Obama's presidency will allow us to see whether the netroots can provide a viable alternative.

CNN: Commentary: Will Obama use 'Facebook politics'?

So is he going into this netroots online questioning session expecting to get flack from his base?

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The potential weakness of the netroots was recently captured in a BBC parody of Facebook, the social networking site.

CNN: Commentary: Will Obama use 'Facebook politics'?

We don't know how much of this parody is true of the netroots.

CNN: Commentary: Will Obama use 'Facebook politics'?

The so-called Netroots Left, led by Markos Moulitsas of the popular Daily Kos, wants to be a player in American politics.

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Raven Brooks, head of the liberal Netroots Nation, called on similar groups to not use NationBuilder, accusing it of giving away tools to the opposition.

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If President Obama follows through on his promise of using the tools of his campaign for the challenges of governance, we will learn just how strong the netroots really is.

CNN: Commentary: Will Obama use 'Facebook politics'?

On the other hand, when he calls on the netroots to support him against those pesky senators, he might learn that many of his virtual supporters have already clicked onto another page.

CNN: Commentary: Will Obama use 'Facebook politics'?