I read Joe Rospars's diary earlier. I started writing this as a comment, but it got too long. And then I realized what I'm saying isn't just for Obama, but for all the candidates, because his problem today is one they all have to varying degrees.
The following paragraph of Rospars's narrative reveals exactly where it all started going wrong, emphasis added.
We started talking to Joe about formalizing the arrangement, preserving his work building the community, and talking through how to preserve his involvement in the direction and development of the profile.
They went for control. They weren’t content with having an eager volunteer supporter---they wanted more. What they got was the gaffe that they deserved.
But the whole episode sheds light on far deeper problems with civic engagement, the relationship between young people and candidates, and how wonderful technology is being misused.
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