2008 Personal Democracy Forum (Fundraising Week)
I don’t need a president who knows the ins and outs of Twitter, Google Reader and more sophisticated programs. There are far more important things for the President to focus on. However, it’s dangerous and shortsighted to not have a working knowledge or basic comprehension of the internet. The internet is not a fluke; it is not a trend or a fad with a short shelf-life. It has, in fact, revolutionized communication, and will continue to move in new, dynamic directions. True, there is a generational divide that separates the candidates, but that’s no excuse for McCain to not have basic knowledge of the power of the internet and the subsequent empowerment of those who use it.
Zephyr Teachout made a good point when, at the Personal Democracy Forum, she said the presidency is the least democratic institution and has not served as a successful check on corruption. Technology, she states, can be used to “suck a lot of power out of Washington and the federal government” and put it back into the states. Jeff Jarvis supported that line of thinking by noting that, “with technology, we have the opportunity to open government in new ways.”
Obviously, certain decisions need to remain in the hands of informed decision-makers. National security issues, for example, must be kept to those in the know. The government has largely shifted away from its accountability, but the internet and new technologies are bringing that accountability around full-circle. Voters are sharing their personal insight more than ever in the past. It’s not that they didn’t want to before, but now they have the means to do so. As Jay Rosen said, media has now taken the form of many producers speaking to many people. Mass media still has tremendous impact on information dissemination, but the major outlets are not solely shaping news coverage.
Youth are involved in greater numbers than ever before. Credit is due to executives at MTV Networks for their Rock the Vote efforts that have been tirelessly executed for as long as I can remember. Though they tried, they did not impact America’s youth the way that the internet has.
Barack Obama has received an overwhelming show of support from his online supporters, from blogs to videos to donations. Traditional media may seem boring and outdated to a lot of people. The internet allows people to actually be involved in a presidential campaign. Obama is taking a beating for not accepting public campaign financing. True, he made a different pledge about public financing that is causing those on the right to shout “hypocrisy.” I don’t think the argument will sustain, nor will it have much, if any, impact on Obama supporters (or even those who may still be undecided). I would argue that this is yet another example of how 2008 is a different presidential race than ever before. It would be hard to find a candidate who would truthfully take public campaign financing when the alternative is so much better.
The ideas and opinions expressed at the Personal Democracy Forum are things that the candidates should take seriously. Subsequent elections will look back at this historic time and analyze and second guess and “what if” to no end. Who knows where all of this technology leads, but it is exciting to be a part of it now, aware of the changes that are taking place.
I Got a Crush on Obama. Haha, just kidding.
Before I moved to DC, I lived in New York. And in approximately two months, I’ll be moving back. I cannot wait. My life was loaded with great friends, a fabulous social life and a kick-ass wardrobe all crammed into a tiny apartment in Greenwich Village. It wasn’t like the TV shows and movies. It was better. Among my great friends was a girl named Amber. You probably know her as “Obama Girl.”
Amber and I met in New York when we were both waitressing until we found better jobs, “real” jobs. Typical story, right? Girl moves to the city. Girl gets a job as a waitress. Girl has the time of her life.
We have both moved on to different things, but speaking as someone who knew Amber personally, I can say that this girl is the real deal. She’s forthright. She works her butt off. She’s genuinely a nice person. And she’s smokin’ hot, but of course you already know that.
Amber was born to be in front of a camera. She has a presence. She gives 110% to every project that she takes on. But without the internet and a campy video about a presidential candidate, who knows if Amber would have been “discovered.” She definitely should have been, but I’m biased.
Whether it was foresight on the part of her management team or just dumb luck, Amber chose a hit when she partnered with the makers of ‘I Got a Crush on Obama.’ Thanks to the internet’s distribution of the video (and its subsequent follow-ups), her Web sites, virtual real-time updates with Obama Girl appearances and live chats, not to mention all of her traditional media appearances from Fox News to the Today Show, it will be hard to think of Barack Obama’s run for the White House without thinking of Obama Girl. You can also check out the video at barelypolitical.com, the makers of the Web hit. The internet has blasted her into fame, but the internet also has a funny way of turning fame into infamy. Whether or not this will last for Amber remains to be seen. Here’s hoping that she has a top management team to advise her and that her star keeps rising.
