In the wake of Barack Obama’s historic 2008 presidential victory, there were big plans for the Obama for America machine he had built during the campaign.
Those plans fizzled, as this Campaigns & Elections piece notes:
After the 2008 election, one of the main criticisms of OFA was that the organization was left drifting, pushed aside by the need for the new president’s top command to focus on governing.
At a panel discussion on the 2012 online campaign this past Friday, epolitics.com Editor Colin Delany echoed that criticism lamenting the fact that the campaign waited until 2010 to recruit its online army to fight legislative battles.
Not this time. For starters, the Obamanauts have already sent out a survey to its extensive email list of Barackniks.
Required at the survey’s outset is supporters’ updated contact and demographic information—ZIP code, date of birth and gender. Additionally, the first page asks for affiliated constituencies before delving into questions useful in determining a person’s degree of prior campaign involvement.
[snip]
[The] survey asks for comments on how the campaign could’ve better engaged supporters and volunteers. One question asks supporters whether they met face-to-face with a campaign organizer about volunteering, while others ask about their role on neighborhood teams or what areas they hope to receive training on in the future— that question includes GOTV tools like VAN and Obama for America’s Dashboard.
But more interesting are questions gauging personal interest in supporting new candidates and even running for elected office—hinting at a long term vision from OFA.
Next up, this email the hardworking staff received today from the Obamacrats:
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| Friend –Right now, President Obama is working with leaders of both parties in Washington to reduce the deficit in a balanced way so we can lay the foundation for long-term middle-class job growth and prevent your taxes from going up.
Your voice and action helped re-elect President Obama, and hundreds of thousands of you have already responded to our survey, which will help shape our next steps. Thanks to your feedback, we’re taking immediate action on one of your suggestions: keeping you informed about how the President is fighting for you so you can continue to talk to your friends, family, and neighbors. So here’s the deal:
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The other result: We’re gonna get a lotta emails like this in the next few years.
Campaign Outsider 