Posted on 05/24/2007 10:48:09 AM PDT by Sleeping Beauty
IP Democracy is a multi-media, blog-based forum that delivers innovative thinking about IP media and society.)
The Washington Post’s Jose Antonio Vargas has this piece today about how the Democratic party is just much more effective than the Republican party in using the Internet. While Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards have mastered the tools of web communication and fund-raising, Republican presidential candidates are “stuck in Internet circa 2000,” Republican blogger David All correctly notes.
Traffic to the cookie cutter Republican candidates’ sites is paltry in comparison to that generated by the high-profile Democratic presidential hopefuls’ fully developed web sites. Fundraising on the Internet is almost entirely a Democratic game: progressive Act Blue has raised $3 million for John Edwards alone while conservative ABC PAC has raised, um, $385, for all the Republican presidential candidates.
Theories abound about why the Republicans, who are so sophisticated in capturing middle America’s attention with talk radio and Fox News, are such duds on the Internet. Republicans aren’t exciting the way Democrats are or the Dems have simply locked up the technical talent it takes to mount Internet campaigns. Or, closer to the truth, staying “on message” is crucial to Republican victory and the Internet is a loud cacophony of diverse voices.
But an underlying cause may be the nature of the Republican Party and its traditional discipline — the antithesis of the often chaotic, bottom-up, user-generated atmosphere of the Internet.
However, I think the real reason that Democrats resonate on the Internet is that hardcore web denizens are, despite the rapid infiltration of the Internet throughout society, still primarily young, upscale and educated, the target market for the Democratic party. The Republican party has, over the past 20 years, appealed primarily to older, working class and less-educated voters.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
http://www.ipdemocracy.com/archives/2007/05/21/#002501
So, are we really that bad on Internet influence?
‘Theories abound about why the Republicans, who are so sophisticated in capturing middle America’s attention with talk radio and Fox News, are such duds on the Internet.’
Maybe its just me, but FR, and related political forums with a Republican slant seem to do very very well, and the candidates for the GOP benefit greatly from it.
I’d say the GOP might be a few years ahead, actually. You visit DU, you have to take a shower afterwards, for example.
The Republicans are very good at using the Internet...they just don’t put out a bunch of fluff like the Democrats do.
Not a chance. Think about it. The Left may have a few more blogs here and there, but the cornerstone Web-only news platforms are almost all right-leaners: Drudge Report, WorldNetDaily, NewsMax, etc. The Left has been trying to play catch up with imitators like The Raw Story and The Huffington Post. They may have more blogs and fad technologies, but let's not act like the conservatives aren't using the Internet. They may not be using it to drown out others' opinions like the Democrats, but they're using it, and using it well.
Plus, the existence of this thriving Web site is prima facie evidence.
Me think the media might want to be careful, last time they believed that conservatives were digitally challenged, they lost one of their biggest mouth piece in Dan Rather, and Reuters and the AP were shown to be using digitally modified images.
So they might want to go and rethink this piece before we decide to take another whack at their credibility...
Most Republicans, especially conservatives, are too busy working to spend all day on the internet.
Except for Fred.
And that may make a big difference in the presidential race.
Not quite. Ron Paul is causing a sensation on the net.
I’ve been called many things but never a “dud”. Maybe he misspelled “dude”.
So what are we? Chopped liver?
If the RATS have an edge, my theory is its because of Internet access has an edge in the cities.
If all that is available in rural areas and the burbs is dial-up, video clips like you-tube are about worthless.
Cities are the RAT domain and the playing field isn’t close to being level when it comes to access.
Some of us are capable of multi-tasking.
Good point. And I think the Democrats have a lot more time on their hands....being unemployed and all. :)
I've never considered it a physical-world demographic. Very good point you make there.
How’d the internet work out for cBS Rather and John f’n K. The Dems are good at voter fraud, trashing America and levelling the international playing field economically.
In my area dial-up is all that is available and only a few years ago, in 2000, even dial-up was a LONG DISTANCE call in areas close to me.
You don’t spend lots of time on the Internet if it costs you 20 cents a min.
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