Q We’ve heard so much about how differently Republicans and Democrats view the world nowadays, as if one could argue that “Republicans Were From Mars, and Democrats Are From Venus.” If this sharp political polarization is to be believed, does it also translate to the Internet? Do Republicans and Democrats approach the Internet and netroots differently?
A I think that there’s more agreement there, really. Though my book, “An Army of Davids,” isn’t especially political, I found some common ground with Markos Moulitsas’ “Crashing the Gate.” Both address the way in which technology, and the Internet in particular, has empowered ordinary people and weakened the position of traditional gatekeepers. It would be an exaggeration to say that the old order is collapsing, but it’s certainly true that people who formerly had little influence or input now have more. A lot more.
Q At this point, who has the upper hand in utilizing the Internet for political purposes: Democrats? Republicans? Liberals? Conservatives? Or does the concept of netroots obliterate political power along party lines?
A Different people are organized in different ways. The left felt that the Democratic Party was weak on organization and grassroots activism, and in the pockets of the small number of big donors from whom it gets most of its money. So they put together a grassroots activism and fundraising machine.
On the right, the concern was with media bias, partisanship and dishonesty, so you saw a network of alternative news and opinion sources, which played a pretty important role in the 2004 election.
In both cases, though outsiders have different priorities than insiders. Members of Congress like Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., aren’t very happy with the “PorkBusters” program (www.porkbusters.org) against pork-barrel spending, for example, but it’s had a lot more impact than a movement like that could have had pre-Internet.
The parties still have a very important role, but if they act like threatened middle managers in a big corporation, and focus on protecting individuals’ jobs in place of fixing the organization, they’ll wind up obsolete and left behind.
Q Is the Internet at the beginning of the end for political parties? Or will parties react, respond and adjust? Although the netroots certainly has impressive attributes and power, political parties gain their appeal, in part, because they are a central place for (relatively) like-minded people to turn. Is the power of netroots blunted by the fact that the blogosphere is not as “tidy” and centralized as a political party?
A The problem with today’s political parties is that they’re organized around goodies for different constituencies more than around ideas. People on the Internet tend to care more about ideas than goodies. That’s already causing increased strain between parties and their base groups. That has showed more on the left than the right up to now, but I think we’re about to see a lot more of it on the right.
Q In what ways will 2008 presidential candidates have to adjust their candidacy in order to win election, especially as compared to 2004? And is there a particular candidate you think will succeed in this area the most?
A I think that the 2008 election, even more than the 2004 election, will punish phonies and people who tell different things to different groups. You just can’t get away with that much anymore. Candidates will have to actually stand for something.
Who’s in the best position to capitalize on the Internet? Among Democrats, probably Mark Warner, whose views are closer to a majority of Democratic voters than the candidates favored by the activist “netroots” — Warner will be able to bypass both the party establishment and the Daily Kos and go directly to the more moderate voters if he’s smart.
Likewise, Rudy Giuliani — seen by some as too liberal for Republican primary voters — will have the opportunity to use the Internet to reach out to the large number of Republicans who actually support him, and get them to turn out for him in the primary. Again, that’s if he’s smart. So far, unlike Warner, he hasn’t show signs of tremendous Internet savvy.
Q Is there a particular midterm election this year where the Internet is having a considerably higher influence?
A I think it’s too early to say yet on that question. But look for a Congressional district where there’s not a lot of local media diversity, and you’ll find a place where alternative media can have an impact.
