In the 2008 Presidential election, both John McCain and Barack Obama appeared to be running very candidate-centered campaigns. The theme for the election, most notably from Obama was “Change,” but was also coined in John McCain’s “A Change We Can Believe In.” This alone required a step away from traditional strict party loyalty. McCain has constantly been ostracized his lack of party loyalty and Obama has been praised for his independence.
I think the candidates are very much influenced by their netroots. Obama ran a very successful netroots campaign.
“The websites are part of a strategy that Obama announced in an online video, in February 2007, even before he formally launched his presidential campaign. He asked his online audience to "use this website as a tool to organize your friends, your neighbors and your networks." (http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2008/03/obama_tools)
John McCain attempted the same strategy with sites like blogs4mccain.com but was not as successful.
I strongly believe that advancing technology is decreasing the pull of the political party in campaigns. Voters are seeing candidates more as individuals and less as a byproduct of a greater political regime. According to King (The Vulnerable American Politician, 1997), politicians are vulnerable four reasons: their short terms in office, running as individuals rather than as a party, having to continually raise large sums of money, and that they face being defeated in primary elections. The internet just adds to the threat. Incumbents may now show a lack in job security because their platforms and campaign specifics are put on a platter for the voter to see as well as the negative idea that blogs and articles may easily be biased and misleading, providing for a stronger defense on the candidate’s part. The internet also increases the fact that the candidates have to run as individuals and their party backbone is weakening.
“Every statement made by a politician is videotaped, scrutinized and broadcasted to anyone with internet access. Politicians will be accountable for every lie, double-talk and incriminating phrase they utter.” (http://www.helium.com/items/295535-the-internets-effect-on-campaigning-and-elections)
do you think that congressional and even local elections will be influenced by technology in the same way? If so, will it be to the same effect?
ReplyDeleteI never put it together that McCain's saying was "A Change we can believe in" - I guess I always just associated Obama with change because the media stressed it so much. Part of me actually thinks McCain developed his lingo after Obama already had his in play.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the primary process and the nature of candidate - centered politics?
ReplyDeleteI also believe that technological advances—perhaps most notably the internet—played a huge role in the 2008 election. Although this brings additional vulnerability for the candidates, I think that technology has allowed for the flexibility of candidate-centered politics, which Obama definitely capitalized on in this past election.
ReplyDeleteI also never really picked up on McCain’s use of the phrase “a change we can believe in.” I think that the media really ran with Obama’s theme of “change” and easily dismissed McCain’s phrasing as a result.