It’s been a while since I’ve had the time to write about all that’s happening online in the presidential election, so I’m just going to jump in on this week. Here’s what’s interneting:

Columbus, Kentucky, Pop. 228, Demands John Edwards to Come to Town

Columbus native Shawn Dixon organized nearly 2,000 people around Western Kentucky to demand John Edwards come to town. The small town beat out Los Angeles, Seattle, and other notable cities in a contest on Eventful.com. The competition wasn’t even close. With 1,835 votes, Columbus, KY had near double the local support of the next city, Eureka, CA.

Dixon led the online movement using social networking sites—like Facebook and MySpace—as well as blogs and other new media, marking the significant power and potential of local organizing on the Internet. Local blogs have been instrumental in shaping local races; this is the logical next step in online political organizing. A presidential campaign is listening to what local people (outside of Iowa!) have to say. Very cool.

John McCain’s Schizophrenic Email Campaign

As I mentioned last time I posted, McCain’s had a very curious email outreach for his online supporters. Following the spectacular collapse of his campaign last week, McCain missed an opportunity to rally his supporters. Today, McCain’s new campaign manager continued his predecessor’s lengthy, anti-Hillary email strategy with a message asking if they were “ready to hand al Qaeda ‘a historic victory’?” in electing “retreat and defeat” Democrats like Hillary.

Regardless of the ideology here, the campaign wasted another message, this time with a 638 word pep talk that offers only two links, placed in images at the bottom of the email: “Sign the Petition,” and “Donate Online.” The campaign should be engaging their activists, getting them invested in the campaign, so that they can sustain grassroots support and maybe bring in some cash to help keep that boat afloat. Unfortunately, McCain’s team seems more interested in sending doomsday essays than they are in cultivating support onlne.

Can Obama Get You Laid

In an email I received today of progressive events in the DC area, I found an item that I think is telling both of Obama’s supporters and the age of the Internet:

“Bid On Your Crush FOR Obama!”

Date Auction & Mixer (Low-Dollar Young Professionals Fundraiser to support Obama for America), 7:00-11:00pm Wednesday, August 1st MCCXXIII’s SPANK (upstairs bar, separate entrance)
1223 Connecticut Avenue, Dupont/Farragut North Metros-Red Line

Suggested Donation $15, Donation + Bid Card $25 – Plenty of lovely ladies and charming gentleman will be available for you to bid on and mingle with! – Get discounts to future events with Senator Obama! – Help a NEW Generation that believes in HOPE and UNITY create a change toward a NEW Kind of Politics that believes in BETTER AMERICA!

Yes, come support Obama, and maybe get laid after. Somehow, I can’t see this in Brownback’s future.

That’s all for now, folks. I’ll check in soon with a significant site update, including format and design. I won’t go into it now, but it will involve regular content. Oooo.