I have posted two candid photos of Amber and me hanging out, one taken in Vegas, the other in NYC. The official Obama Girl Web site is pretty interactive with videos, pictures, or just to post comments. Or check out her personal Web site for a bit of background, more photos and all that good stuff. See, it’s like you know her too. All thanks to the Web.
Voter-Generated Content
Obama’s Facebook page may be campaign generated, but his 1million + friends are voter generated. From Facebook, voters can interact with one another, ‘friend’ each other, discuss the campaign, view past speeches, follow Obama’s path toward the White House and, in general, feel as though they are connected to Obama and his campaign of change. Further, type in the name “Barack Obama” in Facebook’s search, and over 500 profiles are returned. I didn’t personally check that every single profile was in relation to the presidential candidate, but a safe assumption may be that a majority of them deal with either Obama or the 2008 election in some way. Here, voters can create their own Obama groups, and likeminded voters can join and share.
YouTube has provided an unprecedented amount of voter-generated content, even compared to other voter-generated Web sites. Voters have a true voice here. They actually impact a campaign’s performance and are cause for discussion on both sides of the political divide. With a click, they can be watched and re-watched, forwarded, and commented on. The phenomenon is amazing, and literally anyone can voice their opinion through the video medium. Celebrities post their presidential endorsements via the same medium that the average guy posts his homemade video. YouTube even co-hosted a debate with CNN. When Anderson Cooper hosts a debate with an online video sharing Web site, it’s safe to assume that the Web site is a major player. As I mentioned in previous posts, Obama Girl, Blue Balled and the 1984/Hillary Clinton commercial achieved notoriety with YouTube. These are just a few well-known examples, but they are a drop in the bucket in terms of voter-generated, campaign influencing YouTube content.
Ron Paul became a hit because of voter generated content via the Web. Unfortunately for him and his campaign, this alone wasn’t enough. But it proved that the power of the internet wasn’t just a fluke for people like Obama. As a Libertarian, Paul appealed to the internet junkies and younger generations who turn to the Web for news. Mainstream media may not have given Ron Paul a fair shake, but his online success made people take notice. Ron Paul wouldn’t have been a mainstream contender if information dissemination was strictly through traditional routes. Not that he was a serious contender via the internet. But his internet fame and support was enough for him to be noticed and for his opinions to be taken seriously.
Futuremajority.com is a site written by youth voters for youth voters. The site gives updates on the campaign trail, links to other relevant sites, posts blogs, features YouTube videos, registers voters and gives facts and figures on youth voter turnout, among other things. It’s a one-stop-shop for young voters. True, this information is compiled in the same ways on many other sites, but this is directed at youth voters, many of whom will be voting in their first election.
“Blue Balled” the Video
Edgy, hip and cool are words that describe the latest attempt of Democrats to gain more votes come November. “Blue Balled” is a four-minute video circulating the Web and is gaining popularity every day. Here is the run-down: Hot girl comes on to cute but clumsy guy at a bar. They go back to his place to have sex, but hot girl discovers that cute, clumsy guy is a <gasp!> Republican and bolts. Visibly upset, hot girl drops her purse outside cute, clumsy guy’s apartment, but is rescued by edgy, cool, hip Democrat man <hooray!>.
The lesson here, kids? Democrats are good at everything. Or is it that Democrats are slutty?
Whatever the case, this video is probably getting more hits than its female character did in her promiscuous life. I’m not being a hater. While hooking up in the cab on the way to his place, hot girl calls cute, clumsy guy the wrong name. Nice. And after discovering the horrifying Republican news, as she’s hi-tailing out the door, hot girl actually says, “Just like the last one.” Maybe the lesson is that if you want to get laid, break out your ‘I heart Obama’ lapel pin.
According to ABC News, this video and the people behind it further affirmed that the internet is a “central character” in the election. And the folks at truththrouthaction.org are planning more entertainment on topics like Iraq, the economy, taxes and healthcare. The group brilliantly uses the internet to get its message out. News shows are debating the video, young voters think it’s funny and are forwarding it to their friends, and even those who find it ridiculous are discussing it (ahem, moi).
