Re: Progressive Media USA Ditches Ad Effort

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John, seiu conversations with the campaign confirm that they support our type of effort. I expect them to make a public statement soon. We should go forward Anna Burger 202-730-7303 -----Original Message----- From: John Podesta [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 02:16 PM Eastern Standard Time To: Amy Dacey; John Stocks; Anna Burger; Robert McKay; Frank Smith; Mary Pat Bonner Subject: Re: Progressive Media USA Ditches Ad Effort Talked with Tom D. This morning. Asked him to push for a clarification on field activity/voter mob activities. Mary Pat, what is your advice re 21st? Kill it? Present state plans? On 5/15/08, Amy Dacey <[email protected]> wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Chris Cillizza <[email protected]> > Date: Thu, May 15, 2008 at 10:54 AM > Subject: Progressive Media USA Ditches Ad Effort > To: Chris Cillizza <[email protected]> > > > > http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/05/democratic_media_group_scales.html > > Democratic Media Group Ditches Ad Effort > > Progressive Media USA, the group organized to be the main soft-money > advertising vehicle for Democrats in the fall, will dramatically scale back > its efforts in deference to the wishes of the party's presumptive nominee. > > "Progressive Media will not be running an independent ad campaign this > year," David Brock, the head of the organization, confirmed in a statement > obtained by The Fix this morning. > > "Progressive Media was established to be an independent on-going progressive > issue advocacy organization," Brock added. "We were not established for one > issue, one candidate or one election cycle. But donors and potential donors > are getting clear signals from the Obama camp through the news media and we > recognize that reality." > > Those familiar with the group's decision cast it as largely the result of > the stated desire of Sen. Barack Obama's campaign to not direct funds to > outside organizations in hopes of better controlling the Democratic message > in the fall. But the group was also struggling to raise the money necessary > to be a major force in the presidential race and was riven by internal > divisions. > > During a gathering of Obama's national finance committee earlier this month > in Indianapolis, it was made clear to these top donors that they should > concentrate on raising money for the candidate and not spend their time > funding independent organizations of which Progressive Media USA is one. > > That warning made Progressive Media USA's already difficult task -- raising > tens of millions of dollars in short order from skeptical donors with the > unsuccessful soft money efforts of 2004 still on their mind -- almost > impossible. Without buy-in (literally) from Obama's major donors, it's > extremely unlikely deep-pocketed Clinton backers would fund the effort to > help elect the Illinois senator on their own. > > The downscaling of Progressive Media USA is the latest chapter of the > group's short but turbulent history. The group, which was initially led by > Tom Matzzie, former Washington director for Moveon.org, was originally known > as Campaign to Defend America when it was formed in the fall of 2007. The > budget for the effort, according to Matzzie, was $100 million. > > The group struggled to gain traction, however, and in early April liberal > media critic David Brock took control of the group -- promising a $40 > million media onslaught against Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). > > (Those familiar with the group say that Brock and Matzzie were like oil and > water stylistically, and their differences made it difficult to put everyone > involved with the organization on the same page.) > > The reformed group drew immediate attention with an ad that painted McCain > as a clone of President George W. Bush on the economy. But the extended ad > campaign promised by many within Progressive Media USA never materialized -- > likely due to a lack of available resources. > > The financial struggles of Progressive Media USA are the rule not the > exception in this presidential election. Soft-money groups seemed to have > reached their zenith in 2004 when progressive-aligned organizations like > America Coming Together and Media Fund as well as conservative-backed groups > like Progress for America and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth had an > undeniably large influence over the outcome of the election. > > Four years later, outside groups on both sides of the aisle have experienced > all sorts of problems in securing the cash to fund any sort of serious > independent effort. That lack of success is particularly true at the > presidential level, where Progressive Media USA's collapse comes on the > heels of a decision to turn Freedom's Watch from a conservative-aligned > presidential vehicle to one that spends its time and money on House races. > > It's hard to imagine that big-dollar donors won't seek to exert their > influence in some substantial way in the run-up to the 2008 election. But so > far the vehicles that have tried to do just that have run out of gas after > traveling just a few miles. > > Chris Cillizza > "The Fix" > The Washington Post > [email protected] > > > > > -- > Amy K. Dacey > Executive Director > Fund for America > 202-730-7727 > -- Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com