Gauging The Internet's Political Power

The Future Of Campaigning May Be Online, But Is The Future Here Yet?

(CBS)  In 1972, computers and campaigns were just getting acquainted. Fundraising appeals using direct mail lists were considered revolutionary - and helpful to a young Karl Rove working on the Nixon re-election campaign.

"Young people have got to reach other young people," Rove told CBS News at the time, "and that is what we are seeking to do."

The merger of politics and technology was so new the Nixon campaign felt its use of computers should be shielded from the public.

How things have changed.

In 2007, candidates announce that they are running for president, raise money and even hold debates on the Internet. Earlier this month, the Democrats held the first candidate "mashup" - their responses to questions were posted online for internet users to edit any way they choose.

Still, a recent poll showed that 72 percent of those surveyed get their political information from newspapers. Analysts say that means campaigns have to keep both old and new media in mind when trying to connect with voters.

"The other media, the traditional mass media, drives the message where the candidates want it to go," said Michael Cornfield of the George Washington University, "and that's why they still remain invaluable as we get close to an election."

So when the history of the 2008 campaign is written, how big a role will the internet have played after all?

For Joe Trippi, an architect of Howard Dean's groundbreaking use of technology in the 2004 campaign, and now with candidate John Edwards, it will have been the key.

Trippi imagines looking at the next president a few years from now and saying "Wow, who'd have ever thought when that moment happened on YouTube or the Internet? That's when this candidate started getting momentum that drove them to the presidency."

Others remember that Dean, for all his online appeal, didn't end up being the nominee, and the current Republican front-runner hasn't exactly embraced the new technology.

"The only candidate who is under-performing in terms of using the Internet is Rudy Giuliani," Cornfield said. "And because Rudy Giuliani is leading in the polls I think that tells us that the Internet, while it is a favorite of the activists, and while it is increasingly important, is still not thoroughly essential to becoming a victor in the polls."

[j0hnwi11iams]

How inane reporting ADS???? They would sell you 100% advertising all the time if they could, and it is looking more like they CAN.

[j0hnwi11iams]

Network Neutrality is the only thing preventing the privatization of the internet. That is why it is a potent political force and why corporate america wants it "deregulated". They HATE anything that competes with their marketing and one way advertising. If you sacrifice your voice when they claim to offer choice, you will receive neither voice nor choice. Keep Network Neutrality or watch the internet become Fox News for Profit.

[voteronpaul3]

Ron Paul has it all. http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about

**** TAKE AMERICA BACK ****
**** STOP THE WAR & Corporate Corruption****

Ron Paul has it all.

He has NEVER voted:
* to raise taxes
* for an unbalanced budget
* to raise congressional pay
* for a federal restriction on gun ownership
* to increase the power of the executive branch

He HAS voted:
* against the Iraq war
* against the inappropriately named USA PATRIOT act
* against regulating the internet
* against the Military Commissions Act

He will eliminate the IRS, Wasteful Government Spending & Stop The Iraq War Immediately!

Most importantly, he voted NO on anything in Congress that is not allowed by the Constitution.

He is the only candidate not a member of the CFR!

Shouldn''''t ALL members of Congress uphold the Constitution? Aren''''t they SWORN to uphold it? You can bet Paul won''''t call the Constitution "just a G**D***ed piece of paper" like George Bush is reported to have.

If you want a candidate you can TRUST due to a proven track record, visit ronpaul2008.com and get busy spreading the word. The Mainstream Media is a lagging indicator!!

Ron Paul Revolution: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ron+paul

Get Active join a meetup.com group today!

Also checkout http://video.google.com search for Federal Reserve Fraud

[whispyseas]

'' ... decades of school house dares and shocks and awes have raped baby after baby, more than even all governments ever tallied together maybe, decades more daring to bagdad busting those what raped and raped can only lead to more schoolhouse familiarity for the patrols that can only instigate and participate in more, exponentially more such action ... as more and more the funding for such comes from overseas as less and less there is available domestic funding ... ''

'' ... most folk most time don''t dance get well feed world songs rallied round the hundreds millions sick beds drifting the tens millions spore bloom weed dragon trail fickle first aid lunch farm cottage studio trail groups ... ''

'' ... 300 folk in 300 weeks can crank out 90,000 litl museums to share with hundreds thousands or more for tips ... ''

'' ... not a flicket in oblivion not a unwilling unwitting victim in eternal hell a infinite number of eternal storyboard dragons swimming infinite eternal ocean dragons of ifinite eternal storyboard dragons ... ''

'' ... i want to spend various ''soon'' and ''local'' eternitys shape shifting and toggling between virtual and realtime and holograph and traveling round at the speed of thought and forget about the ''big'' eternity that is me for a while ... ''

[abbe91]

Judgeing by post read hear, there is alot more "venting"than there is "passage of information."
Posted by brundage3 at 03:35 AM : Sep 24, 2007

To me, you get more information than you would get from listening to Bush''s speeches, or listening to the WH spokesman who isn''t going to comment on an ongoing investigation.
Actually, nowadays, the best place for political insight is probably the "Daily show" with Jon Stewart.
And you can get it from the net ...

[brundage3]

I find it odd that on A CBS NEWS site, there is a post wondering if CBS News would report on an issue I read about in a CBS news report months ago.`

Our railing at "the media" is a majo danger. "The media" is ANY news medium which we use to get information. And when youpass it along, YOU are medium for passsage of information.

So imagine, do you speak and/or write in a manner which is least likely to be misunderstood? Being sure the words you use will be an accurate description of the even TO THE LISTENER OR READER? Or do you use words which give vent to YOU feeling about the person or issue upon which you report?

