How Obama Got The Job Done...Online

The speeches, the debates, the long road of Presidential politics...it all contributed to Barack Obama's massive win two weeks ago. Yet the engine of his campaign was more online than ever and the facts prove it. His massive fundraising, social networking and internet-based action enabled millions of people to get involved and it propelled Obama over the finish line like no one has seen before.

From The Washington Post:

In an exclusive interview with The Post, members of the vaunted Triple O, Obama's online operation, broke down the numbers: 3 million donors made a total of 6.5 million donations online adding up to more than $500 million. Of those 6.5 million donations, 6 million were in increments of $100 or less. The average online donation was $80, and the average Obama donor gave more than once.[...]

In September, his single biggest month of fundraising, Obama amassed more than 65 percent of his record-shattering haul -- $100 million of the $150 million -- from online donations, aides said. After Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin dismissed the value of community organizing in her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Sept. 3 -- "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities," she said to applause -- Obama raised $10 million within 24 hours.

Linnie Frank Bailey, a 52-year-old mother of two in Riverside, Calif., is such a donor. In the past two years, she gave a total of $120.40, mostly in $10 increments. She made her last $10 online donation two days before the election.

The campaign's use of e-mail, text messages and social networking sites, also called "socnets," has been closely watched by technocrats, strategists and OPOs -- the online political operatives who stand to benefit from Obama's unprecedented online success.

The massive amount of money raised online gave Obama unlimited access to fund media campaigns and hit his targeted demographics overwhelmingly more than McCain could. The small donor revolution blew even the organizers of the online operation away. Yet as great as the money is, the connections made online were even more valuable. Volunteers made millions of calls, tons of door knocks and the text messaging system helped bring supporters to the polls. That goes especially for young voters that came out nearly two to one for Obama.

Now the key is for Obama's online army to stay together and help fight the governing battles coming up next year and beyond. Winning an election is important, but enacting the policies behind the campaign speeches is what it's all about. Even with a Democratic Congress, not everyone there is thrilled to change the status quo and give power back to the people. Their hesitation is irrelevant though, as long as we stick together and let them know who got them into office in the first place.

Ron Paul: It's All About The Internet

Ron Paul gets it right about politics and the internet. More than ever, the battle will be waged online.

GOP To Republican Candidates: Don't Act Like Yourself In Public

The Republicans were destroyed last year on the internet front of the campaign wars. The blogosphere overwhelmingly tilts for the left and two of the most defining victories of that fight are Senators Webb and Tester. The "Macaca moment" showed the power of the internet and the Democratic side of the blogosphere. A digital camera helped bring down an incumbent George Allen who was looking towards the Presidency next year. Now its hard to recall his name.

So as the Republicans gear up for next year, they are trying to learn from their brutal experience of 2006. John Ensign, the new chairman of the NRSC has put together a guidebook for all candidates on what to do and what not to do when campaigning for office. One such directive is to remember to assume you are always on camera, no matter what. It seems like common sense for a candidate but you never know what will come out of people's mouths.

From The Politico:

It's right there, on pages 18 and 22 of an Internet guide from the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee that its chairman, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), hopes will become scripture for the 2008 candidates.

Always assume you're being recorded, and always record your opponent. The blogs -- oh, scratch that -- the Republican blogs are your friends, so use them for rapid response in good times and bad.

"The paradigmatic example of failure to do so is the 'macaca' moment," reads the guidebook (excerpted here), referring to a remark last year by former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) that was captured on video and sunk his reelection campaign.

Not only are the Republican hopefuls told to watch themselves, they are also commanded to reach out more to the internet community. Well, not the whole community, just the right-wing blogs. The idea is to use them to disseminate information and create media buzz. The only problem with this is that the size of the right side is nothing compared to the blogosphere over here on the left.

As DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," but there is no way that the Republicans can copy the success that the left had last year. Besides, the way the NRSC strategy is devised, it actually hurts them. It is more of their top-down campaigning, the same old thing in new packaging. But that isn't how the blogosphere works. It is the community that bolsters Democrats and the lack of which that will continue to haunt the Republicans.