Obama team e-mobilises

2008-11-20 16:09

Chris Lefkow

Washington - The US presidential election may be over but Barack Obama is staying in touch with his internet legions and mobilising them for the future.

The Obama election campaign on Wednesday submitted a detailed online survey by e-mail to millions of supporters asking for their feedback to "help shape the future of this movement".

"Share your campaign experience and your thoughts on the best way to keep supporting our agenda for change," said the e-mail from Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

"Thanks to you, this country has an historic opportunity," Plouffe added. "Electing Barack was the first big step, but there's a lot of challenging and important work ahead."

The e-mail included a link to the four-page survey, which is also available at my.barackobama.com/whatsnext and asks such questions as "How would you like to see this organisation move forward in the months and years ahead?"

It provides the strongest indication yet that an Obama White House intends to rely on the internet base which helped him win election to help him govern the country and pass legislation through the US Congress.

"You've built an organisation in your community and across the country that will continue to work for change - whether it's by building grassroots support for legislation, backing state and local candidates, or sharing organising techniques to effect change in your neighbourhood," Plouffe's e-mail said.

Grassroots effort

To participate in the online survey, respondents are required to provide an e-mail address, zip code and occupation. They can also voluntarily provide their address, phone number, gender and year of birth.

Respondents are asked whether they see themselves as "Liberal/Progressive", "Moderate" or "Conservative", whether they vote Democratic or Republican and how often they attend religious services.

They are also asked whether they volunteered for the Obama campaign and whether they would "like to continue to volunteer in your community as part of an Obama organisation?"

Those who answer yes are asked: "On average, how many hours per week would you be willing to be involved?"

The survey also lists several goals to be ranked in order of importance.

The goals include "helping Barack's administration pass legislation through grassroots efforts" and "helping elect state and local candidates who share the same vision for our country".

The survey also asked what issues respondents would be interested in volunteering or organising around.

A source of information

They include such items as civil rights, national security, education, election reform, global warming, healthcare, lesbian and gay issues, reproductive rights and the war in Iraq.

Respondents were also asked whether they were interested in running for elected office themselves.

Obama relied heavily on the web for his victory over John McCain - from organising volunteers to fundraising to communicating - and expectations have been high he would use the internet again to further his agenda once he takes office on January 20.

Change.gov, the official website of the Obama transition team, also invites users to "share your story and your ideas, and be part of bringing positive lasting change to this country".

John Podesta, the co-chair of the Obama transition team, said on Wednesday that change.gov would be "a source of information, as well as a place to participate in the decisions being made about your government".

"Since the decisions we're making affect all Americans, we're counting on citizens from every walk of life to get involved," Podesta said.

"You can help us right now by making sure your friends and neighbours know about Change.gov and give their input, too."

- AFP