A decade old, MoveOn finds success and detractors

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- MoveOn.org turned 10 last week, and as part of its "celebration," the organization compiled a list of favorable quotes attesting to its effectiveness.

As a leading online liberal political advocacy group, one would think the words of Democratic leaders and political stalwarts would be highlighted. You would be hard-pressed to find one. Instead, the likes of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, House Minority Leader John Boehner and even President Bush are quoted in MoveOn's memo.

The "praise" is a testament to MoveOn's efficiency in helping to quickly mobilize its members to raise money or organize on behalf of Democratic candidates.

But at the same time, the group does not shy away from controversy; and while it has been an asset, it has also been a liability. Think the September 2007 "General Betray Us" newspaper ad, which accused Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, of "cooking the books" on whether the "surge" strategy was working.

"They are like a guerilla movement and get attention by doing hard-hitting, free media-generating attacks that in turn drives traffic to Web sites and makes the movement stronger," said Democratic strategist Jenny Backus. "Their tactics are useful when you are in the minority. But the problem has been they have tried to become the conscience of the rest of the party. Democrats are sort of a big-tent party. We have more moods than just angry, and we have a wider reach of voters we are looking for. Compromise is sometimes necessary to get things done."

Backus is not the only one to sing MoveOn's praises in one breath, only to note that Democrats are sometimes frustrated by the group's strategic political decisions.

"Sometimes they are helpful and sometimes they are not, but that is their agenda," said a Democratic congressional leadership aide, who agreed to speak freely about the group on the condition of anonymity. "Their agenda is not the congressional agenda. It is the activist agenda. Sometimes it coincides, and often it diverges."

Eli Pariser, MoveOn's 27-year-old executive director, brushes off the criticism and says his group is just giving voice to voters frustrated with how business is being done in the nation's capital. Watch Pariser explain what MoveOn aims to do »

"Well, I think you know where MoveOn comes from is where most people in America come from," he said. "Right now, frankly, most people are pretty frustrated with this president; with an economy, you know, that is out of control; with politicians in Washington that are doing nothing about it; especially the president and what we're hearing from the White House and John McCain."

Bob Stevenson, a Republican strategist who served as a senior adviser to several GOP senators, suggested the General Betray Us ad hurt MoveOn, and thus hurt Democrats.

"The true believers loved the ad, but those people in the middle of the spectrum thought it was over the top," Stevenson said. "If their goal is to generate enthusiasm with left-wing activists, they do, do that. But in doing so, they lose the middle and they create an impression among independent and moderate voters that the party caters to the extremists."

Pariser shrugs off this criticism, too, although he adds that he would have executed MoveOn's criticism of the Iraq war a little differently.

"I wouldn't have done that headline if I had it to do again, but I think it's notable that Republicans were very happy to talk about an ad, not really that interested to talk about a war," Pariser said. "And at the end of the day, what you see is the American people more than ever think this war is a big mistake, want us out; you know, they want a timeline. Barack Obama has a plan for a timeline. George Bush is now agreeing that timelines are the right solution, and the only person you have who isn't agreeing with that is John McCain."

Pariser said that the goal this election cycle is to "register about 500,000 Obama supporters" and continue running ads against McCain in battleground states. In total, Pariser said, he expects to spend between $5 million and $7 million on the political ads.

"Part of what MoveOn can do is be nimble and move around and go where things are closest and try to jump in and help make a difference," he said.

With 4.2 million MoveOn members, Pariser seems to take the criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike as the cost of doing business outside the Beltway.

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