Organizing for Action

The organization was headquartered in Chicago.{{cite news|last=Blumenthal|first=Paul|date=January 18, 2013|title=Organizing For Action: Obama Campaign Relaunches As Issue-Based Nonprofit|work=HuffPost|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/organizing-for-action-obama_n_2503668.html|access-date=January 21, 2013}} As a tax exempt 501(c)(4) organization, it sought to harness the energy of the president's re-election campaign for future legislative fights.{{cite news|last=Gold|first=Matea|date=January 18, 2013|title=Obama aides launch Organizing for Action to back his agenda|work=Los Angeles Times|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-aides-organizing-for-action-20130118,0,5086484.story|access-date=January 21, 2013}} The group advocated on policy issues such as gun violence prevention, climate change, LGBT issues, and immigration.

Organizing for Action succeeded Organizing for America, which was formed under similar circumstances, but operated under the control of the Democratic National Committee. In preparation for President Obama's second term, Organizing for America was relaunched as a nonprofit group in order to mobilize support behind the president's legislative and political agenda.

Questions were raised about the aims and the eligibility of Organizing for Action to continue to maintain the www.barackobama.com website and also control the @barackobama Twitter account. Use of these accounts by Organizing for America was not prevented by campaign finance laws.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/03/22/obama-sharing-twitter-account-with-controversial-campaign-spin-off/ Obama sharing Twitter account with controversial campaign spin-off]; The Washington Post, March 22, 2013. Aaron Blake, Retrieved 05/29/13.

Jim Messina, Obama's 2012 campaign manager, said in March 2013 that the group would not accept corporate donations and would disclose donation amounts.{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Ken|date=March 7, 2013|title=Group Backing Obama Won't Take Corporate Money|newspaper=Associated Press|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/group-backing-obama-wont-take-corporate-money|access-date=April 4, 2013}}{{cite news|last=Sink|first=Justin|date=March 13, 2013|title=Obama allies defend OFA amid 'pay-to-play' access controversy|newspaper=The Hill|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/144643-obama-allies-defend-ofa-amid-pay-to-play-access-controversy/|access-date=March 16, 2013}} In March 2013, OFA said that it would begin to publish its donors list (including donation amounts) on a quarterly basis.{{cite news|last=Steiner|first=Keenan|date=March 13, 2013|title=Pro-Obama group insists it's not selling access|newspaper=Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group|url=http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2013/pro-obama-group-insists-not-selling-access/|access-date=April 4, 2013}}

As of mid-2015, OFA had 30 million e-mail addresses, database of three million donors, and two million active participants.{{Cite news|last1=Milkis|first1=Sidney M.|last2=York|first2=John W.|date=July 29, 2015|title=If the Obama presidency is winding down, why is his group Organizing for Action ramping up?|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/07/29/if-the-obama-presidency-is-winding-down-why-is-his-group-organizing-for-action-ramping-up/|access-date=2020-12-23|issn=0190-8286}}

Messina, the group's chairman, and First Lady Michelle Obama announced the formation of OFA on January 18, 2013.{{cite news|last1=Weiner|first1=Rachel|last2=Hamburger|first2=Tom|date=March 7, 2013|title=In Reversal, Organizing for Action Won't Take Corporate Cash|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/03/07/in-reversal-organizing-for-action-wont-take-corporate-cash/|access-date=March 9, 2013}} White House official Jon Carson left the Obama administration to become the executive director. Campaign senior adviser David Axelrod served as a consultant.

In February 2013, The New York Times reported that donors contributing or raising $500,000 or more to OFA would put them on the group's national advisory board, granting the privilege of attending quarterly update meetings given by the president.{{cite news|last=Confessore|first=Nicholas|title=Obama's Backers Seek Big Donors to Press Agenda|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/23/us/politics/obamas-backers-seek-deep-pockets-to-press-agenda.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|access-date=March 16, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 22, 2013}} White House press spokesman Jay Carney denied that access to the President was being "sold", stating that OFA was an independent organization, and referred specific questions to the OFA staff.{{cite news|title=Are donors paying for access to Obama?|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-donors-paying-for-access-to-obama/|access-date=March 16, 2013|newspaper=CBS News|date=February 25, 2013}}