Judgeing by post read hear, there is alot more "venting"than there is "passage of information."

I am proud to have been a reporter for over 40 years. I have seen and met the worst of my profession. And the best. And I have seen and heard the best of the general population who are the "consumers"ibn the information marketplace. As a percentage of their respective whole numbers, journalists who are among the best often win out.

Without "the media" what would you know of the world outside your neighborhood or town?

Scott

[toolmangler-2009]

Within 15 years, maybe sooner, the internet will rule the world. Count on it.

[starleo146]

Well, there are 2 aspects of the internet that I can think of that one should consider. 1) Anonymity. Even if you''''re not anonymous, it feels like it. And anonymity is bad. Its a terrible precept. It makes people crazy. Like everybody''''s a 007. And 2) Most of the opinions are from home. That is; people have their computers and their internet connections at home, where they''''re safe, and secure, and informal. Even if they were honest, its entirely speculatory whether or not anyone could provide anybody else an honest opinion from home. Its the Microsoft vs IBM debate, ya see. Formality is an absolute necessity in order for people to really think about things. To really be pragmatic about things. In a general sense, the stigma associated with informal dialogue is overly defensive.

Posted by coffee_guy1 at 01:09 PM : Sep 23, 2007

I had to look twice great post coffe guy

[starleo146]

If any one believes Karl Rove after all he has done I feel sorry for that mind UGH!!!!!

[starleo146]

Posted by homespunlady at 01:38 AM : Sep 23, 2007


See I told you I loved your posts another great one and so true.

[coffee_guy1]

Well, there are 2 aspects of the internet that I can think of that one should consider. 1) Anonymity. Even if you''re not anonymous, it feels like it. And anonymity is bad. Its a terrible precept. It makes people crazy. Like everybody''s a 007. And 2) Most of the opinions are from home. That is; people have their computers and their internet connections at home, where they''re safe, and secure, and informal. Even if they were honest, its entirely speculatory whether or not anyone could provide anybody else an honest opinion from home. Its the Microsoft vs IBM debate, ya see. Formality is an absolute necessity in order for people to really think about things. To really be pragmatic about things. In a general sense, the stigma associated with informal dialogue is overly defensive.

[mh4cbs1]

The Real Power of the internet is that we no longer need to rely on Corporate News pablum, regurgitated Administration propaganda, and ''''infotainment''''. For example, will CBS report the following, which appeared in The Nation online magazine. :

"Brigadier General Karl Horst, deputy commander of the 3rd Infantry Division said of private security contractors, %u201CThese guys run loose in this country and do stupid stuff. There%u2019s no authority over them, so you can%u2019t come down on them hard when they escalate force%u2026. They shoot people, and someone else has to deal with the aftermath. It happens all over the place.%u201D Horst tracked contractor conduct for a two month period in Baghdad and documented at least a dozen shootings of Iraqi civilians by contractors, resulting in six Iraqi deaths and the wounding of three others. That is just one General in one area of Iraq in just 60 days."

STOP the Blackwater Civilian-Killing Terrorists! Their most recent murder-spree, which has finally forced our corporate media to at least mention it, is not by any means an isolated event

[mh4cbs1]

The Real Power of the internet is that we no longer need to rely on Corporate News pablum, regurgitated :

"Brigadier General Karl Horst, deputy commander of the 3rd Infantry Division said of private security contractors, %u201CThese guys run loose in this country and do stupid stuff. There%u2019s no authority over them, so you can%u2019t come down on them hard when they escalate force%u2026. They shoot people, and someone else has to deal with the aftermath. It happens all over the place.%u201D Horst tracked contractor conduct for a two month period in Baghdad and documented at least a dozen shootings of Iraqi civilians by contractors, resulting in six Iraqi deaths and the wounding of three others. That is just one General in one area of Iraq in just 60 days."

Administration propaganda, and ''infotainment''. For example, will CBS report the following, which appeared in The Nation online magazine.

STOP the Blackwater Civilian-Killing Terrorists! Their most recent murder-spree, which has finally forced our corporate media to at least mention it, is not by any means an isolated event.

[homespunlady]

Turnout is the key. Rove knew that and used it to tilt the percentages.
Yes, there are more politically active young people but ironically some will be too young to vote yet, others will have either forgotten or been tripped up and disqualified due to some arcane "registration glitch" and still more won''t be able to either find the right polling place or won''t be allowed time off work at their underpaying job to be able to vote.
ALL those things occurred around here with the last few elections we volunteered to work.
There is little to NO REAL CIVICS EDUCATION in the Public Schools anymore so BASIC things like answers to the above situations trip up even the most ardent politically motivated person - young or not so; sound bytes have replaced logic.
Dirty tricks abound.
From the notorious Diebold "hack-ability" issue to "forgetting" to send the paper ballots to districts that don''t fit the desired "demographic profile" or disqualifying serving military by mis-routing their "registration inquiries" - all have been used in past elections.

If the system is discriminatory to begin with the discrimination and "dirty tricks" need to be stopped WELL BEFORE the actual voting starts.

[me4prezz]

I think that they are underestimating the Internet.

I believe, presonally, that the Internet is where the majority of young voters will receive their information, while the more traditional means of finding information (e.g. newspapers, magazines, etc) is going to be strong for the older population.

With so many of the younger generation involved in pushing people to vote and voting themselves, many for their first presidental election, I belive that they are vastly underestimating the power of the Internet and/or the vast majority of the younger population that will turn the tides of the campaigns.