PennTags /rachel/internet+howard

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The Evolving Role of the Internet in Politics/Campaigns

I'm researching the evolving role of the internet in politics, specifically in the last presidential elections (focusing on moveon.org and Howard Dean's campaign) up to the present efforts of some of the 2008 hopefuls. As I continue to research contemporary online strategies, John Edwards has become a particularly interesting example of the web-saavy candidate. Ultimately, I'm looking at the increasingly complex nature of internet politicking and the growing population of campaign internet users to make some observations about the future role of the internet in (campaign) politics - looking forward to the 2008 election and beyond. Useful websites are: moveon.org and onecorps.com.

tagged English569 Howard_Dean John_Edwards elections internet moveon politics by rachel ...on 12-MAR-07

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Revolution will not be televised : democracy, the Internet, and the overthrow of everything / Joe Trippi.

Trippi, Joe. .

Revolution will not be televised : democracy, the Internet, and the overthrow of everything / Joe Trippi. [0060761555 (acid-free paper) ] New York : ReganBooks, c2004.
Call#: Van Pelt Library JK1764 .T75 2004

This is a really compelling, if somewhat repetitive account, of Joe Trippi's involvement in politics in general and the Howard Dean campaign in particular. This is one of the most forward-looking accounts I've read of the increasing role of the internet in American life, also offering strategies for current and future candidates, businesses, etc. to stay afloat in the online era.

However, I have difficulty fully swallowing Trippi's arguments about how Dean ultimately failed as a candidate. Trippi blames the steam-rolling political machine with its usual smear tactics and ability to lose interest in an unconventional candidate as quickly as it initially embraced him. Throughout the text, Trippi argues that the campaign itself, a campaign created by and for the people, remains a successful model, but he doesn't quite attend to the organizational pitfalls of such a movement. This leads me back to the question Cornfield and others raise: how do you encourage/harness the momentum of a movement within the boundaries of a campaign that ultimately must be organized in order to be effective?

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tagged books democracy howard_dean internet joe_trippi politics presidential_campaign by rachel ...on 12-MAR-07