veepstakes

The Obama campaign is known for leveraging its robust online following for all it's worth -- even when it appears to cross the line, such as in 2008 when the campaign accepted untraceable donations over the internet. More recently, the campaign released a mobile app that allows you to see which of your neighbors are Democrats.

Now the Obama campaign is up to something else online that's sure to raise some eyebrows. They're crowdsourcing opposition research on Republican vice-presidential contenders. For instance, if you register with the Obama For America website using an Ohio address, you are likely to receive an email directing you to go to a website asking you for "Your Thoughts on Portman." The website reads, "Very soon, Mitt Romney could announce Ohio Sen. Rob Portman as his choice for VP. It's on Ohioans like us to make sure Americans get the facts. Share what you think people need to know about Rob Portman." There's a form field for you to fill out with any story you might have to tell that could be damaging to the Ohio Senator.

The Portman website is the only web page of this kind I've seen so far, but it seems likely that Obama supporters in Wisconsin, Florida, New Jersey, and Minnesota are being directed to similar pages.