Tom Matzzie

Tom Matzzie is the former Washington Director and lobbyist for MoveOn.org and former Campaign Manager for Americans Against Escalation in Iraq (AAEI) who now runs the AAEI spin-off Campaign to Defend America.

On November 11, 2007, the Washington Post reported that MoveOn's Tom Matzzie has been hired to run an AAEI spin-off called Campaign to Defend America, "an independent money machine that will rival or eclipse what they created in 2004, when donors poured millions into two key outside-the-party organizations -- America Coming Together and the Media Fund. ... Those familiar with overall Democratic fundraising plans for 2008 say that everything is still in a very nascent stage, but party heavyweights are clearly on the march -- setting up various organizations that may be integrated into a larger uber-fundraising effort, perhaps under Mattzie's group. Last week John Podesta, a longtime Democratic operative who runs the Center for American Progress, and Anna Burger, a high-ranking official at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) formed a soft-money 527 group called the "Fund for America." Burger is also vice chair of the Democracy Alliance, wealthy liberal funders of various Democratic Party aligned organizations.

In February, 2008 journalists Matt Taibbi analyzed how the MoveOn-led Americans Against Escalation in Iraq has become "a political tool for the Democrats — one operated from inside the Beltway and devoted primarily to targeting Republicans. ... At the forefront of the groups are [former MoveOn lobbyist] Tom Matzzie and Brad Woodhouse... [M]uch of the anti-war group's leadership hails from a consulting firm called Hildebrand Tewes Consulting — whose partners Steve Hildebrand and Paul Tewes served as staffers for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. ... This is the kind of conflict of interest that would normally be an embarrassment in the activist community. ... The really tragic thing about the Democratic surrender on Iraq is that it's now all but guaranteed that the war will be off the table during the presidential campaign. Once again — it happened in 2002, 2004 and 2006 — the Democrats have essentially decided to rely on the voters to give them credit for being anti-war, despite the fact that, for all the noise they've made to the contrary, in the end they've done nothing but vote for war and cough up every dime they've been asked to give, every step of the way." [1]

In a February 9, 2008, blog posting on The Nation's website, professor and activist Tom Hayden wrote: "Tom Matzzie, leader of Americas most well-financed anti-Iraq organization, has resigned his position and dissolved the organization, Americans Against Escalation in Iraq." However,after posting this blog Hayden the wrote: "Minutes after this story was posted, Mattzie sent an e-mail to me claiming 'the story is wrong.' He said, 'We haven't quit,' but are in transition. But the story is based on Mattzie's own February 7 e-mail response to a question from me: 'I've essentially quit anti-war organizing and gone into politics.' " [2]

On May 14, 2008, the Washington Post reported that "Tom Matzzie, a leader of the liberal group MoveOn.org, teamed recently with David Brock, once a conservative journalist who is now a liberal media critic, to form Progressive Media USA, pledging to raise $40 million and lead the attack on McCain. The group has yet to air an ad. [3]

Jonathan Weisman and Michael D. Shear  Obama looks to control message, originally in the Washington Post, May 14 , 2008.

The Washington Post

Matzzie Biography

Prior to this position, Matzzie was Washington Director for MoveOn.org. In that position he oversaw "legislative advocacy on a range of issues including Social Security, the Courts, the Environment, budget and tax issues, the war in Iraq and other issues important to MoveOn’s 3.3 million members. Prior to joining MoveOn Tom was Director of Online Organizing for the Kerry-Edwards campaign — managing an organizing program for the campaign’s 2.8 million person e-mail list. From 2000 to 2004 he was Online Mobilization Director at the AFL-CIO building the union movement’s Internet program — including the 3.2 million e-mail activists on the lists of the unions of the AFL-CIO. Tom (age 30) is also one of the top Social Security organizers in the country. From 1998 to 2000 he organized the coalition opposing Social Security privatization at the Campaign for America's Future. He has appeared on network television, on syndicated radio and is cited by The New York Times, the Associated Press, The Washington Post and other major daily publications. Tom holds a degree in Economics and International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame."

"He also serves on the Board of Directors of Progressive Majority."

• Advisory Board, Rocky Mountain Leadership Institute

Email

• tom AT zzranch.com (as of 3/08)

Resources

See also

• Americans Against Escalation in Iraq
• Campaign to Defend America
• MoveOn
• The Fund for America
• Townhouse
• troop surge in Iraq

External links

• Tim Starks, The Anti-War Movement's Aggressive New Battle Plan, CQ Weekly, April 16, 2007.
• Michael Luo, Antiwar Groups Use New Clout to Influence Democrats on Iraq, New York Times, May 6, 2007.
• Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, 'The Other K Street', In the Concrete Canyon of the Business Lobby, a Pocket of Liberal Activists Settles In, Washington Post, May 7, 2007.
• John Stauber, "Iraq: The 'Gift' That Keeps on Bleeding," PRWatch.org, August 20, 2007.
• Michael Crowley, "Can Lobbyists Stop the War?" New York Times, September 9, 2007.
• Will Evans, Peter Overby The Money Behind the Anti-McCain Ad, Center for Investigative Reporting, March 6, 2008.
• Tom Matzzie, Tom Matzzie: How John McCain Can Rescue the Republican Party, Huffington Post online, May 12, 2008