I haven't seen any diaries about Obama's current fundraising effort, in which the Senator is encouraging supporters to donate for the first time or to match the donations of other first time contributors. In the latter case, new donors see the handle and hometown of the person who has matched their donations-- a clever way of pushing supporters to network and create relationships.
I know a lot of people around here are excited about the populism of John Edwards-- and justifiably so. But Obama deserves a lot of credit, I think, for putting the lessons he learned as a community organizer to work in this campaign. For more on that, check out the lengthy profile in the latest issue of New Republic (it's written by their best reporter, Ryan Lizza). Here's a brief excerpt:
Obama connects his past as a Chicago organizer to his presidential bid with surprising ease.... Organizing remained central to Obama long after his stint on the South Side. In the 13 years between Obama's return to Chicago from law school and his Senate campaign, he was deeply involved with the city's constellation of community-organizing groups. He wrote about the subject. He attended organizing seminars. He served on the boards of foundations that support community organizing. He taught Alinsky's concepts and methods in workshops. When he first ran for office in 1996, he pledged to bring the spirit of community organizing to his job in the state Senate.
Edit: for more about this article, check out this diary.
Check out the "You Own This Campaign" fundraising drive at
www.barackobama.com