Joho the Blog
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July 20, 2003
I wrote about how remarkable it is that a presidential candidate has found himself thrown into the wildest sort of Internet melee, which led to my blogging about how much is contained in a simple statement by Joe Trippi, Howard Dean's campaign manager, in his totally human comment on that fray. So, now it's been continued on my own discussion board. Ken Camp criticizes Dean for "walking the fence" on issues. "All I really want is for him to stand up and say something." Seems like an odd complaint addressed to Howard Dean. In any case, Joe Trippi, Howard Dean's campaign manager, has responded. He says, in part:
Ken replies. But I think he's missing the bigger point: Whether you agree with Ken that Dean's blogging at Lessig's site should have had more detailed proposals (and, fwiw, I do not agree) this has never happened before. Here's what's new or at least unusual:
Before this, what would you have had to do to get the ear of a potential president of the United States? You could have a column in a national newspaper or you could get a hernia toting sacks of cash to the campaign headquarters. Can we at least pause for a moment of delight before we become blasé? Posted
by D. Weinberger at July 20, 2003 10:20 AM
TrackBackListed below are links to weblogs that reference Dean campaign in the fray:
» Questions for the Candidates from Digital Common Sense Tracked on July 20, 2003 12:04 PM
» David Weinberger on Howard Dean from Joi Ito's Web Tracked on July 21, 2003 01:45 AM
» David Weinberger on Howard Dean from Joi Ito's Web Tracked on July 21, 2003 01:47 AM
» 几则有关Blog的消息 from CNBlog: Blog on Blog Tracked on January 25, 2005 12:57 AM |
Comments
I absolutely agree that this is a new phenomena that has never happened before. The technologies in use today have enabled a new kind of interaction.
And perhaps to clarify, I don't necessarily criticize Dean or his campaign staff for taking any of this lightly. My feeling is they've been failing to seize a far greater opportunity with broader and deeper implications. I'm actively encouraging them to do that.
Lest anyone read any of my commentary as antagonistic, I continue in active conversation with Joe Trippi. I've just emailed him a set of eight interview questions that I'd like to see Governor Dean answer. I firmly believe that he will. And I'm making every effort to make clear that while I don't expect a policy statement or technical white paper, I do want to see more than a two line reponse. I'd like to see thoughtful answers with substance. I don't think that's too much to ask.
And I will add that Governor Dean has taken very strong positions on many issue that I actively support and agree with. But there are still many areas that just haven't been addressed to my satisfaction. In essence, I want him to win me. I hope he does.
I'll be posting the interview questions shortly.
/Ken
Posted by: Ken Camp | July 20, 2003 11:47 AM
As I noted in my blog, Dean's guest appearance on Lessig, and his use of his own blog, MeetUp and other Internet accoutrements all indicate a fundamental shift in the political use of a relatively new medium. This is a retrieval of the last political media nexus - the famous Kennedy-Nixon debate that allowed television to change the nature of politics. (One of the key results was the difference in perception about who "won" according to whether the audience listened on radio or watched on TV.) Here, the test will be whether Dean can successfully engage a voting demographic through the Internet that has previously ignored presidential politics. If he is even slightly successful, North America will hvae taken the first baby steps towards the visio of "Emergent Democracy."
Posted by: Mark Federman | July 20, 2003 01:36 PM
Asking a candidate to make a statement, so voters can make a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" judgement, is a lazy man's democracy. A litmus test may save some work, but we will likely pay dearly later. We can only keep the politicians in line by being more educated on the issues than they are.
If elected officials are public servants, they have to start by asking the public what they want.
Posted by: JLaw | July 20, 2003 03:11 PM
Over at Joi's blog, someone has brought up an interesting point: do those who are not registered to vote in America have a right to influence (or interfere with) American politics? It's shaping up to be an interesting discussion.
Posted by: Richard Soderberg | July 26, 2003 09:28 AM
Add me as supporter for Dean for president
Posted by: Jim | January 11, 2004 10:00 PM
Jim, excellent! But be sure to add yourself at the Dean site.
Posted by: David Weinberger | January 12, 2004 10:27 AM
Please have a look at my website.
Chris Smith o
Posted by: Chris Smith | June 30, 2004 09:25 PM
Add me as supporter for Dean for president
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Posted by: Like | July 26, 2007 07:50 AM