Obama Tries to Re-Plant Netroots

Senior adviser plans to turn Obama's campaign machine into Obama's governing machine

(NEWSER) - The shy middleman who spearheaded Barack Obama's campaign now plans to morph it into a powerful netroots organization, Lisa Taddeo writes in Esquire. Drawing on his unprecedented 13-million-name contact list, David Plouffe says he will soon unveil Organizing for America, a group aimed at drumming up support for policy initiatives. Other Democratic groups fear being left out in the cold. More»

(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) - President Obama promised to use the Internet to give Americans a greater voice in government—but in keeping that promise, he’s given America’s fringe a chance to shout at him, the New York Times reports. When the administration asked for ideas on how to make the government more transparent, it was bombarded with messages about marijuana, UFOs, and Obama’s birth certificate. More»

Format shows administration is serious about opening government

(NEWSER) - Sure, President Obama’s online town hall meeting today ended up being mostly like a normal press conference, writes Jose Antonio Vargas for the Washington Post, with Obama answering mostly “predictable” questions with “tried-and-tested policy responses.” What makes the event important is that the president was asked questions that received the most votes, with little White House filtering. More»

Strategist turned senior adviser enjoys unparalleled access

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s coterie has grown substantially since taking office, but nobody has as much access as David Axelrod, campaign strategist turned special adviser. Though he spends his days fine-tuning every speech, poring over polls, and orchestrating political battles, the New York Times reports, Axelrod is wary of any comparison to a similar figure in the Bush administration: Karl Rove. More»