Young Republicans are reaching out to young voters via the internet as well, but apparently in less edgy, hip and cool ways. Sex definitely sells. I just didn’t think it could buy votes. Maybe this won’t convince people to vote for Obama, but it’s another feather in the cap of trendy politics, and the internet is once again the conveyor of the message. And it has people talking about Obama. That’s the point, isn’t it? He personally had nothing to do with the video, so he’s not promoting one-night-stands, but it sure is clever.
I’ve never had a one-night-stand, but I do agree with slutty girl on one point: It’s better to sleep with people who belong to the same political party you do. No one wants to go to bed angry at their partner every night. So kudos to slutty girl for holding on to what may be the very last of her principles. And kudos to the Democrats for an edgy, cool and hip video. I’m sure those traits will come in handy when the next president is dealing with terrorist threats and open borders.
Mousepads, Shoe Leather, and Hope
In the book Mousepads, Shoe Leather and Hope, Michael Silberman’s account of his experience with the Howard Dean campaign and with campaign manager Joe Trippi gives a true insider’s look at something new in campaigning. I would argue that no campaign feels as though it completely upholds the status quo of campaigns past. Resources change, mediums change and people change. With these changes come new forms of reaching voters.
Silberman stated that, during his time on the Dean campaign, the shift from broadcast politics to the old-fashioned, person-to-person, word-of-mouth politics was being felt. I would argue that, in its earlier days, the internet didn’t perpetuate much person-to-person dialogue, but there was definitely a shift away from broadcasters having the sole dominant position on the mass distribution of a campaign’s information and messaging.
It’s true that this was a new type of campaign. However, new forms of media and communications are the constant change that has been seen over time, and campaigns must be ready for, adapt to and take advantage of the change. In 1948, the advent of the television began to transform politics. In 1972, journalism took a turn, and reporters had an impact on the campaign as never before. Candidates in the 2000 presidential election had to consider the internet as a serious player in campaigning. As Silberman notes, 2004 brought about advancements that were made-up as campaign staffers went-on. And 2008 has seen fundraising via the internet that is unprecedented. From Barack Obama to Ron Paul, the internet has transformed campaigns, shaped our major players and left others in the dust.
In its earlier days, the net had the tendency to remove the human element from communications. Personal responses to email, phone calls and digital videos make all the difference in this case. These small gestures are so important in building trust among people who have never met each other and keeping them motivated. It’s also often easy to forget that volunteers are real people with real lives and families. They volunteer their time because they believe in something, and it makes all the difference if the leaders recognize that, as Silberman and his team did. Further, broadcast coverage of the internet only validated its role to volunteers.
Not to be forgotten in all of the new media was the grunt work of a grass-roots operation. Someone to put together Meetup kits, send them out, answer phones, respond to emails, maintain databases, update Web content… So much of the effort was not high-level work, yet it still had to be done.
Silberman also notes that, while the new media was underway, a traditional campaign was simultaneously being run. Numbers still had to be analyzed and strategy needed to be planned. The internet, as he notes, was simply the enabler for something new in campaigning. Who knows what the next four years will bring.
Red Blogs & Blue Blogs – Day 4
If there were similarites over the four days of blog comparison, I sure didn’t see them…
Townhall.com took a look at Barack Obama today in several postings. Two of these deal with his current struggles to find a VP vetting team. Another article goes to great lengths to defend the Obama candidacy in the face of rumors that have plagued his campaign recently: Michelle Obama’s alleged use of the word “whitey” in a speech at their former church and the accusation that Obama is a secret Muslim intent on the destruction of America.
Daily Kos was another story. I could barely get through the rants of the posts, much less the reader comments, to figure out what was being said. From what I could gather, the general sentiments were along the lines of: the GOP is an “embarrassing failure,” John McCain is a gozillion years old (apparently his birth certificate was found in a cave and is written in a language that, according to dailykos.com, has been dead for 1,900 years – yet somehow they managed to translate it – so witty and humorous over there at dailykos.com), and George Bush has single handedly managed to wreck the US economy. This goes beyond the definition of “politics.”
Red Blogs & Blue Blogs – Day 3
The top item on Daily Kos discusses voters in Washington state, saying, “I don’t think they’re too gung-ho for 100 more years in Iraq, or four more years of the Bush agenda.” A blog is understood to be a compilation of opinions, but these statements come across as facts, which is dangerous, misleading, and, at the risk of sounding trite, unfair. When John McCain spoke about 100 more years in Iraq, he was speculating and speaking in broad terms. Dailykos.com would have readers believe that McCain is pushing for legislation to guarantee 100 more years in Iraq.
