Taking our country back: the crafting of networked politics from Howard Dean to Barack Obama

Drawing on open-ended interviews with more than 50 political staffers, fieldwork during the 2008 electoral cycle, and archival research, the book follows a group of technically skilled Internet staffers who came together on the Howard Dean campaign and created a series of innovations in campaign organization, tools, and practice.

Taking Our Country Back presents the previously untold history of the uptake of new media in Democratic electoral campaigning over the last decade. Drawing on open-ended interviews with more than fifty political staffers, fieldwork during the 2008 primaries and general election, and archival research, Daniel Kreiss shows how a group of young, technically-skilled internet staffers came together to create a series of innovations in organization, tools, and practice that have changed the campaign game.

Drawing on open-ended interviews with more than 50 political staffers, fieldwork during the 2008 electoral cycle, and archival research, the book follows a group of technically skilled Internet staffers who came together on the Howard Dean campaign and created a series of innovations in campaign organization, tools, and practice

Innovation, infrastructure, and organization in new media campaigning -- Crafting networked politics -- Dean's demise and taking on Bush -- Wiring the party -- Organizing the Obama Campaign -- Mobilizing for victory -- Conclusion: new media campaigning from Dean to Obama.