Pew finds Obama’s online army still marching
The bully pulpit has long been one of the most potent weapons in any president's arsenal—but its potency is often a function of technology, from the radio broadcasts that brought FDR's fireside chats into American homes to the YouTube videos now issuing from the office of the president-elect. But the sophisticated online operation of Barack Obama's campaign may position him to mobilize his hyperconnected supporters in novel ways and at unprecedented scale. Judging by a new survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, he may already be off to a healthy start. The weeks after an election are often a welcome respite for Americans who have been inundated with political news for months. But a report released by Pew today—an apéritif for a larger election report due out early next year—finds that many of the Obama supporters who made up the president-elect's online army have stuck around.
