Part of that victory resulted in engaging voters that had rarely voted before, as well as younger voters that had never voted in their lives through a vigorous new media campaign centered on getting voters involved.
A year later, and Barack Obama the Democratic National Committee faces a tough road ahead. They were swept in the two governors races in Virginia and New Jersey by the GOP, and by all accounts, the Democratic voter base was not energized.
Organizing for America was set up to do just that; energize the Democratic base in years that Barack Obama's name was not on the ballot. Organizing for America is not simply a website dedicated to promoting the President's agenda, it's a multi-faced, user friendly, social networking site designed to get supporters of the President engaged when they need it the most.
Even if you're not a fan of the President or his agenda, you have to be impressed by the website. The website keeps track of how much you have been active for the President. Calls made, doors knocked on, etc.
One can post blogs, share stories, and connect with fellow users. I've also gotten e-mails telling me to contact my Congressman on health care reform. It's just like Facebook, only it's for a purpose.
By all accounts, the Democrats will have a fight on their hands as a re-energized Republican Party tries to take seats in Congress. Consequently, this website is going to grow even more important as we look forward to 2010.
Organizing for America is an interesting addition to the political sphere however, (so far) has no tangible evidence of being effective. If this trend keeps up it will be a miserable year for the Democratic party in the 2010 mid-term elections. Many Democrats are trying to get (re)Elected on the coattails of President Obama, even if he's not on the top of the ballot.
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