING, to public financing in the Presidential election, only to go back on his word (and signature). And the press glossed over it.
I agree there is too much corruption in government. Lobbyists need to be GONE. There are members of Congress on both sides that should be in jail. I have no problem with the Supreme Court, with the exception of the appointments by Obama. Their idea of the Constitution seems to be the same as Obama’s. His opinion is the constitution is deeply flawed. Not very Presidential.
Posted by: wheresmymoney | November 17, 2011, 1:12 pm 1:12 pm
You think this is important to report but you do not think that the Obama administration told Solyndra not to lay off anyone until after the elections, that the President is putting off the pipeline decision until after the election, taking away thousands of jobs and energy security, etc. You don’t think it should be reported about the criminal charges again Corsine? How about the SEIU declaring that parents taking care of disable children should be forced to pay union due and the union is taking it out of the children’s medicaid check? This is the rhetoric you would rather report, Obama spin? Shame on you!
Posted by: Freedom | November 18, 2011, 8:48 am 8:48 am