Anyone who followed the Barack Obama presidential campaign, whether a supporter or not, had to be impressed by the sheer reach of his online presence. Not to state the obvious; President Obama's online infrastructure has been discussed and dissected to the core. But as satisfying as Obama's victory was, it would be great to maximize its effect by parlaying it into a greater proportion of progressive officeholders at a local level.
These local offices -- mayor, city councilman, county executive, state delegate, etc. -- are the farm system of the Democratic Party. They provide the pool from which future Presidents, Governors, Senators, and Representatives emerge. And it should be our goal, as progressive activists, that this farm system produce more Russ Feingolds and Barbara Boxers and fewer Joe Liebermans and Ben Nelsons. We really haven't yet organized effectively to ensure that we push quality Democrats through the system. We've done well with the "more", but not necessarily as well with the "better".
In light of this, a couple of enterprising progressives in Frederick, Maryland have put together a contribution to this goal of building the necessary infrastructure to secure these local offices. Their product is Electobot.com.
The concept of Electobot is to capture the reach and agility of Barack Obama's online campaign and reorient it to local races, with an easy-to-use turnkey application. Local candidates often have severe resource limitations that limit their Web presence, and Electobot potentially fills this gap. It's a very welcome step in the development of a nationwide progressive infrastructure, the kind of thing that could eventually stare down right-wing outfits like the Club for Growth.
Electobot combines the latest Web technology — the WordPress content management system, software plugins, site structure templates, and pre-made visual themes — to make it easy for candidates to set up a campaign Web site. Electobot provides local candidates with 80% of what Barack Obama had in his campaign Web site — online fundraising, blogging, mailing lists, and even a mini-Facebook — at a fraction of the cost.
This is part of a trend toward putting powerful Web-based tools into the hands of everyday people. In the same way that MoveOn.org has mobilized three million Americans to take political action, Electobot campaign sites can enable local candidates to communicate with many more voters. They also make it easy for people to self-organize and work together on behalf of a cause or candidate. In sum, this is exactly the kind of thing that can help progressive candidates get their message out.
The company's founders are staunch progressives and committed to more and better Democrats, at every level. So I'm just inviting the community to check it out.