Is Barack Obama's online campaigning truly interactive, or just an ATM?

Jackson West — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:20:00 EDT

While political pundits gasp with awe at the amount of money Barack Obama has been able to raise online, the leftist wonks at Alternet are ringing the alarm bell over the candidate's support of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act amendments pending in Congress. The bill would broadly expand executive powers to conduct warrantless wiretaps, as well as grant immunity to telcos which voluntarily participated in the illegal surveillance of American citizens at the current administration's request.

A group of supporters are lobbying the Democratic senator to change his position on the bill on his campaign social network, MyBO. The question is, will Obama actually take serious policy suggestions from supporters using the same website he's already using to mobilize volunteers and, more importantly, raise more cash than any presidential candidate in history? The Magic 8-Ball says "very doubtful." (Photo by AP/Jae C. Hong)

Obama campaign wunderkinds Blue State Digital could use new names

Melissa Gira Grant — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:20:00 EDT

Visiting Barack Obama's social network is like taking home the nice, all-natural hippie deodorant you know is better for you. Only it's on the internet, and they want you to invite your friends, and his campaign is really damn proud of it — and all of their "social media" efforts — having only cost them $1.1 million but raised $200 million and thousands of volunteers. But if Blue State Digital's electioneering effort was so successful, why has no one pointed out the hilarity in naming the destination site MyBO? We would have been using that punchline for months now.

Gawker: valleywag, mybo

Is Barack Obama's online campaigning truly interactive, or just an ATM?

Obama campaign wunderkinds Blue State Digital could use new names