July/August 2008 Atlantic

by Joshua Green

MySpace Politics

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Not long ago, Barack Obama texted me to let me know he’d be on The Daily Show that night, chatting with Jon Stewart. He thought I might want to check it out. This wasn’t unusual. Barack texts me all the time. To let me know where he’s going to be the next day. To hook me up with friends. A lot of times, to try and bum money.

Obama’s great innovation (emulated, with only limited effectiveness, by Hillary Clinton) has been to use technology—particularly the Web 2.0 social-networking model—to connect, organize, and inspire vast new swaths of voters, in the process amassing more campaign money than anyone in U.S. history. As a result, future presidential campaigns will resemble Obama’s more than Bill Clinton’s or George W. Bush’s. Downloadable Obama ringtones may still seem like a novelty today. But by the time the next batch of presidential hopefuls kick off their campaigns (in, what, about six months?), you can bet they’ll feature their own.

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From the Archives

May 2008

Only Connect

The digital age demands that political candidates be authentic and accessible. But please—hold the carrots.

June 2008

HisSpace

How would Obama’s success in online campaigning translate into governing?

June 2008

The Amazing Money Machine

How Silicon Valley made Barack Obama this year’s hottest start-up.

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Joshua Green

October 2008

Rethinking 2008

Joshua Green is an Atlantic senior editor. Marc Ambinder is an Atlantic associate editor. He blogs at marcambinder.theatlantic.com.

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