Obama's Internet Army

President-elect Obama will be heading into the White House with an digital following the likes of which has never been seen before. As David Carr writes this morning, the meeting of an open-source campaign with an imperial office is sure to produce fireworks. "While many people think that President-elect Obama is a gift to the Democratic Party, he could actually hasten its demise," writes Carr. "Political parties supply brand, ground troops, money and relationships, all things that Mr. Obama already owns." And while Obama now has control of a large, rapid response team, he is, like all generals, beholden to his troops in many ways. "Like every other presidency, the Obama administration will have its battles with the media, but that may seem like patty-cake if it runs afoul of the self-publishing, self-organizing democracy it helped create — say, by delaying health care legislation or breaking a promise on taxes."