President Obama plans to continue campaigning for his preferred policies rather than negotiate with Congress, an idea he indicated was inspired by Abraham Lincoln.

“I always read a lot of Lincoln, and I’m reminded of his adage that, with public opinion, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish; without it, you’re not going to get very far,” Obama told The New Republic. “And spending a lot more time in terms of being in a conversation with the American people as opposed to just playing an insider game here in Washington is an example of the kinds of change in orientation that I think we’ve undergone, not just me personally, but the entire White House.”

Obama’s presidential campaign has morphed into “Organizing for Action” in an effort to harness the grassroots support that drove his electoral victories and direct it at particular policy initiatives. They’re bankrolling that campaign with money from Wal-Mart, Lockheed Martin, and Citi.

“We need you,” Obama campaign manager Jim Messina told the corporate donors, according to Politico, at a meeting at the Newseum. “This president needs you.”