Obama campaign - more modern than Clinton machine AND the mighty "Blogosphere"

[robbedvoter]

Mydd had an article where it explained the Obama movement
http://mydd.com/story/2008/1/5/223227/6768
"A careful observer of the Obama and Clinton campaigns' youth turnout efforts could have seen the results coming. Hillary's team were told to invite young people over for a night of watching TV shows like Gray's Anatomy or The Office, and use that opportunity to engage them in a conversation on the issues. Obama's team went about finding its cadre of supporters by using their website, built off of the FaceBook operating system or platform, in tune with Millennial's social networking habits. Once they found potential supporters, Obama's team didn't ask them to watch television, something Millennials do infrequently, unless it's on their laptop with shows downloaded from the Net, but to hang out at the local bar. There Michelle Obama, or "the closer" as her husband calls her, asked them to come out on caucus night and change America's politics forever." end quote

To which I add - Obama got these new voters while Edwards who was the last one in internet activity in 2004, merely cultivated his old "netroots" (from Kerry campaign and a few other old venues - by pumping advertising money here, on Kos et al and surrogate posts and mostly - trying to craft himself a persona to fit those blogs and forums.
But this is 2008 - and new people vote today, people who don't give a damn about Kos, DU, but somehow discovered Obama and were inspired by him and brought into the political process.
Sorry, "netroots" - the word itself is antiquated already...
For myself the shock was that "the blogosphere" has became just another echo chamber . This gets more ironical with the finding that Kos will now be writing for Newsweek - not unlike that other...ummm...journalist we all know.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Beware of "movements" that are based on one guy.

[robbedvoter]

4. Not so sure it's just one guy - they touched a nerve - and were technologically astute

I myself will vote Gravel in the primaries.
But I am very gratified at the new blood in the young voters Obama brings in.
They are HIS voters - not like Kerry got in 2004 - after media corronation - ther people's activists. So this is different in energy from the ABB coalition we had in 2004 (and we won then too - but...)

[aquart]

5. There's no "movement." It's a cult of personality.

Just like with Bush except that Obama actually has one.

But movements are based on ideas, on a shared philosophy. Ain't nothing like that here.

Fortunately for this ascendant group, they WILL get lots of "change." Bush has blocked any progress of any kind in the US for so long that I expect a huge turnaround everywhere. It will be a very heady feeling for them for quite some time.

Then he'll do something some of them don't like.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. They are calling it a movement now. I'm not sure how this will go over

& how must lasting power something like that has. Attention spans are pretty short.

[JackORoses]

11. You really would like there to be nothing there, wouldn't you?

Then that would excuse you from pinning all your hopes on a loser.

Unfortunately for you, Obama is real.
What he says is real.
What the People feel is real.
What we will do together is real.

Get Real before it's too late, Aquart!
There's always room for one on the Obama Express.

[Skidmore]

13. Movements are based on ideas.

And this one is too. Some of the greatest movements in history have been based on one man giving voice to what many were thinking.

[aquart]

2. Worked brilliantly. A lesson to us all.

[BootinUp]

3. "change America's politics forever"

yeah right. lol.

[aquart]

6. Most of them have never been in politics. For them, that's change.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Yeah right...here's one more reason why she's losing

==Clinton's attempt to make her gender define the nature of the historic change in this election missed another important trait of Millennials. This generation is the most gender neutral, race-and ethnicity-blind group of young people in American history. Only sixty percent of Millennials are white; twenty percent have an immigrant parent; and, ninety percent have a friend of another race. While Baby Boomers are justifiably proud of their idealistic efforts on behalf of civil rights and women's rights, Millennials take diversity as a given and tolerance as the only acceptable behavior. That's why, on caucus night, young women voted for Obama and his message of hope, while older women felt motivated to support the first credible female candidate for President. Once again, the Clinton's circle of Boomer advisors just couldn't understand why everyone wasn't thinking and behaving like they did.==

[BootinUp]

9. off topic much? nt

[robbedvoter]

10. Since I wrote this, I found out, Kos is now coopted by Newsweek. I rest my case.

I remember in 2000 when Jack Tapper from salon.com was coopted by ABC - naive people thought it was a good sign...Who knows, some maybe thought the same when Snaffulopagos got coopted...
Point is, if you are amazed why "the blogosphere" looks so different from the real world...it's because it became its own echo chamber. (and I am not painting all blogs with a wide brush - just those which became part of MSM, arms of campaigns, DNC etc)

[Edgeoforever]

12. I was surprised too of how outdated the blogosphere was (pleasantly so)

I supposed that one has to decide between "advocacy" and media" - you can't be both.
having a PIV is one, being paid by one campaign - a different thing altogether. I guess things evolved since 2004 - when it was all activism.