As much as the Internet and blogs have changed journalism and politics, many candidates have yet to fully utilize the new medium. That, however, is quickly changing. With every election comes the realization by more candidates that engaging the blogosphere is smart politics.
The liberal side of the blogosphere received attention during the Howard Dean campaign for successful online fundraising, but that did not translate into votes. Recently, liberal bloggers have gotten attention for endorsing candidates. Liberal blogger Markos Moulitsas even appeared in a television commercial with Ned Lamont in the Connecticut Senate primary race against Joe Lieberman.
The support of liberal blogs seemed to help Lamont in his primary win, but it remains to be seen whether that support will help or hurt him in the general election. The ultimate electoral success of many candidates that have engaged the blogosphere is not yet known, but it seems inevitable that eventuallyevery candidate will incorporate a plan to address the blogosphere into their overall communications strategy.
Those on the right side of the blogosphere have not been quite as visible as those on the left in their support of candidates, but that is gradually changing. The “Netroots” effort to encourage contributions to liberal candidates is now being answered by the “Rightroots” drive on behalf of conservatives, and right-leaning bloggers are increasingly finding themselves being courted by campaigns.
I recently observed a smart blogger outreach effort first hand, as one of a group of North Carolina bloggers invited by state Sen. Fred Smith to attend a “bloggers-only” news conference with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who was the featured speaker at the senator’s annual fundraiser.
We were given a private meeting with the senator, a mini press conference with the governor, and were invited to a reception afterward, which was attended by such familiar North Carolina political figures as former U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth.
David Smithdeal, who is Smith’s son-in-law and campaign volunteer, organized the blogger press event and explained the decision to grant such generous access. “My background is in advertising, marketing and communications, and I also serve in the public relations department for a large online organization. It’s my opinion that Internet communications are rapidly gaining ground on traditional media because they offer an interactive playing field not found anywhere else.”
Smithdeal says Smith sees the blogosphere as a “great vehicle to get his message out to the public, while involving voters in a dialog with him directly” and uses the Internet, in addition to other one-to-one communications, such as town hall-style meetings, to “stay in touch with his constituents” and as a “wonderful tool to open a two-way dialog.”
Another effective way that candidates give bloggers access is through conference calls. Patrick Ruffini, the eCampaign director for the Republican National Committee, has organized calls with RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman and others, in which bloggers are given a briefing and then can ask questions.
Ruffini also set up the mother of all blogger opportunities back in January at the RNC Blogger Forum. Bloggers were not only given access to the confirmation hearings for Samuel Alito, and to some Judiciary Committee members for interviews, but those in attendance also enjoyed a surprise — a private, off-the-record meeting with White House political strategist Karl Rove.
David All — currently on leave of absence from U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston’s office to serve as communications director for Mike Bouchard’s Senate campaign in Michigan — has ideas about other ways candidates can utilize the blogosphere.
“Effective communicators are always interested in finding a better way to communicate with their audience. Having your own credible forum, your own blog, provides a forum for a candidate to communicate with supporters, respond to criticism with lightning speed, and a place to find out everything someone would need to find out about your candidate,” All said.
He adds that “if your candidate has the right message, modern media can help provide your candidate with thousands of allies and surrogates throughout the state or nation who can help beat the momentum drum … . Obviously, YouTube is the latest ‘must-have’ feature for campaigns. But it’s those campaigns that follow the trends of the Web closely to find and quickly assimilate with the next big thing that I think will be most successful.”
When asked if most campaigns are fully utilizing the blogosphere, All said, “the intersection between technology and politics is close, but we’re not there yet. We’re seeing U.S. Senate campaigns really start to engage the blogosphere and some competitive House races. But the upcoming presidential campaigns will be the first true showdown and the tipping point for modern media.”
Lorie Byrd is a member of The Examiner’s Blog Board of Contributors and blogs at Wizbangblog.com.