The main story on townhall.com boasts “Big-Mac: The Taxpayer-Friendly Candidate.” This leaves readers with the assumption that not only is Obama less taxpayer-friendly, but also that McCain is the only taxpayer-friendly candidate. Last night’s post detailing Obama’s flip-flopping on the issue was the perfect lead-up for this. But, I can only speculate that, when looked at closely, both candidates may have said things that could be misconstrued as being on both sides of most issues. I think that’s called “politics.”
Red Blogs & Blue Blogs – Day 2
Tonight I thought I’d check out some of the reader comments/discussions on the blogs. On Daily Kos, one word sums up a sizable majority of the responses: angry. Angry at Bush. Angry at the Republican party. Angry at Republican pundits. Words like smug, smarmy, sexist, loathsome and extremist, to name a few. A thread about the price of gas garnered the following responses about President Bush: “What a dumbass,” “He can’t be gone soon enough,” “He’s such a schmuck,” “He doesn’t care because his buddies will insulate him from reality,” and on and on. Angry? Yes.
The folks at townhall.com focused more on the upcoming election and not at all on a presidency that’s in its twilight. The reader responses were equally one-sided, but not nearly as angry. Two articles discussing how McCain and Obama differ on economics were answered with one post that was incredibly detailed – a breakdown of Obama campaign quotes detailing how he has flip-flopped on the issue. Overall, the responses weren’t as angry or in-your-face at those at Daily Kos, but, dishearteningly, there were enough about the “black guy” to make me squirm in my seat.
But it seems the angrier the audience, the more responses a post receives. In blogging, does silence mean consent? I always find it more helpful to leave emotion at the door, and people will take you (and your message) more seriously.
Too Cool for School?
And then came the Michelle/Barack fist bump (which I had always mistakenly referred to as a “hand pound,” so thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Obama for clearing that up). Even the older generations cannot mistake this for something else. This video has also received hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube and has provided fodder for newscasts and pundits across the country. In my humble opinion, pop culture has infiltrated nearly every corner of our existence. As a former employee of the Washington Post, I used to get a kick out of telling people that the most viewed page on the newspaper’s Web site was the entertainment page.
It’s refreshing to see politicians not taking themselves so seriously all the time. And it’s nice to see Obama have a moment with his wife, even if it appears to have been scripted. Obama is pulling out all the stops. To the younger generation, he is just cool. Kind of like in the way that, back in the day, Clint Eastwood was just cool. No need for explanation – one look and you can just tell, this guy is cool. The older generation may not get the Jay-Z “feeling like a pimp” tie in, in which case, no harm is done. And maybe Obama was feeling like a pimp that day, but I doubt it.
Red Blogs & Blue Blogs – Day 1
It’s almost comical that two Web sites, presumably reporting on the same day’s events, could vary so much in their coverage. I started with Daily Kos. The number one posting was an excerpt from an interview with a Democratic Senate candidate from Nebraska. The issue of the environment – clean energy, carbon emissions, the rainforests, deforestation, etc. – was the topic of discussion. I was fairly certain this wouldn’t be detailed on the right-wing blogs, so I moved onto the next post. Somehow this week’s flooding in the Midwest was more of a disaster because of the war in Iraq. Specifically, and I’m paraphrasing, President Bush and his neo-con cronies are contributing to thousands of Americans losing their homes in the flooding. The National Guard has been deployed to help these areas, but they are at roughly half capacity as the other half of their manpower and resources are in Iraq (thanks to Bush & McCain). Another article basically states how a McCain win in November would equate to the third Bush term in office. The book advertised on the side of the page “Goodnight Bush” is my favorite.
On the more conservative side, townhall.com, more “newsy” in nature, had its standard articles by conservative figures such as Ann Coulter with “Obama was Selected, not Elected” and Dick Morris with “Hillary Circles Slowly Overhead.” The site reiterates McCain’s offer/challenge to Obama to join him at a town hall meeting, an offer which Obama has so far refused. Another article that caught my attention detailed how Obama’s race may still be an issue for voters in some states (Pennsylvania, for example).
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