Barack Obama is forging new ground in the ever-expanding world of political money groups, by transforming his 2012 campaign apparatus into a non-profit that will advocate for his positions on issues like gun control and immigration. As a 501(c)(4), "Organizing for Action" will be able to take in unlimited anonymous cash from anyone—though it doesn't intend to. Instead, it promises to disclose all its donors, and while it will allow corporate donors, it won't take money from lobbyists or PACs, the AP reports.
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina will run the new group, which Politico sees as "an implicit rejection of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz." It also doesn't bode well for Priorities USA, the pro-Obama super PAC that had disappointing results during the campaign. "This just dwarfs any part of the Democratic coalition," one strategist tells the LA Times. "This is the biggest leg of the stool. There are really significant implications in terms of the permanent power center within the party." (More Barack Obama stories.)