Obama For America Becomes Organizing For America

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- The Obama political machine is merging with the Democratic National Committee.

The President-elect launched Obama 2.0, or Organizing for America, this morning with a YouTube video.

An Obama political aide said that OFA will be housed at the Democratic National Committee, resolving a longstanding debate about whether the entity should be separate.

A press release prepared by OFA calls the organization "the next phase" of the Obama organization, and will offer "volunteers the continued opportunity to work for change in their communities by organizing in support of reform in Washington."

"As President, I will need the help of all Americans to meet the challenges that lie ahead. That's why I'm asking people like you who fought for change during the campaign to continue fighting for change in your communities. Since the election hundreds of thousands of you have shared your ideas about how this movement should move forward, and we've listened carefully," Obama says in the video.

The announcement follows month of debate among Obama's political aides about how best to leverage his record-shattering campaign organization as a tool to help Obama in office. Legal questions, too, arose about coordination between the Democratic National Committee and the campaign entity, which possesses the 13-million person e-mail, telephone and contact list that powered Obama's political activity.

More than 500,000 Obama supporters completed post-election surveys.  According to the press release, "A clear majority believe that organizing in support of President-elect Obama's agenda should be the most important goal for the organization. Organizing for America will partner with Governor  [Tim] Kaine and the DNC."

Campaign aides Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, Jeremy Bird and Mitch Stewart form triumvirate at the head of this new behemoth.