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Campaign Internet Strategists Clash At Web Conference
Monday when Mark Soohoo, the Republican Internet strategist for John McCain defended his candidate's legitimacy as someone with a deep understanding of how technology can revolutionize government during the PDF '08 conference, Tracy Russo, formerly of the Edwards campaign, let loose her thoughts, drawing on a post she wrote for techPresident on Mccain's admission that he doesn't use a computer and gets some of what he knows of digital life from interaction with his kids. That's "not enough," Russo said.
SOOHOO: I think it's a mistake to assume that John McCain has no knowledge of this. I mean, this is a man who has served in the United States senate, has been, you know, on a number of committees that are--
RUSSO: He has said he doesn't use a computer, I mean, I wasn't making that up.SOOHOO: Yeah, yeah, but you don't necessarily have to use a computer to understand how it shapes the country and I think he has a--
RUSSO: But no that's the point , you do. Like, that's exactly the point.
SOOHOO: I think that--
(Audience clapping)
RUSSO: You can't just say you're a maverick and a straight talker, because it's the frame of reference that comes from being engaged and using the technology and tools that are moving our entire world forward...
SOOHOO: I mean that's not lost on Senator McCain. He knows the internet exists...
(Audience laughter and clapping)
(...)RUSSO: I would try explaining email, Facebook, Twitter, Google... massive social movements to your grandmother and then ask them to apply that to governing and see if that would work for you...
The panel discussion was thus briefly elevated to heated debate, Russo drawing applause from the crowd but also, on the YouTube replay, what seems like disapproval for linking McCain to the word grandmother. Soohoo let the thread die there, helped along by PDF cofounders Andrew Raseij and Micah Sifry. Russo defended her remarks by saying "it's not necessarily partisan. It's about the technology."
Most of the panel flowed amicably, however, the campaign reps agreeing on several basic points, like how important it was for the campaign Internet directors to have a seat at the table. Predictably the panelists all emphasized the connectedness of their organizations, particularly Peter Daou of the Clinton campaign. But, drilled down, the split panel (three men, three women; three Republicans, three Democrats) drew lines with their respective parties on "the message aligning with their type of marketing," as Mindy Finn of Mitt Romney's campaign remarked.
"It's a different kind of audience," Soohoo said, referring to Republicans. And although Joe Rospars of the Obama campaign joked that he could take credit for "all of the shortcomings" of the Internet strategy for Obama, it was clear he was the star in the room, given the widespread view that the Obama campaign's online organization represents a new kind of success.
Shifting the topic slightly, Esther Dyson asked a more revealing question (via the live question tool) about how either of the two nominees' camps would utilize online technology, specifically social networking tools, once in office. Soohoo responded quickly, explaining that John McCain participates in conference calls with bloggers. Justine Lam of Ron Paul's campaign, took a kind of libertarian approach, saying "it's up to [citizens] to create these technical tools like wikis." Rospars, on point, suggested that social networking was just one more medium with the ability to meaningfully expand transparency.
Oh, yeah, that.
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That poor guy - he reminds me of a Log Cabin Republican trying to defend voting for a party that actively seeks to reduce gay men and women to second class citizens, or a blue collar worker trying to defend voting for a party that actively seeks to bust unions and to shift the tax burden from the super wealthy onto the working poor. Their pre-packaged talking points don't stand up to scrutiny when put up against fact-based reality and you can see this realization dawning on their faces as they fumble around trying to remember what Rush, O'Reilly or Hannity told them to say.
That poor young man just didn't know how to defend john Mccains ignorance of the internet , high tech world or the computor. I think he just doesn't know how any one can't use a computor in todays world, and thats why he can't spit out a defense of Mccains poor education and knowledge of the kind of high tech world we truely live in! What kind of crash course will he need to ans. that phone at 3 am, and locate the info. he'll need to look up to give a good ans. to the person on the other end? OH, I know he'll call all his staff in and say " I need you to look up this information for me on the internet so I can make a good educated knowledgable decision aboutt this, and I'm sorry I had to bring you to the white house at 3 am to do this for me".
Way to go, "Steel Ovaries" (gotta love that one!) Russo! You 'da woman. As for the architect and livin' large offline, well that's great. Plenty of my most immediate family members choose to have no computer, just as they chose no TV or telephone in the 70s. It's a hassle and an inconvenience for someone as wired and fired as I am, yet we continue to retain strong, everlasting bonds of familial love and community. Last I checked-up on them in the flesh though, none of 'em are running for POTUS in the digital age.
