Obama campaign chief launches action group

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The former manager of Barack Obama's bid for a second term announced a new group Friday to push the U.S. president's agenda.

Jim Messina, in an email, said Organizing for Action is "the next phase of this movement," the Los Angeles Times reported. The email was sent to campaign contributors.

"If we can take the enthusiasm and passion that people showed throughout the campaign and channel it into the work ahead of us, we will be unstoppable," Messina said.

A similar effort to keep campaign volunteers active, Organizing for America, was launched in 2009 as Obama began his first term but failed to gain much traction.

"We'll work on the key battles of our generation, train the next generation of grassroots organizers and leaders, and organize around local issues in our own communities," Messina wrote. "We'll continue to support the President in creating jobs and growing the economy from the middle out, and in fighting for issues like immigration reform, climate change, balanced deficit reduction and reducing gun violence."