The interesting discussion in class around the readings associated with the Obama campaign strategy got me thinking. The Obama campaign is often credited with revolutionizing the way campaigns are run online and motivating millions of people to donate money to the campaign, and according to our Running a Campaign class having significantly more media buying power in the final weeks of the election can be the key to winning. However this raises the chicken versus the egg question for me around the campaign. What came first – galvanizing supporters through the internet or supporters came to the internet but the galvanizing happened through grassroots on-the-ground efforts.

The answer is probably yes – yes meaning both happened simultaneously and were mutually reinforcing. People got engaged in the campaign through very successful community outreach efforts but the fact that people could go to the internet and get information regularly, easily donate and remain engaged in the campaign on their own schedule was a critical component to the fund raising. I think we need to be careful to look at the Obama campaign holistically and not be too quick to give all the credit to the internet effort. I also fear that the the bottom line is that the age old saying still stands – bottom line money wins elections.

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