The $32 million dollar question

There’s money flowing from log cabins to the White House. I quote from the Washington Post:

Sen. Barack Obama has set a new online record, raising more than $28 million online in one month.

To put this into context, Howard Dean, known as the first Internet candidate, raised $27 million — during his whole campaign.

A spokesman said $28 of the $32 million that Obama raised last month came over the Internet. Ninety percent of the online donations were $100 or less; forty percent were $25 or less.

In January, more than 10,000 people gave between $5 and $10 on the Internet, he said.

Football clubs being owned by its members, members who gathered online. Bands being funded by its members, members who gathered online. Presidential candidates being funded by supporters who gather online.

Whatever next? Maybe we will see “Western democracy” start meaning something again after all, rather than remain the oxymoron it’s been reduced to.

Time to re-invoke my favourite Mahatma Gandhi quote:

What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi,   1869-1948

The same goes for Western democracy. And maybe the web brings us closer to that possibility.

[My thanks to Brittany Bohnet for reminding me about this by linking to the techPresident story in Facebook].

Let me know what you think

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