Wednesday, October 08, 2008

That One '08
Originally uploaded by copelanda

(Politics)

As you know if you read the papers, McCain infelicitously referred to his opponent in the debate as "that one."

And at 10:44 pm last night, it was a bumper sticker.

I think this election is a changed game. Ideas and themes used to come from the top down; party "activists" were people who knocked on doors and made calls and got out the vote. Now you can participate by making web videos and campaign art -- e.g. the classic Obama "Hope" poster and its many spinoffs.

It takes some getting used to. The Obama people seem to get it. With their history of community organizing, their campaign has been all about empowering their volunteers. The campaign gives you the template and the tools, and you go and do it.

(Though to be accurate, at the top they are extremely well-disciplined, with message control to rival the Bush campaigns.)

I have the impression that McCain is running a more traditional campaign, and it's hurting them. I'm not sure they really understand how much more dangerous it is to flip-flop when there are flocks of people with time on their hands ready to edit together a Youtube of your candidate saying both A and not-A.

I think future politicians will have to be clearer in their choices. Either say nothing at all, always say the same thing, or have no more than one road-to-Damascus moment where you change your mind. Otherwise you'll get nailed by the Net.

Labels: Politics

11:41 AM

3 Comments:

I want that bumper sticker! That was like one of the jump out moments of the debate too. Idc if people don't agree with each other, but that was completely disrespectful on McCain's part.

- on the flip flop internet thing: I think Baracky was the start of that great movement. And then the people turned into "fanboys" for their politicians and went balls to the wall on getting things out there. I love the internet.

By  Andrew Kosarko - Screenwriter, at 12:10 PM  

I thought the worst was earlier, when he accused someone who asked about the bailout of not having heard of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac until the crisis. (Or was he accusing the whole audience of being ignorant?)

By  Unknown, at 7:46 PM  

To be specific, I gather he told the BLACK guy "you've never heard of Fannie Mae."

By  Alex Epstein, at 9:04 PM  

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