Politics' next step? Donations go high text

Mobile giving -- that is, donation via cell phone -- is currently limited to nonpartisan, charitable organizations, such as the United Way, and politicians must clear a few technical and regulatory obstacles. But that could happen before the next presidential election. Text messaging played a huge role in the 2008 election, largely due to the Obama campaign's aggressive use of mobile marketing. His success in reaching voters -- particularly young Americans -- is being praised and studied by politicos across the country. Soon it will be emulated. While the Obama model may revolutionize campaign tactics, it has not shifted one basic fundamental: money still rules. But, Obama proved that money can come in smaller amounts from a greater number of donors. In fact, Obama counted on more than 3 million contributors to amass his nearly $650 million in total donations, about half contributing less than $200.