The New Republic

Didn't HRC also raise a huge sum of $$$ online? IIRC it was around $4-5m. Which would indicate that online fund-raising's simply entered the mainstream, as it should. Here's hoping it dominates fund-raising going forward. Enough of the big money guys' dominace of both parties. A pox on both Hollywood and Houston.

- teplukhin

April 17, 2007 at 4:44pm

I think it is a better indication that even 3 years ago, politicians didn't really know how to use the internet as a medium. Now both politicans and the voters are comfortable in using the internet to voice support and to communicate. (Plus internet fundraising is much, much less expensive than traditional small dollar fundraising.)

- webberjay

April 17, 2007 at 4:52pm

Actually, I think it's partially that online fundraising has moved into the mainstream. It's also that Obama has created a group of people who are really energized about him beyond the first-line Netroots. And, in fact, we're seeing some of those people show up on the MSNR (mainstream netroots). There's a sizable faction of Obama supporters on the Netroots. You can see that dialogue happening quite vociferously over at MyDD -- and even on DKos. Edwards in the MSNR candidate right now because he's playing snippets of their song. Supporters of Obama are taken with his general call to action, the hope he instills and/or the strategy of the campaign he's running. Okay, that last point might not be exactly right. It's more that ther's a trust factor in Obama that's based on his biography, history and rhetoric that allows some to see past the lack of pandering and on to a larger strategy. At least that's my take.

- mlflorence

April 17, 2007 at 5:06pm

I've heard of him. Is he running for something? Isn't he a doctor of some sort? Oh wait, I'm thinking of that Frist fellow.

- williamyard

April 17, 2007 at 5:11pm

It is not a question of either on-line fundraising or big donors and high-level events. You need both and. TULLIUS

- TULLIUS

April 17, 2007 at 5:29pm

Not that you don't (as of 2007) need both; the point is that online fund-raising does not require face-to-face meetings and extremely time-consuming coast-to-coast and other national travel. Think about the colossal waste of time that our national shmoozefest entails: for each fund-raiser, there's likely a plane trip of several hours, travel to and fromt he venue, at least an hour of shmoozing, often more. To raise $20m in a 90-day period would probably require at least 50 such shmoozefests, or one every other day. In addition to the loss of time, there's the constant effort to suss out and trim one's positions toward the mindset of the next gazillionaire meetup. No wonder our pols are so clueless about immigration, healthcare and the other major issues weighing on ordinary people.

- teplukhin

April 17, 2007 at 7:53pm

First I bet if you surveyed his contributer they wouldn't know about every criticism made about him. The only one I know about is his wimping out on the timetable. Second, People really hate Hillary. Don't underestimate that.

- Yminale

April 17, 2007 at 10:20pm

I think many more people are open to giving online and that there is less opportunity for online power brokers -- this is a much broader and more democratic space than 4 years ago. What I want to know is what accounts for Obama's greater success in this area? What is he doing differently, and how is he motivating so many willing donors? Neil

- purcellneil

April 18, 2007 at 3:14am

At his stage of the internet, those who are politically active online tend to be very similar to those whom Obama attracts: single white males with advanced degrees tending left-liberal. The people least attracted to Obama-- those without advanced degrees, marrieds with children, or even afr-amers (who continue to favor HRC over Obama by a healthy margin)-- do not spend much time, if any, at political websites and blogs, either because their kids demand all their free time or because they don't work with computers or because they're not political junkies. When those people finally become politically engaged online-- most likely by some application of a web 2.0-ish social networking technology that reaches down to teh level of church groups, PTAs, local mommies' organizations etc-- you'll see the rest of the candidates catch up to, and probably surpass, the NPR candidate.

- teplukhin

April 20, 2007 at 2:24am