Subject: Ben Smith and outside groups
From: "Amy Dacey" <[email-masked]>
To: "John Podesta" <[email-masked]>, "John Stocks" <[email-masked]>, "Anna Burger" <[email-masked]>, "Robert McKay" <[email-masked]>, "Frank Smith" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 16:20:02 -0400

I talked to Ben on background and reiterated who the Fund is and what we do
and then directed him to Kirk Adams as a better source for clarification
from the candidate side..

This was the result on his blog.. Not good

Shutting down the independent groups

My story <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10315.html> on Politico:

Senator Barack Obama's campaign is steering the candidate's wealthy
supporters away from independent Democratic groups, calling into question
what had been expected to be the groups' central role in this year's
Democratic offensive against Senator John McCain.

Obama's national finance chairwoman, Chicago hotel mogul Penny Pritzker,
told supporters at a national finance committee meeting in Indianapolis May
2, and in other conversations, not to give money to the groups, people
familiar with her comments said.

"From the beginning of this race Obama has told supporters that if they want
to help his effort, they should do so through his campaign," said Obama
spokesman Bill Burton, who confirmed that Pritzker has told donors not to
give to the groups. "And he means exactly what he says."

Most presidential candidates say they don't encourage the outside groups,
and donors are accustomed to taking those words with a grain of salt. The
candidates' words are typically seen as mere legal defenses against
allegations that the campaigns are illicitly coordinating with outside
groups.

The donors have been considering entreaties from Progressive Media USA, run
by conservative-journalist turned liberal media critic David Brock; from
former Clinton aide John Podesta's Fund for America; and from America Votes,
a group backed by billionaire George Soros that focuses on voter
mobilization, among other efforts.

But in recent days, major donors have begun to conclude that Obama is
serious in trying to cut off funds to the outside groups.

"It's given donors pause," said one prominent Democratic donor of Pritzker's
words.

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