Is even Obama’s interest invite them to the table: to change really something.
Something more.

This generation is much more likely to insist on being involved than to become apathetic. Their youth imbues them with an optimism, energy, and need for accomplishment that eliminates apathy as an option.

If this generation feels that Obama is unable to change the nation’s course – if the economic recession continues for a couple of years, if we are unable to leave Iraq and/or make any noticeable improvement in the situation in Afghanistan, etc. – I think it’s more likely they will abandon direct support of the political process as a way of effecting change and turn to peer collaboration through private industry.

In essence, become the biggest, most powerful special interest lobby ever, using the leverage of global peer collaboration to simultaneously influence multiple governments’ policy makers.

So, no apathy towards politics, just an expansion of focus from one country to several at the same time.

Interesting that Mr. Moulitsas should use the word ‘again’ (“…become apathetic again”) as if we’ve already experienced something, in federal politics, akin to Obama’s use of the internet.

We are now in new territory, and there’s no turning back.

In the past, if a politician didn’t want to hear from constituents she didn’t have to answer the phone or open mail (of course, the odd public demonstration would still occur). Not the case anymore. We’ve since learned to shout (or tweet) our emotions and opinions (or epinions) quickly and efficiently online.

Our propensity to do this isn’t going to wane any time soon. I think that Obama will find that folks are going to invite themselves to the political table in the event that he fails to extend the invitation himself.

“The trick for Obama will be to lead the Netroots movement rather than be led by it.”

Ummm, you guys run a Democracy, right? I would have thought that Obama’s jobs was to listen to the will of the people. God knows what recent candidates have been listening to.

“If he betrays this generation, the protests of the ’60s will look like a tea party,”

He only has to be better than the current Republican stuff-up, and how hard could that possibly be? What I want to know is, what’s the G20?