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September 5, 2008 9:51:54 PM CDT

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Candidates Can't Buy Web's Love

Posted Dec 9, 07 3:54 PM CST in Technology,  Politics 

(Newser) – Candidates have spent loads of time and money learning a disappointing truth: you can’t control the Internet. Successful web campaigners like Howard Dean and Ron Paul give the reigns to eager online fans, letting their netroots define them, not vice-versa. That’s a welcome change, says the New York Times’ Matt Bai, from a soul-crushing era of strategic politics.

Businesses have long understood that the web is an inherently participatory medium, but for Washington’s control freaks that’s a terrifying idea. Campaigns yearn for message control – the Clinton campaign is even rumored to have peppered forums with dialogue-steering questions. It’s a losing proposition, Bai argues. Webcam-wielding auteurs and passionate bloggers will affect the race – better to be on their side.

Source New York Times

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Web campaigns need to be fueled by genuine popular enthusiasm, not carefully calculated strategies, candidates are learning. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)   (Getty Images)
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore answers questions on his blog after formally announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, Thursday, April 26, 2007, in Des Moines, Iowa. Campaign...   (Associated Press)
Republican presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, gestures while participating in a Republican debate in Columbia, S.C in this May 15, 2007 file photo. Paul may be the political butterfly of the...   (Associated Press)
The latest crop of presidential candidates have learned that you can't manufacture the internet enthusiasm that powered Howard Dean.   (Getty Images)
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election 2008  • presidential campaign  • Ron Paul  • Howard Dean


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