Internet Army Could Power Obama Presidency

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has so revolutionized politics that he may not even need the Democratic party, writes David Carr in the New York Times. Parties are supposed to provide a base of support, a brand, ground troops, money, and relationships—all things Obama already has in abundance. The president-elect ran his campaign like a Silicon Valley startup, turning a pile of social networking technologies into the nation’s best political machine. More»

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is determined to turn the legions of Facebook friends and Twitter subscribers that got him elected into an effective force for his administration, the New York Times reports. He’s already begun issuing his weekly addresses via YouTube video, rather than radio, and crafted a new group called Organizing for America to coordinate his online efforts. More»

That's more than double the proportion from 2007: analysis

(NEWSER) - President Obama continues to be successful raising money through small donations—and this time around, he's outpacing his campaign from four years ago. Last year, almost half of the money raised by the president's re-election campaign came from donors who gave $200 or less in total, a new report from the Campaign Finance Institute shows. In 2007, by comparison, just 22% of the $96.7 million he raised came from donations of $200 or less. In total, Obama raised $56.7 million from small donors last year, compared to the $38.1 million small donors contributed to all of his Republican opponents combined. More»

Almost looks like he's running for something...

(NEWSER) - Howard Dean’s return to the national stage with stinging criticism of the compromises Democratic leaders accepted on health care reform has thrilled disaffected progressives—and even sparked talk of another run for president. One liberal blogger says his dusted-off bona fides make Dean “perfectly positioned” to challenge Obama in 2012. While many think that strains credulity, Politico reports, he appears to be preparing for something. More»

Passed over for administration post, ex-doc plagues prez

(NEWSER) - By now, President Obama may wish he’d brought Howard Dean into the administration, because the former doctor has become his top left-wing antagonist on health care reform, the Hill reports. Dean has spent the summer advancing his views on the topic, and though the White House is backing away from the public option, he isn’t. “You can’t really do health reform without it,” he said today. More»