Obama Reopens Political Affairs Office

The new office of Political Strategy and Outreach is aimed, in part, at helping Democrats in the upcoming elections

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With Democrats facing a daunting midterm elections challenge, President Barack Obama is relaunching the White House political affairs operation, a White House aide confirmed Friday.

A new Office of Political Strategy and Outreach “will coordinate the White House’s existing political strategy and outreach activities,” the aide confirmed. The news was first reported by Politico. Obama closed the political affairs office in 2011 in preparation for his re-election bid.

“This office will serve as a single point of contact for the DNC and national, state and local political groups and it will be led by David Simas,” the aide said. Simas, the Obama campaign’s director of opinion research, has been the administration’s point-man on selling the troubled Affordable Care Act to the American people.

Congressional Democrats have long complained that Obama has not invested in their political fortunes, and were mutinous over the botched rollout of the healthcare law.

More from the White House aide:

The long-standing functions expected to be performed by this office, all of which are official functions under well-established standards, include:

·         working with constituents and political groups to, among other things: evaluate levels of support for Presidential policies and initiatives

·         planning and developing long range strategies to achieve Presidential priorities

·         ensuring that administration officials who are requested to engage in political activity are given appropriate legal guidance

·       remaining informed about the current political environment in order to properly advise and assist the President