First lady Michelle Obama on Friday launched Organizing for Action in a new video reaching out to previous supporters of President Obama’s campaign.
“The relationships you’ve made, the tools you’ve built and the lessons you’ve learned have already begun to change our politics. And in the coming years, they can change our country. And that’s the mission of Organizing for Action,” the first lady said in the video.
It is not clear yet how the activist organization will operate in practice. Former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina will host discussions in order to formulate goals, starting this weekend with a day-long conference for former campaign staffers and volunteers in Washington, D.C.
The newly restructured group is
expected to launch as a 501(c)4 activist organization, which is prohibited by federal law from having politics as its primary purpose.
“In terms of the specifics of what this organization will look like, a lot of that will be up to you. It will be determined by your energy and ideas and feedback. Because after all, this is your movement,” Obama said in the video.
“Supporters like you will be the heart of this organization, because for the past six years, you’ve done something so much bigger than elect a president. You’ve given ordinary people a place in our democratic process again.
“Let’s be clear: All that hard work was about more than just one election. So if we want to finish what we started and truly make that change we believe in, we can’t stop now. And that’s why today I’m proud that our friends and supporters are launching Organizing for Action, the next phase of our movement for change.”
The new group will already have a robust mailing list, drawing from the president’s reelection campaign, and the campaign is asking for supporters to sign up for the new organization online.
The first lady also made a personal appeal, asking supporters to join the new group in order to work for “change.”
“As Barack has said, winning an election won’t bring about the change we seek," she said. “It’s simply the chance to make that change. So I hope you will join Organizing for Action, to seize that chance.”
