The non-partisan internet

In The Argument: Inside the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics, Matt Bai begins by describing the bleak situation which was the 2004 presidential election.  Bai explains how this was the year for Democrats to take back the White House, how everyone had done everything right (except for the Kerry campaign) and how disheartening it was to liberals across the country when Ohio turned red.  As a Democrat reading this, I got a little depressed- yes the writing was fun, interesting and engaging, but the content, at least in the beginning made it seem like my party was on downward spiral which started years ago. 

So, what could we Dems do?

Well, Bai starts to explain how the Democratic Party was able to reunite.  Bai gives credit to the internet, noting sites such as MoveOn.org, and blogs such as the Daily Kos as tools which were able to bring Democrats of the baby-boom generation together in order to organize and fight for progressive positions.

The book, however, was published prior to the 2008 election, and therefore, obviously, prior to the 2010 mid-term elections.  As we know from looking back over these elections, in 2008, it is true, the Democrats won with a leg up from the use of the internet (and with a major leg-up from a very unpopular Republican President, and arguably an even less popular, or at least, less qualified vice presidential nominee).  But now that 2008 is over, Republicans are at least starting to catch on to all of this online business.

I think Bai made a good point when explaining the phenomenon which was Mark Warner, in stating that “Warner had miscalculated in seeing the Internet as merely another technology in which to invest… the Web wasn’t simply a new tool for old politics; the blogs represented their own distinct political culture.  They were, in fact, the voices of the new public square….not a place where townspeople came to carefully consider what their leaders had to say, but where the mob gathered to make its demands and mete out its own kind of justice.”

For both parties, it is not enough to simply use the internet in a campaign as Bai notes.  It is a tool with people behind it, and therefore it is ever evolving.  The political discussions, as Bai points out, are not thoughtful reflections about policy.  Now, with the ability to make a response or post things without much though, people do just that.  The consequence for politicians is that they need to keep up, but they need to keep up in a smart fashion.  Obama was able to do that 2008, but the internet is not a purely progressive tool- conservatives can, will, and are using it too, and are figuring out how to use it well.  The internet is sure to play a major role in the elections coming up, but only time will tell if the Democratic Party will be able to hold on to the online grassroots movement to help keep the White House blue.