On March 8, Messina told CBS News that the president might attend a "founder's summit", but stated, "Whether you're a volunteer or a donor, we can't and we won't guarantee access to any government officials. But just as the president and administration officials deliver updates on the legislative process to Americans and organizations across the ideological spectrum, there may be occasions when members of Organizing for Action are included in those updates. These are not opportunities to lobby — they are briefings on the positions the president has taken and the status of seeing them through."{{cite news|last=Sink|first=Justin|title=Messina: Obama may meet with OFA donors amid controversy|url=http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/286959-messina-obama-may-meet-with-ofa-donors-next-week-|access-date=March 16, 2013|newspaper=The Hill|date=March 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608122433/http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/286959-messina-obama-may-meet-with-ofa-donors-next-week-|archive-date=June 8, 2013|url-status=dead}}[http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/opinion/messina-organizing-for-action/ Why we're raising money to support Obama agenda]; CNN; March 7, 2013. Jim Messina.

On December 17, 2013, OFA tweeted a photograph of a young man with thick-rimmed glasses, wearing black-and-red plaid onesie pajamas, and cradling a mug. The accompanying text read: "Wear pajamas. Drink hot chocolate. Talk about getting health insurance. #GetTalking."{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/413079861922508800 |title=How do you plan to spend the cold days of December? |date=December 17, 2013 |website=Twitter |publisher=Organizing for Action}} The tweet linked to the OFA website, which encouraged individuals to discuss Obamacare during the holiday season with those family members who were uninsured, and encourage them to sign up.{{cite web|url=http://www.barackobama.com/health-care-holidays|title=Health Care for the Holidays|publisher=Organizing for Action|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105034952/http://www.barackobama.com/health-care-holidays/|archive-date=January 5, 2014|df=mdy-all}} The tweet and pajama-clad man featured in it were quickly dubbed Pajama Boy, and mocked across social media, particularly by conservatives.{{cite news|last=Blake|first=Aaron|date=December 18, 2013|title=Christie tweets retort to Obama's 'Pajama Boy'|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/12/18/christie-tweets-retort-to-obamas-pajama-boy/}}{{cite news|last=Cillizza|first=Chris|date=December 20, 2013|title=Who had the worst week in Washington? Pajama Boy.|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/who-had-the-worst-week-in-washington-pajama-boy/2013/12/20/4aa7f45e-68f9-11e3-8b5b-a77187b716a3_story.html}}

In May 2014, OFA halved its staff and announced that it would stop requesting large contributions.{{cite news|last1=Bump|first1=Phillip|date=May 20, 2014|title=How much longer will Organizing for Action survive?|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/05/20/how-much-longer-will-organizing-for-action-survive/|access-date=November 16, 2015}}

In February 2017, after a long period of inactivity, OFA said that it had hired 14 field organizers as part of its campaign to defend Obama's signature healthcare law. It hired Saumya Narechania, the former national field director at Enroll America, to run that campaign, Jennifer Warner as national organizing director, and former Clinton campaign spokesperson Jesse Lehrich as its communication director.{{Cite web|last=Seitz-Wald|first=Alex|date=February 10, 2017|title=Obama-aligned Organizing for Action relaunches for Trump era|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/democrats-vs-trump/obama-aligned-organizing-action-relaunches-trump-era-n719311|access-date=2020-12-23|website=NBC News|language=en}}

In June 2018, OFA said that it intended to deploy organizers in 27 Republican-held congressional districts which could be key to a Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives.{{Cite web|last=Burns|first=Alexander|date=June 12, 2018|title=Obama-Linked Group to Mobilize Democrats in Battle for House|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/us/politics/obama-organizing-midterms.html|access-date=2020-12-23|website=The New York Times}}

In early 2019, the group merged with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, ending its independent status.{{Cite web|last=Swanson|first=Ian|date=2019-02-21|title=Obama political arm to merge with Holder-run group|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/430845-obama-political-arm-to-merge-with-holder-run-group/|access-date=2020-12-23|website=The Hill|language=en}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• [https://www.opensecrets.org/obama/ofa.php OpenSecrets.org: Donations to OFA]

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Category:Democratic Party (United States) organizations

Category:Barack Obama

Category:Organizations established in 2013

Category:2013 establishments in the United States

Category:501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations