• They'd Check the "It's Complicated" Box: "[I]t's all true," says Open Left's Chris Bowers, "Everything you are writing and/or thinking about the progressive blogosphere is correct, almost no matter what you are writing or thinking." The netroots, writes Bowers, is home to both those who criticize President-elect Barack Obama and those who criticizes those who criticize him -- and people who have it out for both. That's natural, Bowers says, for a space with "several million daily participants and virtually no barrier to participation." The argument makes a lot of sense, of course, but it potentially undercuts the political power of the netroots (though not its value as a form of media). Organized minorities can have real power. Bending the political process to your will as "vast, decentralized, diverse entity" is far tougher.

• The Oppositional Approach to Getting from Here to Five Million: The Next Right's Patrick Ruffini explains how the Rebuild the Party coalition he helps lead can actually achieve its stated mission of growing a multi-million member base of online activists. Without the burdens of actually having to govern -- now that the House, Senate, and White House are all in Democratic hands -- the GOP can take "galvanizing positions" on key issues. Strong petitions against what's taking place in Washington can, argues Ruffini, can bring in huge hauls of email addresses at a time. It's a tactic, as the coalition site points out, that has worked rather well for T. Boone Pickens's campaign against "America's addiction to foreign oil" and Newt Gingrich's "Drill Here, Drill Now" effort.

• Transition's Tech Team Taps Beltway and Beyond: Obama has named names for his technology policy working group (not to be confused with transitions tech-focused agency review team). Some names are familiar, others less so. Julius Genachowski is a former executive at InterActiveCorp and former FCC staffer. Blair Levin once served as then-Chairman Reed Hundt's chief of staff at the FCC. And Goldman Sachs veteran Sonal Shah is on leave from her role as head of global development at Google.org. A fun fact on each: Genachowski was the notes editor at Harvard Law Review under that Obama presidential administration. Levin was described as "the sixth commissioner" during his time at the FCC. And Shah founded Indicorps, a non-profit that "encourages Indians around the world to actively participate in India's progress."

• Government Guide to Marijuana (Vendors): President-elect Obama has said he'll urge his agency officials to get creative online, but we're not sure this is what he has in mind. Wired.com's Kevin Poulsen reports that on its blog called "Pushing Back," the Office of National Drug Control Policy is displaying Google Map mashups to display what it sees as the scourge of loosely-regulated medical marijuana dispensaries in San Francisco-- which, of course, is quite helpful if you're in the City by the Bay and are looking to light up.

• Nanobama, the Microscopic President: In an effort to get us all talking about the awesomeness of nanotechnology (it worked!), a University of Michigan professor has created what he's calling "nanobamas" -- very, very, very small copies of Shepard Fairey's famous portrait of the President-elect, each made from 150 million carbon nanotubes. These are neat to see, so it's worth a click. But if you're too busy, just know that they look a bit like Obama-shaped pasta.

• DC's Apps Contest Names Winners: The victors of the District of Columbia's innovative Apps for Democracy contest have been announced. The competition offered small cash prizes for new software applications that make the best use of the treasure trove of information the District offers up in its Data Catalog. The winner in the independent develop category? ILive.at, a mapping app that pulls together everything from demographic data to crime reports to places of interest for any Washington address. And the winner in the "agency" category is DC Historic Tours -- step-by-step customizable walking tours that hit the District's most noteworthy spots.

• Progressives' Annual Participatory Debrief: Rootscamp DC, the annual hands-on summit of practitioners of progressive politics, is happening at Washington's Trinity College December 13th and 14th. Rootcamps are unique unconference events where, as the description goes, there really "are no spectators." Start saving your pennies; admission is $10. Check the wiki for Rootscamps happening in other cities across the country, or start your own.

In Case You Missed It...

Nancy Scola weighs the potential upsides and downsides of the Obama campaign's "Craigslist for service" idea -- with a closing note on the merits of the idea from Craig Newmark himself.

And Micah Sifry has a compelling video excerpt of his recent conversation with Harvard's Marshall Ganz, an architect of the Obama campaign's grassroots operation. Ganz, whose organizing experience goes back to Cesar Chavez's United Farm Workers movement of the early '60s, delves into fascinating detail about what might be next for the organization. A taste of Ganz: openness has been "one of the challenges for the campaign all along." More video to follow.

Apps for Democracy | Marshall Ganz | Netroots | open data | organizing | right roots | tech policy
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