Web 2.0 and Political Campaigns
Election 2008 revolutionized the political campaign arena that was started by Howard Dean back in 2004. Obama and Clinton used Web 2.0 technology to their advantage as a way to connect with voters and work with a wider network of Americans.
Blogs took over the news. Breaking stories (John Edwards anyone?) and starting viral political video crazes that were picked up by the MSM and aired on the 24 hour cable news stations.
From web addresses and videos, text messaging, networking (Obama for America), massive small donner online political donations (Obama for America), campaign blogging, and political blogging- this election season and these campaigns have changed the way political campaigns will be run in the future.
Unfortunately for the always campaign-savvy Republicans, they are a ways behind – could it be because the Democrats have moved onto a new generation of politicians while the Republicans are still stuck with the Boomers? Not to drag up the overused Mac vs. PC analogy, but…
From the WaPo:
… the Republican establishment hasn’t fully grasped the ways the Web is revolutionizing politics. “If you look at their site,” she said of the Obama campaign, “their online videos, their online ads, everything they did, it wasn’t about ‘me, myself and I.’ It was about ‘we’ and ‘us.’ “
It was, in essence, about you.
Yes, it was about you, me, him, us – everyone coming together to support a campaign and doing so using the tools of Web 2.0 technology to connect with our peers, interact with the campaign, and do our own little campaign work.
MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!
May money totals for the three major candidates.
Debt:
Obama: $304,000
Clinton: $22.5 million, including $12.2 million personal loan
McCain: $1.3 million
Edwards and Giuliani Drop Out
Breaking (yesterday…)
John Edwards dropped out of the Presidential Race, leaving the Democratic Race a two-way battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
All of the recent polls still have Edwards in them, how will he impact the campaigns? Will he endorse anyone? A possible AG in the making for the next Democratic administration? Where will his delegates go?
All these questions are unanswered now a day after Edwards’ announcement. I expect something BIG to happen after the Democratic Debate tonight- look for major news on Friday!
Now on the Republican side, Giuliani drops out. After a poor showing in Florida, the state that he had staked his campaign on for the past couple of months, Rudy 9/11 Giuliani has dropped out. Maybe his campaign should have thought this strategy through before betting it all on Florida. There is still a thing called the Big-Mo, something gained mostly from good showings in the early states.
Now Giuliani endorses McCain. Hmm…. well at least they both agree on national security issues. But if I were McCain, I wouldn’t want a scum bag like Giuliani endorsing me, but that’s just because I’m a Democrat who doesn’t approve of Giuliani very much. But I guess to have the Republican who led in the polls for many many months in 2007 backing you isn’t such a bad thing.
Now onto the bigger problem with Giuliani dropping out… how am I going to write my paper on why Rudy Giuliani should be our next president? Well people, we knew this one was going to be hard, but with 9/11 in our pocket’s I’m sure that we can pull through and get that WR150 class to vote for Giuliani- even if he did drop out and the paper is due well after Super Tuesday!
Jesus Camp on the National Stage
Mike Huckabee- We need to amend the constitution to bring it in line with God.
Holy Crap. If Huckabee gets the Republican nomination and then gets elected, not only will the Republican party become the party of the Christian Right thereby faulting it out of winning any Presidential election ever again and dying out like other major parties- the Whigs and the Federalists, but I am going directly into politics – screw law school, screw finishing college – send me to D.C. to fight against “bringing our constitution in line with God”.
This is AMERICA MR. HUCKABEE! AMERICA! I don’t know what you or Mike Huckabee believes America means, but aside from other aspects of what I believe America is, America to me is a place where everyone is accepted and given equal opportunity to succeed regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or religious belief.
By amending the constitution to make it in line with God, Huckabee is effectively saying that America is a nation based on the evangelical Christian faith instead of oh, that little part of the Constitution declaring freedom of religion. Damn that constitution, I guess Huckabee will just have to change the 1st Amendment.
Giuliani’s Campaign in the Tubes
The AP is reporting that Rudy Giuliani’s campaign has asked staffers to go without pay in order to focus financial resources on Florida.
No pay? For staffers of a Republican?
People, political winds are changing. First of all, the Republicans are no longer on top in the fundraising game of politics. The Democratic nominees have trumped the Republicans over and over on this front in the 2008 Race.
Next, no pay because finances need to go to Florida?
That’s a sign that Rudy is not doing as well as people may have expected a year before. 6th in Iowa and 4th in New Hampshire. The Republican race is tight, but not with Rudy in the mix. Expect a showdown between McCain and Rudy in New York, but that’ll be about it for Guiliani and his campaign.
Sorry Rudy, I guess your non-Republican-esque social values just did not cut it for 2008.
My Predictions for the GOP Nomination
Don’t quote me on any of this material- I’m an extremely strong Democrat and therefore I try to just know the basics of the GOP Nomination.
Iowa- Overwhelmingly Huckabee because of strong evangelical vote that identified with his role as a evangelical preacher.
New Hampshire- McCain, a New Hampshire favorite and a favorite among Independents that lean Republican.
Michigan- My guess, if McCain keeps momentum, he should win. McCain is a crowd, or rather GOP favorite, true to the basics of the GOP. However, Romney is a chosen son of Michigan- born and raised there; his father was governor. Finally, Huckabee could gain support from the blue collar workers, especially with his new ad in which he calls himself the person who understands the workers, not one that lays them off.
Nevada- McCain. McCain’s huge support in Arizona will flow into Nevada.
South Carolina- My early guess, Huckabee because of the Bible Belt. However, if McCain does well in Nevada and Michigan, Huckabee might fall behind in the polls in S.C.
Florida- Rudy’s home base right now, however if he does not do better in the next few primaries, he could lose Florida and therefore effectively drop off the radar for the GOP Nomination.
To me, it’s all between Romney, Huckabee, and McCain now. In the end, I bet the GOP Nomination will go to McCain. Now that would be a comeback!
New Changes in for the Candidates
We are right on the heals of the Iowa caucus. For weeks, the polls have shown that John McCain has been basically going no where. However, McCain has just kick-started his new three-day campaign push. My bet, this final big push by McCain, in a field where all of the major Republican candidates have been fighting (think Romney dropping in New Hampshire, Giuliani stalling, and Huckabee’s rise), will indefinitely help the faultering McCain camapign. I cannot wait to see how McCain will do in Iowa. His position in the Iraq war is polarizing and his age is also a key issue that has not fully been discussed. If McCain pulls through to at least place well in Iowa, as it seems very unlikely that he will take first- that’s Huckabee’s place, McCain seems poised to do well in New Hampshire. A McCain success this late in the the primary season could seriously shake up the Republican nomination. It will be interesting to see how McCain’s three-day intense campaign in Iowa will affect the 2008 Presidential Nomination campaign
