For Tea Party Groups, That "Digital Gap" With Democrats Doesn't Seem As Wide
BY Matt Taylor | Tuesday, January 29 2013
Tea Party groups used their own software to support Republican Sen. Ted Cruz's primary campaign in Texas. Photo: Gage Skidmore
Given FreedomWorks chairman Dick Armey's tumultuous exit from the organization he helped found, a Republican Party now casting about for solutions to its electoral troubles could be forgiven for passing over Tea Party advice on organizational structure. But if grassroots conservatives have technology tips to share, GOP insiders looking for an upgrade might want to lend an ear. Read More
Hidden in Plain View: Obama 2012's Organizing Blueprint
BY Micah L. Sifry | Tuesday, July 3 2012
Yesterday, the New Organizing Institute, a progressive training center, published a 210-page manual titled, "Campaigning to Engage and Win: A Guide to Leading Electoral Campaigns." Written by and for campaigners at every level of politics, it is also the Obama 2012 field strategy, hidden in plain view. It is also an argument for a different way of campaigning than the traditional reliance on fundraising and TV ads, one that calls for starting earlier and engaging supporters more deeply in all aspects of a campaign's life, and one that builds on the one thing that may make campaigns in the digital age different: thanks to technology, it makes sense to involve more people. Indeed, it may be the best way to win. Read More
Grassroots vs Grassrootsy: How to Parse Technology's Role in Politics
BY Micah L. Sifry | Monday, July 18 2011
For a whole bunch of reasons, we should be on guard against claims that money given online, as well as tallies of small donations versus large donors, or other newer metrics of public participation like Twitter retweets ... Read More
In a Year of Local Labor Battles Nationwide, A Major Union Doubles Down Online
BY Nick Judd | Friday, July 15 2011
Union protesters rally against Ohio Senate Bill 5 in March. Union staffers nationwide say their members have moved increasingly online throughout this year's fights over state budgets and collective bargaining rights. ... Read More
Russian Writer's 'Bloggers Against Garbage' Initiative Picks Up Steam
BY Nick Judd | Tuesday, July 12 2011
France 24 International News carries this item from late last week about "Bloggers Against Garbage," an initiative founded by Sergey Dolya that seeks to use the power of social networks to mobilize clean-ups in parks and ... Read More
Who Organized Tunisia's Revolution?
BY Micah L. Sifry | Saturday, January 15 2011
I'm trying to finish my Qwikileaks book, but events in Tunisia and the commentary around them spurs this quick comment: Read More
Whither Obama & Co.'s Organizing Might?
BY Nancy Scola | Friday, October 30 2009
Writing for the New Republic, Lydia DePillis investigates the Obama operation'spost-campaign organizing might, now institutionalized in the Organizing for America branch of the Democratic National Committee. Read More