Axelrod opens the spigot on LARGE Dem Donors in 2012

[Perky]

This is just sad. But I guess inevitable and unfortunately indelible as well. It is not simply about Advertising dollars its about party building: Targeting and registering new voters and obviously GOTV efforts.

The White House is bracing for an onslaught of $500 million or more in spending by outside Republican groups opposed to President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election, prompting Obama advisers to give the green light to big Democratic donors to set up similar outside groups to counter the GOP’s effort.

That posture marks a significant shift by a White House that had discouraged outside players in the political arena in 2008.

"There's no doubt they were just warming up and will be coming after us next," David Axelrod, a senior Obama adviser, told POLITICO in an interview. "If they spent $200 million on Senate races, they are capable of adding a half-billion to a billion in a race for control of the presidency."

To counter the anticipated wave of attacks, Axelrod said the White House is ramping up its campaign fundraising goals by equal amounts.

And, when asked three times, Axelrod refused to wave off — and seemed to expect — a similar, well-funded campaign by wealthy Democratic donors and the party's activist allies in labor and the environmental communities in the 2012 campaigns for the White House and Congress.

"Our strong preference is for a campaign finance system that is transparent and open and in which the American people can see what's going on," said Axelrod. "But I am sure the physics of this is that there will be people offended by this and they will be inspired to get involved."

Translation for Democratic groups: We know you are coming, but please disclose your donors.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44868.html#ixzz14nSDZ8qw

[msongs]

1. being bipartisan pays off.....literally. but anti-bipartisan crowd gets more nt

[ProSense]

2. More Politico BS

"give the green light to big Democratic donors to set up similar outside groups to counter the GOP’s effort."

That is not what Axelrod said or implied.

While Axelrod said the president will rely on a grassroots-driven fundraising operation again for his re-election, the GOP outside groups in 2012 will be able to raise money faster since they don't have to abide by similar caps on donations.

Already the founders of American Crossroads, the new Republican group co-founded by former Bush advisers Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, are working to rebuild their campaign war chest and prepare for the presidential contest.

“This was a dry-run to 2012,” said one Republican insider familiar with Rove’s habit of testing new political tactics in off-year elections.

A key to Crossroads’ ambition of scaling up to a presidential campaign-year level will be expanding its donor base, including persuading corporations that were reluctant to engage in the Republicans’ 2010 experiment to get off the sidelines and get into the game.

Move On is an outside group and so is American Crossroads. Both these groups disclose their donors.

Politico is trying to imply that Democrats are giving the go ahead to what they were complaining about: secret donations via groups like the Chamber of Commerce and Crossroads GPS, Rove's other group.

[dkf]

3. Where is our American right to not be bombarded by the same commercials endlessly?

We should be able to fully deduct our DVR expenses.

[ProSense]

4. If Republicans and the RW media shills have a problem with this

they need to advocate passing the DISCLOSE Act.