Bloggers have already started planning the Election 2008 by setting up a new fundraising strategy.
According to Personal Democracy Forum, the Netroots’ support organisation ActBlue are setting up fundraising accounts for declared and prospective presidential candidates, asking supporters to donate to their chosen candidate.
The strategy suggests that if a candidate decides to run, he or she will get the money. If not, the money will go to the Democratic National Committee.
“This doesn't only give candidates a chance to raise more money, but citizens will also have a chance to make their voices heard and to draft candidates from the ground-up,” writes Personal Democracy Forum about the strategy.
According to Jonathan Singer of MyDD the fundraising campaign might push certain candidates to run “if they raise a big enough stink”.
The new form of fundraising and grass root campaigning is referred to as crowdsourcing; rather than waiting for potential candidates to come to a decision, the public itself works toward drafting them.
It will be interesting to follow ActBlue and its supporters in the lead up to 2008.