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December 12, 2006BELTWAY BLOGROLL
Online Firepower For Barack Obama
As reported this morning in the "People Column" of National Journal's Technology Daily:
By Heather Greenfield
Two prominent Internet organizers from past presidential campaigns have joined DraftObama.org, a site aimed at getting Democratic Sen. Barack Obama into the 2008 race.
Zephyr Teachout and John Hlinko gained online reputations during the 2004 presidential campaign -- Teachout with Howard Dean and Hlinko as part of the movement to draft former Gen. Wesley Clark into the race. The Draft Obama group calls their additions "a significant boost to the rapidly expanding effort to draft Senator Barack Obama to run for president."
Teachout is the former director of Internet organizing for Dean, now the head of the Democratic National Committee. She is now the national director of the Sunlight Foundation, an online government watchdog group that opened its doors this year.
Hlinko founded DraftWesleyClark.com in 2003, helped raise $2 million in pledges for a Clark candidacy, engaged tens of thousands of supporters, and led to Clark's unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination. Previously, Hlinko helped lead the liberal activist group MoveOn.org when it was first launched in 1998. He now works with Grassroots Enterprise, a public affairs firm specializing in "buzz" marketing and Internet activism.
"What started off as a draft now feels like a gale-force storm," Hlinko said of the Obama movement. "Senator Obama has clearly captured the imagination of America, and thanks to the efforts of the Draft Obama movement, citizens across our country have the chance to send him a message, and tell him it's time to 'Barack the Vote.'"
"Zephyr Teachout and John Hlinko are the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford of netroots activism, and they are both an inspiration to me," said Ben Stanfield, a computer technician in Rockville, Md., who created the Web page for the draft campaign. "Having them both on board is just another sign of how strong our movement is and how much momentum a Barack Obama presidential candidacy would have."
Posted by Danny | 05:03 PM