So McCain is aware of the internet's existence. Wow, that's deep.
"Clash"?! Clash to me implies two arguments of similar weight.
That wasn't a clash, Soohoo was pwned by Russo.
even the Young Hip Techies on the MkKain team are clueless
gee, that's shocking
Russo is bang-on. MCSame may be aware of the internet but asking him to harness its full pontential and applying it to governing is like asking one's 90 year-old grandma to see if will work for her.
I resent that, MPeter. The internet isn't just for the young and the restless or the large clot of middle-aged successes going through an identity crisis. A 90 year old of either sex can certainly appreciate what the internet offers without the worrying how that might look to the rest of the world.
what obama understands about the internet is how it mediates and elevates pure narcissism. he uses it to gather and unite certain types of supporters who will be the bulk of his volunteer/contributor base. but did he use interactivity or anything to make any of his recent tactical decisions, at all? did he for instance poll his facebook friends to avoid the ghastly vero possimus seal mistake? or to ask what he should have on his ipod? or to determine how he should honor his muslim support? of course not. obama isn't interested in any internet feedback other than volunteers and donations. he would never consider drawing online supporters into his decision-making process. never happen. he probably is in about the same spot with the internet as steny hoyer. none of these guys is in any especially lofty position re web apps. if the rest told you the gods honest truth about their nonregard for interactive web apps, they might prefer mccain's ignorance.
yeah sure with grandpa McCain back on the trees...
Get a latte Tracy Rosso. And then spare us.
I wonder why they are not investigating your teams use of media manipulation.
You don't need machines to govern, it's about the PEOPLE stupid. It always has been and always will be. At least in a Democracy.
Your network world of change is about as transformative as fun on a Saturday night.
Yes, when it is used online for politics it may potentially be transforming, but you really need to elevate it above Obama Girl. What a gimmick. Still waiting to hear what change means. Your guy is not sharing.
Jealousy abounds!
Sorry your candidate sucks....
Poor Republicans, having candidate who prefers counting with pen and paper and may be sending mail by pigeons or may be we will need Pony Express once again if he is elected
waaaahhhh!
You don't even get that the internet is why the PEOPLE have taken back the process. It allows them to communicate and organize in ways never before possible.
Here's a quote from Joe Trippi's book, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, from p. 52:
"There has always been a disconnect in America between those people who look at a computer screen and see what is, and those people who look at the same screeen and see what's going to be, between those people who know the world is changing profoundly before our eyes and those people who -- for one reason or another -- just don't get it."
Other than being able to watch video clips of 'Barney' on YouTube, does anyone really believe that Bush knows his way around the internet? And he's lasted 8 years in office (scary, huh?) !!!
Actuallyl I do believe Both the Bush's are computor savy! But than they have young daughters who are very tight nit family with them to teach them. That is how I taught my mom. She even blogs now on my sights some times. By the way while were ont he subject has any one seen any of the Mccain children and why aren't they stumping for Him?
In McCain's defense: one of the sharpest guys I know, really smart, architect, runs a large office, President of a mountain rescue unit, 30-something, doesn't even have a computer at home. (And drives a 2-cylinderCitroen.) He's computer literate, of course, but he's not immersed in the culture the way we addicts are. So I don't see immersion in the Interwebs as a prerequisite to doing this kind of job. I understand that's still diff than McCain's position, though.
It's not so much that McCain is not computer literate at the moment, it's that he has not taken an interest in computers since their general use in the 80's and the interest explosion in the 90's. It shows he is not only old today, but his thinking and way of operating has been old and inflexible for a long time. It makes you wonder what else he has refused to learn during the last 30 years.
Anything. Oh. I left out how to kiss Bush's ass.
Tracy you are my SHERO
O, great steel-ovaried Tracy - teach your science of truth. Because, damn Sam, sister, you knocked that ridiculous "he *knows* about the internet" nonsense a good one-two punch, and you dosed it with a good amount of truth serum, to boot.
Thanks, too, Sarah, for posting this; both your take, and the video link. You're both my heroes.
Tracy rocks! Great post, Sarah!
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Posted June 25, 2008 | 01:19 AM (EST)