Subject: Re: Progressive Media USA Ditches Ad Effort
From: "Amy Dacey" <[email-masked]>
To: "John Podesta" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "John Stocks" <[email-masked]>, "Anna Burger" <[email-masked]>, "Robert McKay" <[email-masked]>, "Frank Smith" <[email-masked]>, "Mary Pat Bonner" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 14:24:40 -0400

We have a powerful presentation worked out and good numbers for the event
I think we should move forward with the 21st.....Mary Pat?

On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 2:16 PM, John Podesta <[email-masked]>
wrote:

> 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-masked]> wrote:
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > From: Chris Cillizza <[email-masked]>
> > Date: Thu, May 15, 2008 at 10:54 AM
> > Subject: Progressive Media USA Ditches Ad Effort
> > To: Chris Cillizza <[email-masked]>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 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-masked]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Amy K. Dacey
> > Executive Director
> > Fund for America
> > 202-730-7727
> >
>
> --
> Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com
>

-- 
Amy K. Dacey
Executive Director
Fund for America
202-730-7727