Four rules of organizing on MySpace

Joshua Levy at Personal Democracy Forum: Rules for using MySpace in Politics

Bloggers, the Dems and the power shift in D.C.

Some last pointers to articles about the power shift in Washington:

NY Times: Bloggers and the Democratic Party establishment: An uneasy alliance.

As the smoke began to clear after Election Day, two things seemed clear. Though the netroots have forever changed how campaigns raise money and find votes, the results demonstrated that they cannot yet win elections on their own. But the Democratic Party cannot win major national elections without the netroots.

“The establishment needs them, and they need the establishment,” said Carol C. Darr, director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet at George Washington University.

MediaNews via San Jose Mercury News: Jerry McNerney (my new congressman) ready for D.C.

MoveOn's election effect

Observers are still analyzing Tuesday's elections -- and what made the margin of difference. For example, I hosted a MoveOn-sponsored Rock the House (and Senate) party Saturday, calling voters in California's 11th district, with thousands of similar get-out-the-vote efforts all across the nation. From MoveOn today:

It's not an overstatement to say that MoveOn members may have turned out the extra votes that put the Senate over the top. Consider this:

• Jon Tester's margin of victory in Montana: 2,644

• MoveOn member turnout calls to Montana: 73,843
• Jim Webb's margin of victory in Virginia: 7,236
• MoveOn member turnout calls to Virginia: 345,289

The netroots made a huge difference -- I'd wager the decisive difference -- in a number of close races.

YouTube? It's So Yesterday

Zephyr Teachout and Tim Wu contemplates the future of campaigning in a Washington Post piece titled, "YouTube? It's So Yesterday."

How the netroots delivered the Senate

That's super-political-blogger Markos of the Daily Kos at top. Here's Chris Bowers at MyDD on how the netroots gave the Democrats the Senate:

The two Senate races that were about to put Democrats over the top [Montana and Virginia] were two of the most people-powered campaigns in the entire country. Both campaigns were driven heavily by small donors, blogs, and volunteer activism for nearly an entire year. Given this, it should be obvious who put Democrats over the top in the Senate: the netroots and the progressive movement. Without either, Democrats would not be about to take control of the Senate. ...

More by Bowers on the Netroots difference:

Over the past two weeks, I have been building an argument that the rise of the progressive netroots is responsible for a substantial, if not the majority, of the reversal of Democratic electoral fortunes in the 2006 election cycle compared to other recent cycles. My earlier posts on this topic include The Netroots and The Progressive Movement Are the Difference, Progressive Majority Rising, and Republicans Are Not Losing Because of Mistakes. The basic thrust of these articles is that every improvement Democrats have made since 2004, from fundraising, to the fifty-state strategy, even to making Republican scandals stick to the media, finds its origin within the netroots and the progressive movement. Today, there is even more evidence of other impacts the netroots have made on this election cycle. ...

I said at the Idea Festival three weeks ago that if the Democrats won on Tuesday, the netroots would be a major reason why. I think that's beyond argument now.

Meantime, I listened to an AM talk radio station during my drive to the train station this morning. The guest was a member of radical-right Club for Growth, and he said one of the silver linings of the election was that moderate Republican congressman who voted for “their side” only 90 percent of the time went down yesterday. The new Republican delegation may be smaller and in the minority, but they’re now more “pure.” He actually used the word "pure." The show’s hosts fully agreed.

These people are scary. Thank God they're no longer calling the shots in Washington.

McNerney defeats Pombo!

Great news for Democrats and clean government supporters in California's 11th congressional district, where I live: Jerry McNerney has just won a narrow victory over corrupt incumbent congressman Richard Pombo, 53 to 47 percent.

Drudge has the headline

Whoa, baby!

Listen to this recorded voicemail from Virginia

Daily Kos:

Republicans are so afraid to run on their merits that they continue to resort to dirty tricks.

Listen to this robocall (.WAV) being sent to Virginia voters:

 

Tim Daly from Clarendon got a call saying that if he votes Tuesday, he will be arrested.  A recording of his voicemail can be found online at: www.webbforsenate.com/media/phone_message.wav

The transcript from his voicemail reads:

"This message is for Timothy Daly.  This is the Virginia Elections Commission. We've determined you are registered in New York to vote. Therefore, you will not be allowed to cast your vote on Tuesday. If you do show up, you will be charged criminally."

Daly has been registered to vote in Virginia since 1998, and he has voted for the last several cycles with no problem. He has filed a criminal complaint with the Commonwealth's attorney in Arlington.

Blogger Election Law FAQ

From the Center for Citizen Media:

• The Blogger Election Law FAQ answers a number of legal questions.

• State Laws Vary on Polling Place Photography

Republican voter suppression -- catch 'em on tape

The National Republican Campaign Committee is using the sleazeball tactic of using robo-calling to harass voters. Writes Josh Marshall: "These are the harassing calls paid for by the NRCC made to appear that they're from the Democratic campaign. And a lot of angry voters are getting fooled by the scam, it seems."

He offers a quick how-to on how to record and then digitize harassing phone calls so you can email them to us or post them on the web.