For the complete Netroots Rising interview with former Webb Deputy Campaign Manager Adrienne Christian (now managing the Donna Edwards campaign in Maryland), see here. In the interview, conducted April 27, 2007, Christian focuses heavily on the interaction between the grassroots/netroots and the Webb campaign staff. Verrrry interesting.
...[Some volunteers] wanted political call time, [and when we said no] it became a personal attack on Adrienne because she supposedly didn't care about a particular ethnic group. No, Adrienne is a realistic person. You have to prioritize. They don't see the entire table, only their seat. If you don't drink the kool aid on their issue...individuals in the grassroots, not the grassroots as a whole. Not every individual can be the chief. You don't build an effective organization by chipping away at other people.
On the other hand:
I think the volunteers did an unbelievable job. That's [one areas] where they played a key role. When you knew there were things that needed to be done but you couldn't do it, the grassroots would come out of nowhere. I took it for granted. I always thought the grassroots would be with us, because they started it, so they had to finish it. We cut things out of our budget because we knew the grassroots was taking care of it.
In other words, there were ups and downs in the relationship between the grassroots/netroots and the "top-down" Webb campaign. It's very complicated, but also very interesting in my humble opinion. Read the interview with Adrienne Christian and weigh in with your thoughts if you'd like. Thanks!