Obama's campaign network mobilized to promote agenda

[Joanne98]

Four months after the election, President Barack Obama is resurrecting his campaign army in Florida and nationwide to help him sell his $3.5 trillion budget to Congress.

It's the first call to action by Organizing for America, the Democratic Party initiative to turn the campaign's vast grass-roots network into a year-round support system that registers voters, promotes the administration's policies and lays the groundwork for a second term.

Known informally as Obama 2.0 because it represents the second phase of the Internet-savvy campaign, the program will test the staying power of a celebrity president long after the bumper stickers start to fade.

The Democratic Party plans to deploy staffers across the country over the next several weeks, including 35 to 40 people in Florida, the nation's largest swing state. The campaign-in-waiting could set the stage for Florida Democrats in the 2010 election, when a U.S. Senate seat and possibly other statewide offices will be up for grabs.

"It's an investment in Florida Democratic grass-roots like we've never seen before that will pay long-term dividends," said Eric Jotkoff, a spokesman for the state party.

Republicans are skeptical that Democrats will be able to sustain the campaign's momentum as the economy continues to deteriorate. Obama's national finance team met Tuesday in Washington for the first time since the election to discuss raising money for the effort.

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